Camera Dishcloth Pattern

I seem to be suffering from second sock syndrome, but I have something else for you! I’ve written a pattern! I was searching around for a few things I knew some of my aunts and uncles like to make dishcloths for them and found that there weren’t any good patterns for several of the people I was considering. One of the things I was looking for was something related to photography. I searched around on Ravelry pretty extensively, but couldn’t find much. I did find a very simple chart here that someone used to make a pillow, and decided to modify it to my own liking and came up with this pattern. 

Camera Dishcloth
Materials: 1 ball worsted weight cotton yarn
                Size 7 (4.5mm) needles 

Cast on 37 sts.

Rows 1-4: Knit

Row 5: K3, P31, K3

Row 6 and all even rows: Knit

Row 7: K3, P31, K3

Row 9: K3, P31, K3

Row 11: K3, P3, K25, P3, K3

Row 13: K3, P3, K25, P3, K3

Row 15: K3, P3, K25, P3, K3

Row 17: K3, P3, K10, P5, K10, P3, K3

Row 19: K3, P3, K9, P7, K9, P3, K3

Row 21: K3, P3, K9, P7, K9, P3, K3

Row 23: K3, P3, K9, P7, K9, P3, K3

Row 25: K3, P3, K9, P7, K9, P3, K3

Row 27: K3, P3, K10, P5, K10, P3, K3

Row 29: K3, P3, K25, P3, K3

Row 31: K3, P3, K19, P4, K2, P3, K3

Row 33: K3, P3, K19, P4, K2, P3, K3

Row 35: K3, P3, K25, P3, K3

Row 37: K3, P3, K25, P3, K3

Row 39: K3, P5, K3, P3, K10, P10, K3

Row 41: K3, P11, K9, P11, K3

Row 43: K3, P31, K3

Row 45: K3, P31, K3

Row 47: K3, P31, K3

Row 49-52: Knit

Bind off and weave in ends.

Chart (click to enlarge):

Housewarming Gift Set

I started out innocently enough. I saw a pattern I knew was perfect for one of my cousins, PLUS it had these adorable bobbles. How on earth could I resist? Honestly, I didn't even try. It turned out to be so excruciatingly cute, I think I'm going to make one for myself. It was a little difficult to photograph because it's been cloudy, but it says "tea" at the bottom and then has a tea cup with cute bobbles as accents.

Pattern found here.

Then, I sent her a Facebook message to get her address, only to find out that she was moving sooner than I'd thought. So I had about a week before she was going to be in her new place and didn't want to risk mailing it so late. I finished blocking the cloth, folded it up, and placed it in a padded bag along with a note. It filled up maybe half the bag. It looked so lonely. SO. I made a coffee cozy because I know this cousin also likes coffee!

Pattern found here.

This is 2x2 rib. Stripes are knit only to hide the purl bumps.

I finished that in a night. I still had a bunch of pink. This pink is something I originally got to make something for a friend. I am not a fan of pink, though working with it on my blue needles was rather pretty. I decided to  make a reusable produce bag. I was looking for something lightweight, so it wouldn't add to the price of something at the register, and so that it would be easy to carry into the store.

Pattern found here.

The ends of the I-cord looks a little funny because I didn't make the knot tight enough, oops!

It's the smallest size because I was now worried about all of it fitting inside the padded bag I'd already addressed. Folding it up was difficult, reminiscent of my fruitless attempts to make a neat bundle out of a fitted sheet. Anyway. I got it all into the bag, which has gone from sad and empty looking to rather stuffed.

I think I'm getting better at this knitting thing. Also, my birthday was the 6th, and I got several lovely books related to knitting to stoke my knitting obsession. I'm almost done with Knitting Rules! by the writer of the Yarn Harlot blog my boyfriend knows I'm obsessed with. I've also looked through The Knitter's Life List and copied down all the different types of yarn for myself, because I've so far only made things with cotton and wool. Of course, to fulfill this list I'll need a job, and I'm not sure when that's going to happen. Oh well. It's good to have dreams.

First Sock Saga Pt 1

To begin making socks, I had grand plans. First, I was going to make a miniature sock, then graduate to a pattern I had that was specifically for “my first socks” then move on to something a little more complicated, because at that point I’d have 3 socks under my belt. Unfortunately, things never work out the way you plan them! I have no pictures of my poor, sad mini sock, but let me tell you about it. I was gung ho when I started. Excited! Of course, I started it the night before the Boy’s spring break visit home which I was accompanying him on.

Undeterred by this minor detail, I stayed up late into the night knitting. In fact, I started late into the night. I cast on with some cheap acrylic yarn I made a kindle case with. I got the ribbing for the cuff done. Then I did the rest if the leg in stockinette. Alright! It was just like knitting other things so far. I even did the heel flap and turn perfectly. I didn’t have any ladders. I was proud. Then I tried to read the instructions for shaping the gusset. I tried to follow these instructions. No dice. I pulled out the ugly, terrible row I’d just made and tried again. Same problem.

I decided a little research was in order, and found a newer, much updated and differently laid out version of the sock. It was much clearer. After the research, I realized exactly how late in the day/early in the morning it was and put it down for the night. The next morning all I had to do to be ready to go was pack a few things, and one of them was my knitting. I decided not to take the mini sock since it was on DPNs and I was worried about how it would travel in my boyfriend’s trunk (I get carsick in his car as it is, and I don’t want to make it worse by trying to knit on the road so I have to stare out the window for most of the trip) and instead packed enough yarn to make a few dishcloths while we were there instead.

When we got back a week later, I had a few other things to do. Eventually, a week or two later, I got back to the mini sock. I created the gusset. I did all the decreases. I was just about to start the foot when I realized something. At some point I had stopped making stockinette and was now knitting reverse stockinette without meaning to. I texted a friend who knits, but we couldn’t figure out how I’d done it. I got mad and started frogging. I frogged right past the place where I’d gotten mixed up and into the heel flap. Instead of slowing down to examine what I’d done wrong or to try to fix it, I ripped out the whole thing. Not my proudest moment.

On the other hand, I made these cute dishcloths and a few other things I'm going to feature as part of two different gift sets. =) First up is Kansas! I modified the pattern a little bit because I didn't think it looked very much like Kansas, and since I'm from and live here I think I get to make my dishcloth pattern look more like my state.

Pattern modified from here.

I also made this Octopus dishcloth. I thought it'd look great in the multicolor blue, but forgot that variegated yarns often get in the way of a pattern instead of enhance it even if it's cute. It's difficult to see in person too, but the pattern is great and I might try it again in another color.

It's an Octopus! Pattern found here.

 Finally, I'd started this and brought it along because I thought I might need some monotonous knitting to do in front of the television. Except that this time we didn't watch a movie or much television. I got bored and switched cables quickly. I think this yarn is cursed. It's the same one I used for my mom's giant flower dishcloth/tea towel Frankenstein. Both of them ended up larger than expected (EVEN THOUGH I read "Cast on 52 stitches" without being phased) and both ended up languishing on a cable in a box for far longer than any of my other WIPs. Maybe I'll finish it during our next Star Trek marathon...

Pattern found here.

While taking that last picture, I noticed I hadn't moved the chair far enough away from the table and had a visitor. Cortez! She really wants to play with the yarn, but only when I try to photograph it. She pretty much leaves it alone if I'm knitting with it or if it's sitting on/next to the couch while I do other things. My knitting notions on the other hand go missing all the time. She loves stitch markers and counters and my plastic darning needle, so I have to be careful to put those away after every use.

Socks!

I recently found a great sale on sock yarn. To be more specific, I got 10 skeins of SRK’s On Your Toes. 5 solid and 5 self patterning skeins. Here they are for your viewing pleasure: 

Yarn!

Self patterning

Solids

I had originally decided to use the self patterning full of pinks and reds on the top left first with a basic sock pattern I’d found. Unfortunately, I didn’t take into account that it required the only size of DPNs I’m missing from sizes 0-7. Size 5 *shakes fist* I will buy you some day! I switched to a different pattern in which my gauge worked with size 6 needles, and all was well. I was more attached to the yarn and pattern combo than I’d expected, and instead decided to pick the one I suspected was the ugliest. I didn’t want to screw up yarn I liked on my first pair of socks. The solids were all immediately eliminated because I have other plans for most of them, as well as two of the self patterning ones. That left three, and I decided I thought that the one with red, yellow, and blue was the least matched set of colors, in the top right.

So far it’s working out to be as bad looking as I thought, and I’ll show it to you as soon as I’m finished with the pair!

I also have plans for several other skeins. I'm seriously considering making a pair of socks for my boy with the two grey skeins, and I think I'm also going to somehow pair up the green solid with the one that has a lot of the same green in the lower right of the self patterning ones. It kinda depends on the pattern. I'm also kinda hoping I'll have some grey left over so I can use it to put some pretty heels and toes on a pair of socks. =)

Gifts!

Goodness, it's been quite a while since I posted. I haven't made much progress on my socks, but I'm getting the urge to try again. I was originally stymied by a tiny sock pattern I printed off without realizing there was a weird mistake in the heel turn, got frustrated, and put it down. After some research, I figured out that there was an updated copy, and that most of it was exactly the same except for the part I had the problem with. I made a few gifts before my sock problem, but I didn't want to post the pictures until I actually gave them away. SO! Here they are.

I actually blocked all of these, since I was giving them as gifts! Up first is a nice leaf. It turned out a little smaller than I was hoping despite using worsted weight cotton, so I think next time I will use the largest needle size in the range. I like the subtle variegation in it, though I'm considering making another one in a darker green too.

Pattern found here.

Since the leaf ended up being rather small for a washcloth, I also made one with a rose on it in a more traditional size and shape. It turned out really well, and I am a huge fan of this pattern. The person I gave it to said she thought it should be in a frame, not used, so I might make a second one she can actually use! =)

Pattern found here.

Another aunt and uncle used to raise Labradors, and still have one as well as a wonderful, GIANT mutt they found and couldn't bear to give up. It's safe to say they love dogs. I saw this dishcloth pattern, and thought it would be perfect for them. This aunt also said she thought it should be framed. I'm sensing a pattern here, and as much as I love making these pretty picture dishcloths, I also want to make something people will use!

Pattern found here.

That is where simpler patterns come in. I made this and gave it to my Grandpa because he made me a lovely yarn cone holder. The blue is a little washed out in this picture for some reason, and the red towel I blocked it on didn't help, but you can see the pattern pretty clearly. This pattern is one that looks trickier than it actually is if you're just glancing. It's basically K3, P1(Of course, since it's a pattern with a multiple of 4 + 3, your last three stitches will be knit as well) on one side and K the other until the desired length.

Pattern found here.

I think patterns like this are more likely to be used as actual dishcloths, and I like giving useful things too! Of course, as soon as I give the finished object away, the person I give it to can do with it what they will. On the other hand, I think I'll be trying to find a few more of these simpler patterns so I can package two as a gift from now on. I hope all my gift recipients will enjoy their dishcloths in the way they choose!

I have another gift set to mail off, and hopefully a post about it soon. It doesn't exactly follow my latest idea of giving both a patterned and picture dishcloth, but it does have some other things which I found quite fun to knit.

Dishcloths Galore

Okay, so I finished one of the toys, and have finished the knitting for the other toy. Unfortunately, I've since learned that I HATE post knitting construction and have been procrastinating on it ever since. It's currently sitting in my room, languishing without it's arms, legs, or eyes attached. Instead, I bring you more dishcloths. Because they're my favorite.

First up is a lovely double knit potholder. My boyfriend and I are watching Star Trek from beginning to end, and are currently in the good times for TNG, so I thought this was a rather fitting project. I can't wait to get to Voyager, so I might have a special project to commemorate getting there. Maybe it'll motivate me to watch faster!

Pattern found here.

I've also been interested in making a few little scrubbies, but my attempt at the Tribble ended in a broken string and some severe frustration so I can't show it to you as of now. On the other hand, this little Fleur-de-lis cloth is almost the perfect size for a scrubbie without the difficulty that tightening a string seems to present me.

Pattern found here.

Okay so I haven't sewn in the ends or blocked it yet, shoot me. I've been similarly neglectful of the other two I will be sharing today. It's a small, quick knit and I know several people who either like this elegant design or the football team that uses it as their logo. I can see this being at the top of a stack of homemade, beribboned cloths for a nice present.

This dishcloth is meant to emulate stained glass, and I think it is the best looking variegated yarn usage I've seen yet. Of course, it is helped by the fact that I picked out one with bold colors. Even as I was first joining the color, I knew I loved the vibrant green and blue colors. It was almost decadent to knit.

Pattern found here under April 2011 KAL. Members only, but joining is free.

Back view is pretty too!

Finally, let's talk about the fact that I am still learning to knit. And I might need to work on my pattern following skills. Because when you don't follow the pattern, sometimes bad things happen. Like this:

Same place as last time, it's Aug 2007's mid-month KAL.

Two things went horribly awry in this dishcloth, preventing it from being quite as lovely as it should be. First of all, I held the yarn for the cable in front wrong from the beginning. It is twisting together instead of outwards, and I didn't realize until it was two sets of cabling later and I'm not yet brave enough to undo rows where I've cabled. I thought I could live with it and decided to move on. I even knit some of the middle of this while celebrating St Patrick's Day. No mistakes.

Then I decided to do the last two sets of cabling and finish it off the next morning, and unfortunately made a big mistake. I didn't pay enough attention to my pattern. I obviously cabled too soon, and then ended up knitting the stitches I was supposed to be moving around. Part of the problem is that I didn't listen to what the cloth was telling me.

Back view.

This view is a little difficult, but you might be able to tell that the lines of purling that are on either side of the stitches which are cabled zigzag in a uniform way until the mistake at the top. I saw these while I was knitting. I saw them. And I did nothing. If I'd bothered to look at my pattern as a whole before I got to the last five rows of garter stitch, I would've realized my mistake soon enough to fix it. Instead, I happily knitted along, ignoring my instinct because I totally had the pattern down by the last set of cables.

Obviously I was wrong! I will try to never ignore my instincts again. I don't think this will stop me from ever making another mistake, but it might mean a few fewer. I haven't sewed in the ends and blocked it yet because I'm still debating at least fixing those last two sets of cabling. It's not so very many rows, and I could probably figure out how to backtrack through cabling. Plus, I could document it carefully and make myself a little guide for if/WHEN I need to fix cables again.

I'm heading on another trip next week, during which time I will be giving away several dishcloths. This means I will finally be able to post pictures of them on here! I've done some interesting patterns, and another few picture patterns. I considered saving them for Christmas gifts, but that's just so far away I don't think I can wait that long. I also found a nice deal on some sock weight wool yarn, and I'm going to be attempting to knit a sock or two in the near future. I just need to get myself some size 1 dpns...

Short Update

I disappeared again! This time I have a somewhat legitimate excuse. I was out of town for the funeral of a friend's family member. I wasn't personally close with this person, but my friend needed support afterward so I traveled to my home town for most of a week and was without internet. I was also so busy that I didn't knit at all! Before I left I finished two more dishcloths.

First, since I have plenty of variegated dishcloth material (a Peaches and Creme cone and also two more balls of a different color!) I decided to try out patterns meant specifically for multicolored yarn. The first pattern is fairly simple:

Pattern found here.

I'm not convinced I like it, and feel that despite the intention of the pattern there were still clusters of color. It's easier to see on the back. There are patches of mostly darker colors and patches of lighter colors.

Back view w/color clustering

Then, I decided to take on a more difficult pattern using variegated yarn. I made an entrelac dishcloth! Of course, I don't have cheap cotton dishcloth yarn that has a long variegation, but the pattern I used didn't either. Even so, I think mine had more different colors and I'm a little iffy on using it again for that. I'll have to find another pattern, I suppose!

Pattern found here.

You can see my minor problems with the first decreasing side triangle, which I think was brought about by picking up the wrong stitches. I didn't get quite close enough to the corner to make the triangle fit. Glad I made the mistake on a dishcloth instead of one of those lovely scarves! I think next time, I will make each row a separate color, but otherwise have solid colors. The result is very striking.

To use up a little of the leftover yarn, I decided to fall back on the ever so familiar Grandma's favorite dishcloth. I think it turned out quite well, an am surprised at how great the pattern looks even with the random change of color. I still have a weeeee bit of the purple left, so I think I'll wait until I've used another ball (I have a lot cuz it's my favorite color!) and have a more substantial amount for another leftover dishcloth.

Next time I'll be talking about a few little toys I've been working on. One is done except for a teensy bit of construction and stuffing. The other has one small part to be knit, and a little sewing for assembly before I can show it off. Till then, good luck with your own endeavors!