Scarf Despair and Sock Satisfaction

I have been wanting to try illusion knitting for a while, and found this great scarf pattern with dragonflies and decided to knit myself a scarf. I already had a few skeins of a pretty dark gray yarn from a sale, and decided to get something to go with it. I picked out a pretty purple. I was a little worried about them not contrasting enough but there wasn't a lighter version for me to go with, so I thought I would just make do. I cast on with the gray and knit up about 16 rows of the pattern. I laid it on the floor in a nice bright natural light...and could see precisely nothing. Well, to be fair, I could see the gray, but not the illusionary dragonfly I was supposed to be getting. Frustrated, I took a picture of the two skeins of yarn and edited it, as is talked about in a wonderful blog post at January One. The two yarns had the same value.  There wasn't enough contrast to them for the illusion to pop out. So I guess I'm going to have to find a lighter gray and try again. The dark gray gets to live on for another project.

Instead, I picked out a pattern that I thought would go well with a (different) solid purple yarn and cast on a new sock with a yarn I have since learned is discontinued. I'm using Pace Step, which I found at a Tuesday Morning (great store!) but I'll never be able to get any more, which is too bad cuz I definitely would if I found it again. I'm doing the pattern Asymmetrical Cables from the book Sock Knitting Master Class even though I am by no means the master of a sock. On the other hand, I think it looks pretty good so far.

Modeled on my hand, which is not as smooth as a leg. Forgive me.

I have, however, discovered a problem with me knitting wool socks for myself. I am not sure when I'm going to wear them. As it is, I pretty much only wear socks that start below my ankle. Chatham told me the point of longer socks was to act as a barrier at the bottom of jeans so that your calf isn't chilly. I pointed out that I've worn ankle socks through four Boston winters. He then told me it wasn't his fault I don't get cold like a normal person. Maybe I should've taken up a different hobby.

Birthday Bash

A friend's daughter turned two at the beginning of August. Now, I know dishcloths aren't the most EXCITING things for a two year old to get, so I also got her a soccer ball.

First, a few less exciting yet still useful dishcloths. I did two of grandma's favorites, one plain, one with seed stitch for the inside portion.

Pattern found here.

An A, for her first name. I really like the dramatic letter in this pattern, and I'm considering making a few more with different letters as an easy gift to have on hand.

Pattern found here.

Her astrological sign! Her momma really likes the zodiac, so I figured she'd like it even if the little one didn't understand it, one person using it would like them.

Pattern found here.

A dinosaur! A brachiosaurus, to be slightly more specific. I just could not resist the pattern once I found it.

Pattern found here.

Same designer, only this time a T Rex. Hope he doesn't eat the friendly herbivore washcloth!

Pattern found here.

A shot of all the picture cloths together. I think they're very well done, and definitely soft enough for a toddler.

I couldn't resist throwing in two for mom as well. She requested an assbutt, and I could hardly NOT oblige.

Pattern found here.

I also threw in her own astrological symbol in a nice bright color.

Pattern found here.

Back to the present! I'm going for ecofriendly, so I'm packaging the soccer ball inside a reusable bag I thought she'd like, then used the dishcloths as a replacement for tissue paper, and slid the card in.

It's all ready to be used in it's new home! The bag is pretty full, and I hope the pretty washcloths are appreciated and used to their fullest.

Return of the Computer

I finally have my computer back! Yay! I lost almost nothing with my hard drive, thanks to a recent backup. Unfortunately, my upcoming blog posts were one of the few things I lost. Plus, I’ve moved! So to celebrate, I discovered a new cone of variegated cotton yarn where I am now, and made a few dishcloths with it. I think it’s my favorite variegated yarn so far!

First, a fun short row cloth that makes a starfish. I modified it a bit, as many others have, by only knitting 5 points. It sewed up just fine, though I think I might need some more practice seaming before I give one of these away. It's a bit messy.

Pattern found here.

 I also modified the Mason Dixon mitered hanging towel to make just a square dishcloth. I think I cast on 66 stitches. It came out to be almost 7.5 inches square.

This is actually the first one cloth I knit, testing the variegated pattern. It's a basic Grandma's Favorite cloth. I am really enamored with this yarn, and I'm considering buying a few more cones of it while I can...

Pattern found here.

Now that my computer has returned to me, I will be able to show you all the things I've been making in the last month. Stay tuned for a birthday gift to a wee girlie turning two!

Picture This!

I've been having some computer related trouble, and finally decided to just post from someone else's computer. Sadly, this is not as easy as it seems. I don't have any photo editing software available, so these pictures have not been condensed and may load slowly. Furthermore, I've given away a few of the cloths, and am very thankful that I uploaded the pictures of them to my Ravelry projects! So a few of these pictures have been stolen from there.

I promised picture dishcloths, and I have a few lovely ones to offer. Let's start off with one that has since gone to live with my mom. It's a watering can and a garden! I am really enamored with the cloth, but it's not something I almost can't make again because it's knit with size 3 needles, which just murders my wrists. Nonetheless, it's purdy and I'm glad I got to make at least the one.

Pattern found here.

Next up, I made this for an aunt who likes wine. The picture isn't the best, and I can't take a new one, but I think you get the gist. I actually ended up liking the actual cloth more than the pictures, so maybe it just doesn't photograph particularly great.

Pattern found here.

Finally, if you're young and impressionable, shield your eyes now! I made an assbutt. Fans of Supernatural will recognize this lovely saying, especially if they share my love of Cas. I'm now making one for a friend.

Pattern found here.

I know my updating has been spotty at best, but I already have three or four more dishcloths made that I haven't shown you here, and I'm working on two shawls as well, so hopefully I can get my computer repaired (*crosses fingers* c'mon be covered by the warranty!!!) and get back on track.

Dishcloth Stitch Patterns

I gave away a load of dishcloths over the weekend, so I can finally share them without the potential recipients seeing them in advance. I’ve been experimenting. First, I made a few seed stitch cloths. The red one has a border, and the blue one has the exact same number of stitches without the border. I think I like the way the blue one looks best, but the boy prefers the red, so that didn’t solve much. They’re both nice, and I’d be fine making quite a few more of them because they’re easy to do while watching TV, they’re quick, and they scrub well. 

Bordered pattern found here.

I also tried out the Chinese Waves pattern. Once you get into the swing of the pattern, it’s almost as easy as the seed stitch cloths and they look like something you’d use at a spa. The purple one has been slipped as if to purl and there’s a variegated one just for kicks. I was going to make a white one with stitches slipped knitwise, but I found after about an inch that I hated it. It hasn’t progressed much since then, and I’m considering instead knitting the slipped stitches through the back loop as an alternative way to twist them. I’ll update you when I’m done!

Pattern found here.

I’ve also tried out a basket weave pattern, but wasn’t such a big fan of it. I had a hard time remembering the pattern, for some reason, despite it’s seeming simplicity. I didn’t get a picture of this, and they’ve been given as part of a wedding present already, along with a nice bar of soap wrapped in the following dishcloth.

Pattern found here.

I also did a triangular stitch, which I similarly couldn’t wrap my brain around the pattern. They’re still quite nice, I just am not certain I’ll be doing them on a regular basis.

Pattern found here.

Scarf Interlude

I don't know if I've mentioned it here, but I was captivated by the Afternoon Tea shawlette featured in the summer Knitty. I've progressed to the beginning of the first "Branches Lace" section, and it's not going great. I put in a lifeline right before the row of increases, luckily, because I've had to rip back to it twice. The first time I had to get up in the middle of the second pattern row, a bunch of stitches popped off, and there was no way I was going to get them all back on in the proper order. The second was because I messed up the pattern horribly. Now, I'm faced with another yarn over problem. A single, solitary yo is one stitch too early on row 104. I'm just finished row 108. I haven't decided if I'm going to rip back yet or not.

Instead, I threw that shawl in the project bag and cast on for a much simpler lace pattern. It's just a little fan and feathers lace scarf using the leftovers from a honeycomb blanket, and I think it's beautiful!

Pattern found here.

 Here's the Afternoon Tea shawlette, currently too big for me to spread out very well on the needles. I'm also a little disappointed in the way it's pooling. I'm still debating with myself about what to do with it.

Pattern found here.

Short Row Dishcloth

I’ve been busy lately! I was out of town for a wedding, and then I fell and sprained my ankle and spent the next few days mostly in bed reading. I have quite a bit of knitting to catch up on here, but for today I have only a short row dishcloth. I think this is one of my favorite uses of the variegated yarn, because it helps illustrate the different directions so well. I think my next post should be able to talk about the rest of last month’s dishcloth experiments!

Pattern found here.

My only problem with it is the messy way I ended it. It's the upper right corner, and it sticks out a bit from the rest of the cloth. I actually haven't sewn in the ends yet, so I'm hoping to correct for it a little bit before I do so, though I probably won't undo the bind off and reknit it. My boyfriend especially likes it, so I'm considering putting it into rotation in the shower with his other two favorites. I'm definitely making a few more of these!