We need only look up

Today is one of the more gloomy days in recent memory. This is the sort of day that can drain the energy right out of me. A sure cure, of course, would be to spend my day in a knitting retreat working with the brightest, sunniest yarn available. Ohhh, I long to do that! But, for now, my commitments lie elsewhere.      Some of you may know (Linda, Leslie) that I also spend some of my time as a (starving) freelance artist. I am preparing a package of my work to send off to one of the companies where I hope to have my work published.      ... so wish me luck! I could really use a few groceries!      I do have a small reserve of knit cloths that I have been stowing away, however, to photograph and post when the daylight cooperates. I have been on a "story of white". And still to come, I am tying up ends on creating a hang tag for cotton baby knits that I promised so very long ago..        ..and we only need look up.      May you be terrifically blessed. ~C ...

Its Anew

A new day. A new start. For our country and why not for ourselves as well? I know that I need to be renewed. I thank our God for allowing each day to be fresh and clean. I vowed during this sometimes  mostly vicious campaign season that whomever would win, I would get behind that person and join in the vision for our country and I will do that. We all watched history in the making! How has everyone been? Why not take one day at a time and begin to slow down life. Let's simplify and value what we have. I have spent several days moving some of the files from this blog over to a new server. The page loads so much better now. I just might be starting something here! I am giving thought to posting more regularly... what do you think? I'll try if you do. This past week, I have valued what I have. I valued my good old tried and true Ballband pattern. OK, so I gave it a little twist. But I rather liked the way it turned out. This was knit by knitting each slipped stitch row offset by a single stitch. I think I'll have some more of these soon! There are rather addicting... What do you think? It is really eye-catching. But, of course, the Ballband always has been hasn't it? In every one of the bazillion color combinations I have seen and tried. You've gotta love it! Plus, no better time to knit for those precious gift aways. The Diagonal Ballband Dishcloth - a variation of the classic "I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.     John 15:5 Oh Lord, let me abide in you, Let me cast my worries on you for you O Lord, long to carry them. May these days be blessed. ...

June is a month for graduates

I hope that all of you have been doing well and have been pressing on with joy! I have been contemplating my blog... desiring to write and create now and again... What has been going on in your lives? Here is a hint as to what is happening here ... so I have been, and will continue to be... yes, busy! But, as I said, I'm getting closer to my return, as the desire is here.           It appears that my blog is taking forever to load... I will have to get to the bottom of this...      Thank you so much for your continuing support, words of encouragement and for your greetings. I hope that we can meet here very soon.~

May the Lord ...

I love blogging. I LOVE it. But - alas! I also love my real, non virtual life and well... real life comes first. I just cannot devote the amount of time and energy that this blog deserves! Therefore, beginning right now, I am going to be leaving my blog, with my return unknown. I am in the thick of raising my family and with each and every moment the hours become more crowded. Single mom. Two teenagers. One soon to be college student. Believe me - I know many "Superwomen" who can do it all... but I sure cannot. The Lord has laid this on my heart. I am for the time being, leaving my blog up here, hoping to return. You can be sure, however, that I will be reading my own favorite blogs. YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE~ and of course, I will be knitting. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for being here for me. You have warmed my heart so very much. I will, however, hold true to my promise to post more care instructions for your knitting projects. Just no time frame that I can elude to right now. Until we meet again...   May The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you; The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace. Numbers 6:24-26

There and back again

So what does one write about after being on blogcation for quite some time? What does one talk about after running away from home? I could simply start from where I left off and methodically converse about each and every thing that has been going on here in my Coming-Unravelled world ... ? Well, school is back in session... No, I think not. I don't want to bore you all to tears! ~ Let's simply begin with today. And this day is brilliant. I absolutely adore autumn. I could live with cooler, crisp and dry air like this for 10 1/2 months out of the year. The light reflecting off of the now changing leaves paints a million different colors to absorb. How can one help but be inspired? I wish that I could tell you that I have been knitting up a storm - but that would not be factual. Yes, I have touched my needles, I have moved them from the sofa the floor and back to the table. I have started two Irish Hiking Scarves. And, after three tries, I am now a member of the knit along. Yippee! Accountability! My first two requests to join the IHS knit-along ended up in the spam folder. After writing my request from a different email address, my letter was accepted and I am now a bona fide member! Knitting - am I speaking of knitting? I want to pass out my kindest thoughts to these special knitting bloggers. You have been so kind to me while I have been absent. Checking in here and there... or sending me a note. Mostly, not leaving me for dead! Who would ever have thought that one could develop friendships with others simply by sitting at the keyboard and typing? Well, after all, I say to myself, that exactly what happened with Kay and Anne from Mason-Dixon Kntting! The sky is the limit, right??? Thank you to Mrs. B, to Lynne from I was knit together in my mother's womb, to Sylvia (she doesn't knit but she wishes she could. .. I will have to send her a few cloths), and to a newfound friend, Corinne at Craftyloca and to all you members of the academy. OK, let's not go overboard. ~ So, here is what I have been "not" working on...      I can't believe that I couldn't even finish my row before I put this down! Bad knitter! But what you see here is an in-process Accidental Bobble Cloth with 2 colors, a Grid dishcloth in Pink Lemonade and an Irish Hiking Scarf in wool - I will have to check on that color way. It is not the best for a cable cloth but I wanted to try it out. The yarn is Plymouth Yarns Gallaway ... and I can see that I will need to be careful not to unintentionally felt it when I wash it. And, it's Homecoming Week at my daughter's high school. She is a senior this year. I woke up to find toilet paper covering our trees. Hmm... and I thought that I was standing guard over our yard. They have gotten pretty sly about their timing! Here is what my yard looks like AFTER I cleaned up everything that I could reach. I will write more later - I will. I will! I should be quite rested, after all. ~   ...

Falling into... fall of course!

No, I haven't moved, I haven't been on vacation, I am not ill - just busy!If I had to label it I would say that I was on a Blogcation. So come back later today and I will fill you in! Trust in the Lord with all heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6 . . .

Colors and inspirations

* * *    Often times I am complimented on the color combinations that I use in my kitchen cloths. Many of you have commented on how cheerful, fun or playful some of my cloths are... Well, how DO I decide on colors? I will let you in on a little secret, but don't tell anyone or my reputation will be ruined. :) In actuality, I am a graphic designer and I love working with color. (Even though my wardrobe mostly consists of black!) But sometimes even I have difficulty in either deciding on or visualizing a color combination. This is what I do for inspiration when I am stumped... ...Think about something in your possession or that you have come across that you absolutely love. A piece of clothing that makes you feel like a million bucks or an upholstered piece of furniture you love to have in your room. Is there a fabric handbag that simply makes you smile? Perhaps you have passed a bolt at the fabric boutique that you adore but you don't know why. Chances are that the color combinations caught your attention. Sometimes those very colors can play a role in your attitude and can even reach out and inspire you!   The Log Cabin dishcloth and my tulip vase.   To create your next work, why not simply emulate the colors contained in your "favorite" whatever-it-was??? There is essentially no visualization involved, since the concrete color evidence is right there in front of your eyes. If it is not portable - simply snap a picture of it to capture the color essence. This is also a great way to try something a bit more trendy using contemporary color combinations. Home decorating, fashion, nature and even food combinations are fair game! Sometimes I target color combinations found when knitting from a particular variegated yarn. I pull two or three colors out that I love when knitted next to each other. Now sit back, reach from your stash and start painting with yarn. Be a Picasso. Here are a few of the inspirations that I have used recently: Multi-band dishcloth and my latest handbag.   One of my favorite coffee mugs and a Multi-band dishcloth.      I added a new venture to my knitting repertoire. Simple + Elegant + Functional = Winner! The Irish Hiking Scarf. The next logical step after learning cables from my latest KAL. I am enjoying this very much. Of course there is much more knitting involved - 62 or so inches, but a pattern that can easily be memorized. Thus far I have just about 14 inches accomplished. Some of the scarves that I have seen were so luxurious and beautiful that I simply was itching to try. Here is my knit-a-long for August using Bernat Organic Cotton in Olive: and here is my latest project, yes, The Irish Hiking Scarf which I simply consider to be an "extra long dishcloth." I am knitting two, but the pictured scarf is in Cotton Tots which is extra soft. Oh - and rumor has it that Hakucho is doing some great things for the environment. Take a look at this! And last but not least - here are a couple of photos of recent cloths that I knit using Sugar & Cream Pinky Stripes yarn. It was fun knitting these up but I think that after a time, this yarn would tend to make most cloths look the same. I must say that there were beautiful pinks! I wish that Lily would make the pastel pink that they use in this yarn as their soft pink. I was never a fan of the S&C Rose. The patterns that I used here are The Accidental Bobble Cloth and The Grid Pattern. Have a lovely day-into night and my wishes are that I may have inspired one of you in the tiniest way and not just in the area of knitting! Thank you for stopping in to take a peek at this little corner of my life. Sneak previews - Coming next: Baby care instruction tag   Coming soon: My blog contest - Prizes!   * * *

So long heat

I am so thankful that our heat here in the Midwest has finally subsided. Although I am able to leave at will I begin to feel like a prisoner in my own home! Yes... I even anticipate autumn! God has a way of preparing us, doesn't He?   I am frequently away. In October, we will be going to Atlanta to finish our spring buying. This is my only remaining haven where I can get my baby fix. There are no babies in our family right now and we all miss it so much. So as a single mom, artist, and a knitter, you can see why I can keep (too) busy. You should see my laundry pile! But  I thank the Lord each day for my sister. Without her, I could not function. Here is the final cloth that I was working on earlier in the week: And here are the colors that I used for this cloth from top to bottom: Main background color: S&C Warm Brown S&C Rose S&C Shell Pink S&C Hot Pink S&C Geranium P&C Pastel Pink S&C Rose S&C Shell Pink S&C Geranium S&C Hot Pink S&C Geranium S&C Shell Pink S&C Hot Pink P&C Pastel Pink S&C Geranium   I have added something new to my left sidebar. Often times in my path, I come across so many people who have prayer needs or those whom God has placed on my heart to pray for. "Keeping you in prayer" is for those very precious people who I lay before God in prayer. Stella is a 2 year old girl, living in California that I was made aware of last week. She was just diagnosed with Leukemia. I pray that the Lord grants wisdom to all those in place of decision-making where her health is concerned. I also ask the Lord to grant comfort - even in unknown circumstances - to her parents.   If you have knowledge of someone that needs prayer or someone that God has laid on your heart, or you, yourself needs prayer, please comment me or drop me a note so that I may add these to this prayer circle If you would like to take the "Keeping you in prayer" button to your blog, please feel free to take it. I will update or change the button as necessary.   Soon I will be posting my baby care instruction tag which was pictured in a prior post - and in the not-to-distant future, I hope to be adding a free pattern. Does anyone have an opinion on the wording of that baby tag? Should it be for a baby washcloth, or should the text be worded more general so that it could be used for a baby blanket or other cotton baby items as well? Your thoughts requested :)   Thank you for visiting me here in this little world. I so much appreciate your words! Be blessed on your weekend and make the most of these last summer days.   ... "Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me".   Psalm 51:10

Again & again: Ballbands

One of my all-time favorite kitchen cloths has got to be the beloved Ballband cloth. I just love the colors, the texture and the over all appeal of this cloth. Perhaps it is simply that it looks so complicated and it is so easy to knit. Especially in the eyes of a non-knitter. In a way it is a well kept secret in the knitters bag of tricks. Here are my latest Ballband projects. I am knitting several of these as gifts for 20 something girls. One set as a birthday gift and a set of them for a wedding shower gift. The top photo below is simply my stash of cloths to choose from when the need for gift-giving arises.      It is not that I particularly enjoy knitting these because the color changes take a bit of extra time... especially if I use a wide variety of colors. But I can easily overlook that when I can enjoy the finished projects. I don't believe that I have ever knit the same color way twice. This truly is one of my favorite scrap-busting projects, although weaving in thirty or so ends is also time-consuming, it is well worth it.      What are your favorite "dishcloth recipes"? Why not post them to my flicker group? The link can be found on the lower left of this page. ...

Whimsy Dishcloth Care Tag

 

A new care instruction tag. As promised - with blessings. Click here for my Whimsy Care Tag in .pdf format These templates are formatted for an average printer. If your tag does not print out aligned properly, you can tweak it in Acrobat when you set it up to print. Please let me know if you encounter any problems with these files. I am still trying to find the best way to suit you! Do you prefer to download the front and back separately, or do you like to download these tags in one file? I will photograph ways to attach and use these tags, so check back to see them! I was asked why I wrote the instructions to remove when "nearly" dry... It is a preference. Being just a bit damp, the cloths are easily re-shaped if necessary. Dishcloths are fine if they are dried fully - I simply chose the former for a little TLC. If you need a refresher course on how to print and cut these tags, see this post. Here is a sneak peek at my next care tag which is coming soon! God is so good! He has blessed me and it makes me happy to bless you with occasional "goodies" to make your projects complete. I am compiling a library of tags - so check back frequently! Now - I simply must take some photos of my latest knitting projects or you will think that I have been slacking! Trust me, I haven't been. At least not in the knitting department. Now if you ask me about the house cleaning department... well, not so much! I think that I need to read Sylvia's Blog. What an inspiration you are, Sylvia... I want to meet you! I can see joy in everything you do. And don't forget to check out Tea's latest cloths! They are absolutely lovely! Thank you for de-lurking and commenting on my last post. I love to meet my readers.

A new post. What-do-you-know!

After many days away - I am back. Tell me how you have all been? Are you savoring these late summer days - as I am? We were away at market, purchasing inventory for our boutique. In a way it is very much like a treasure hunt, searching for those perfect hidden things. Sometimes they can be found and sometimes they remain elusive. We again will be at market next weekend and then again for many days in October in Atlanta.      AND - The Knitorious Mrs. B was (clearing throat) kind enough to play the game of Wikipedia tag with me. She tagged me. What she doesn't know is how much I enjoy this game (not!) ! Well, thank  you very much Mrs. B, I will just have to find a way to return the favor! :) So - my point is - if you reading this right now - consider yourself tagged and here are your rules: Go to Wikipedia and type in your birth month and date, then post 3 events, 2 births and a holiday to list on your blog. Afterwards - tag however many others you would like. OR, take the non-invasive way out and post it to your readers like me! :) So - here we have it! September 11 Events: Formation of the World Wildlife Fund. 1961 U.S. President Jimmy Carter, President Sadat of Egypt, and Prime Minister Begin of Israel met at Camp David and agreed on a framework for peace between Israel and Egypt and a comprehensive peace in the Middle East. 1978  The attack on the World Trade Center. 2001 Births: Me! Acoustic Guitarist - Leo Kottke Holiday: Patriot Day (USA) - Anniversary of the September 11 attacks. So - there you have it! Now go out and get 'em all you taggies! ------------------------------------------------------------- I promised to post another hang tag for your dishcloths. My whimsical care instruction tag, remember? I can barely remember because it was so long ago! But I will be posting it yet today or tomorrow Monday. Promise. Be blessed on this day! I would love it if each and every one of you would come out of hiding and post a comment. I have a lot of catching up to do myself! ...

Blueberries, Blessings and Bobbles

I FINALLY made the time to complete my pattern writing for the Accidental Bobble Cloth. (Scroll down to find the pattern) Here is the story behind it...      I wanted to take a short break from more complicated patterns so that I could have a small project on the needles to knit-on-the-run. I didn't want to have to grab a pattern. I wanted something to knit in the car while waiting for the kids. Grandmother's Favorite is OK, but I wanted something that looked a bit more complicated and desired something without the "lace around the edge. I thought, why not knit the increases along the middle for a change. And.. why not create it without the lace. I knew that knitting the yo's in the reverse direction created fabric without the holes. As I knit up my first piece, I was delighted to find that I was creating a right angle cloth. I never knit such a cloth in the past - so I am not aware of how a right angle cloth is actually knit - but my little cloth was perfect for what I wanted it for. I added the bobbles for a little whimsy and The Accidental Bobble Cloth was born.      Recently when my dad was hospitalized, I found that this cloth was absolutely perfect for meditating and prayer. I could concentrate on who I was praying for while not worrying about counting any stitches. In fact, I could basically feel my way through the stitches if the lighting was low or minimal. So.. .the first bobble is prayed for the person (or persons) you are knitting for. The fabric you knit is worked in prayer... and the three remaining bobbles are the Father - the Son - and the Holy Spirit. I consider this cloth to be like a mini prayer shawl. I can't handle that large project right now - but I can handle cheerfully this small project. Faithfully. In prayer. * * * So - here is my Accidental Bobble Cloth: The great thing about this cloth is that there is very little counting necessary. In fact the only counting needed is in the cast on stitches. Even the bobbles can be knit by sight! I hope you have as much fun knitting this as I did. Difficulty: Simple! Materials needed: Size 6 (4.25 mm) circular or flex needles are easiest, although straight needles will work. 1 ball of your favorite kitchen cotton worsted yarn. k=knit yo=yarn over (all yo will be worked counter clockwise) MB = (Make Bobble) k into front, back & front of stitch, slide stitches onto right needle, turn work. p3, turn. k3 turn. p3 turn. sl1, k2tog, psso. *To make extra large bobbles, add one more k3 turn, p3. Cast on 3 sts row 1. k1, MB, k1 row 2. k2, yo (all yo are worked counter clockwise), k1 row 3. k2, yo, k2 row 4. k3, yo, k2 Continue working this stitch pattern with each yarn over stitched AFTER your previous row yarn over. You will knit approximately 65 rows or until your cloth measures approximately 8 inches square. Casting off: MB, knit to just before your last rows yo, MB, yo, continue binding off to last 2 sts. MB, complete cast off. Break yarn and weave in ends. * Click here for The Accidental Bobble Cloth .pdf Note - this PDF file contains two variations to this pattern. The Baby Bobble Cloth and The Spa Scrubber Cloth. Please keep in mind that I am not a professional pattern writer. If you should find an error - please alert me so that I may correct it as quickly as possible. This pattern - as all of my patterns are free and intended for non-profit use. You have my permission to post it on your site if it accompanies a direct link to this post or the pattern on this site. Very soon I will be posting my whimsical dishcloth care tag. *Slight Correction made on 7/18 at 6:42 EST - not to the pattern itself. I thank you so much for visiting this little corner of my life. "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you" 1 Peter 5:7 Trust in His Words, for they are true.  I may have mentioned that I I love summer. If I haven't yet spoke of my love - well - I love summer. And I love the bountiful pleasures and fresh local foods that it brings. Like little squirrels, we begin to use and to store things that bring us back to these days of summer in the very midst of winter's cold sting.     After making jam earlier this month with ooodles and ooodles of strawberries, now our blueberries are taking their turn. I indulged in my first fresh blueberry pie. It was wonderful! I can tell you that I will need a bit more practice on the crust - but the pie was a dream to eat. I used this delicious and easy recipe. Homemade Blueberry Pie.      I also made lots of blueberry jam. I already gifted several jars. It is especially good for my neighbors! Good thing because I have so much in my freezer right now I can't fit much else in. We have lived here now for 12 years. That's lots of years for my neighbors to hear exactly how I discipline my kids. I consider it "silence" gifting!      Thank you so much to all of you that have offered your well wishes, thoughts and prayers for my dad. He is recovering quite well right now. Our follow up doctors visit in in 10 days. We continue to pray about his living situation. He is amazing. I still remember the days so very long ago - that he would gently take out the tangles in our long hair. Mom was always in a hurry - she had lots of hair to comb!  Dad would offer welcome relief to that nasty rubber band!   ...

Making time to make time

Have you been wondering where I am?? I have been wondering where I am too. As usual, life continues to take unexpected turns and detours. Aside from the calamity of a summer holiday - the 4th of July - my father was hospitalized with a mild heart attack. My dad is 90 - so this was no small worry. A stint was inserted and all is OK for now. Dad lives alone so arranging our schedules to spend time with him each day takes  involvement. Prior to this, we made regular visits but now, our time together has to be even more diligent. I come from a family of 8 children, however only 4 of us live in the immediate area. Of the 4, it is 2 of us that are the most involved. As much as we would like to move him from his home - the home we all grew up in - it is providing to be a great challenge. He is acutely sharp and  although slightly physically limited, he is otherwise independent. Softball, baseball, merchandise markets, jam-making, home projects and of course knitting - are a few of the other time consuming commitments. The first on my list needs to be spending more time in the Word of God. Please, Lord, help me be focused because I need You. I will be back later for a more in-depth catch up.   ...

These are some Rockin' Gals!

As I said in my last post, Hakucho - the most Rockin' Girl Blogger ever, awarded me the Rockin' Girl Blogger. Now, my job is to pass this to other Rockin' Gals that I read. That is a very big responsibility because there are so very many wonderful blogs out there!    ... Choose your button! Here are my Rockin' Girl Blogger honorees: Smariek Knits - who has a wonderful blog about knitting and her life. She is in the middle of a crazy time here with a transition to a new home... so check out her blog! Knitting Iris - Simply put - Eye Candy.  Interesting, fun and grounded. I love her blog! Lynne at I was knit together in My Mother's Womb - awesome, warming, positive, encouraging and talented. Need I say more? Knitting and Praying - Shelly - who's photographs of nature and things are breathtaking! Shelly has an incredibly revealing blog through life's paths. Leslie at Whimsy is a inspiration for creativity! Her projects inspire me to expand my horizons! So there you have it. Why not check them out - and expand your horizons??? I did, incidentally, check out the history of this "award". If you are curious, read more about it here. ... Coming soon: The Accidental Bobble Cloth pattern Whimsical Dishcloth Tags   May blessings line your path today. ~CeElle

Squeezing in on a busy week

I want to take a moment here during this holiday week to squeeze in a huge thank you to Hakucho! I am truly humbled to be in such great company for the Rockin' Girl Blogger. Wow! Thank you so much! I will be responding more to this later... or ... so I had to play around a bit with this button... what's a Rockin' Girl to do???   And I also want to post a preview for my whimsical dishcloth tag. I will be uploading this soon so please check back! ...

Dishcloth Care Instruction - Hang Tag Template

God is good. We have been having such perfect days after many hot and humid ones - the air has cleared into something close to perfection. The breeze gently touches our skin, and we are reminded that our Creator is indeed present everywhere. I was reminded of this passage: "The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit." John 3:8 Our summer is definitely in full gear. Bustling along even. I have to make an ongoing effort to simplify and slow things down. When we were little I can remember thinking that our long summer days lasted forever. Endless daylight hours lasting well past our bedtime. Now that we are old(er) and have the knowledge of when summer officially starts - on June 21st - our days then begin to shorten and as adults, our minds can be tricked into thinking that summer is nearing its end. I think that I like being naive to the calendar much more than being a slave to it. ... I promised to post the template for the dishcloth care instruction hang tag. This is a simple guide to creating them. Many of you will not need these steps written out - as I am sure that there are more than a few scrap bookers artists and computer experts out there, but here it is... I will be posting many more styles in the days and weeks to come, as well as other packaging ideas too. I would love to hear any of your ideas. There are lots of great wording variations - this is only a start. Supplies needed: Heavy weight card stock - 64 or 110lb. (White will feel crisp and clean, ivory will have a vintage or "earthy" feel, scissors or a paper cutter, small hole punch, corner trimmer (optional), hemp, ribbon or yarn strips of a coordinating color to tie on to your cloth. Step one: Print out page 1. Turn your page to appropriately feed your printer - and print page 2 on the back. Page 1 will have margins or guides where you will trim your tags while page 2 will be printed over most of the entire page. This allows room for error when you trim them. Step 2: After your pages are printed, trim on the borders on page one (this is the front of your tags). Use a scissors - or even better use a paper cutter. Start by trimming the complete outside border, then trim vertically into 3 strips. Lastly cut each tag apart individually. Step 3: After your tags are cut apart, punch the hole where the graphic is located. Step 4: If you desire you can cut the corners of these tags. Rounded corners give it a professional look! Step 5: Take a coordinating color of yarn, ribbon or hemp, double it up and thread it through the hole of your tag. Step 6: Voila! Attach it to your cloth and enjoy gifting it! *Download this file below Dishcloth Care Tag Page 1 Dishcloth Care Tag Page 2 Update: this is a very large file - You can right click: save as on your computer - OR - open each page individually in your browser. Since the file is large, your browser may take several moments to open this, depending on your connection. please let me know if you have any problems with this file. I will try to work with your special needs! ...

Color Impact! Alpha Stripes Dishcloth

I took a little time during the past couple of days to finish this pattern. I have had a few requests for it. This is such a simple pattern - but great for color impact and a good way to use a few small leftover remnants of yarn, not to mention therapy knitting, which we can always use. Let me know what you think! The pattern is written here, or you can download the .pdf near the bottom of this post. If you are a dishcloth knitter and love to show off your cloths, please consider posting your photo on a new flicker group site For the Love of Knitting Dishcloths. You don't have to joint the group to post but it is simply for those who enjoy color and prettiness in their kitchens. And if you have found any new and different patterns to try - I would love to hear about them. I am always looking for a fun cotton cloth to knit! Next look for my dishcloth care instruction tag. You can preview the care tag on my previous post. I will be adding that template for downloading very soon. As always - I would love you know your thoughts. Be blessed.   alpha stripe dishcloth All color changes are added on the wrong side of your work. Use three colors as shown - or as many colors as you wish! Difficulty: Easy Stitches Used - sl 1 = slip one stitch purlwise, k = knit, p = purl Materials : U.S. size 6 needles (4.25 mm) 3 Partial balls of coordinating colors of kitchen cotton worsted yarn. Cast on 43 stitches. 1. (All odd rows will be knit in this pattern) K6, P1, * K5, P1 repeat from * to last 6 sts. K6 2. (All even rows will be knit in this pattern) K6, sl 1, *K5, sl 1, repeat from * to last 6 sts. K6 41. Using color B, K6, P1 *K5, P1 repeat from * to last 6 sts. K6 Continue same pattern rows (1 odd - 2 even ) until row 55 or thereabouts where color change is desired) 55. Using color C. K6, P1 *K5,P1 repeat from * to last 6 sts. K Continue same pattern rows (1 odd - 2 even) until row 69 or until you reach your desired length. Bind off on right side of work. Alternate Pattern: Alpha Hotpad Follow the same as above but use your favorite mercerized cotton and decrease each side to 2 stitches rather than six. Use cast on tail to crochet a loop for hanging. *click here to download the alphastripe .pdf   ...

Hammock Days of Summer

Summer! What a wonderful week it has been - so much in contrast to our week of last, which was very cold and rainy. I do believe I could live and be perfectly content with these days all year long. Well, maybe it could rain a bit to keep things green... at night. I have said it before and I will say it for all of eternity... God is amazing! Well, wouldn't you say that it is about time that I finally finished my Vineyard Dishcloth Pattern? This probably took me six weeks! Although very pretty and quite simple, it somehow took the back burner for these last many weeks. I finally decided to finish up a few UFO's and this was one of them. As I finish a few cloths that I have ... I wonder... will I EVER graduate beyond dishcloth knitting? In my mind, I have given myself a year of dishcloths to perfect my tension and stitches and to find my favorite tools. Will my attention span be able to take a larger piece? I hope so! But I can definitely see why other knitters follow with sweet little baby things. Perfectly small sized and dainty stitches. Here is a photo of my now complete cloth. This dishcloth pattern can be found here and is entitled "Vignes". Remember, this site sometimes has high traffic and may not come up immediately - but keep trying! Here is a tag that I designed to attach to my gifted cloths. It gives simple care instructions and adds a bit of charm to a gift as well. I will be posting this style tag and a few others for you to download if you should need to. A few knitters have inquired as to where they could be found  - so now you have it! These can be printed front and back, cut with your paper cutter or scissors and rounded with your corner die cut stamp. If you have any input or ideas - I would love to hear them. Is this at all useful for you? Now I know that I promised to post my Alpha Stripe Dishcloth Pattern. I am so sorry that it is not here as of yet...but look for that within the next day or two at the very most. I simply have not had a large enough space of time to finish that project. I encountered a large problem with my beloved Illustrator program and I am trying to work around it. I can't thank you enough for taking the time to read my pages. ~  :  ~ Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many that go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. Matthew 17:13-15 ...

We Press On

Such a rainy dreary day! Buckets of rain are pouring down here in the Midwest. My son had a makeup baseball game today - for a tournament game that was supposed to be played yesterday. I don't know how it happened, but they managed to get it in between the buckets. The outcome was a loss, though. The good news is that he was able to play at multiple positions! He has been a catcher forever - and a very good one. Being very good, one can get cornered into that position all year long, without learning the valuable lessons that playing other positions bring. Today he played short, second base and tried his hand at pitching - and did fabulous! The Lord has blessed him with ability and a true love for the game. Perhaps that is the most important thing of all. He has had a busy week - with eight grade graduation on Thursday evening  Boo hoo... my baby! I can not truly feel somber because each and every new milestone brings joy! All the way to adulthood. I will be posting the Alpha Stripe Dishcloth pattern very soon. I hope to have it up by Monday evening - but it is possible that it will be a tad bit later than that. Keep checking in!   Be joyful and keep pressing on, even though you may feel like giving up! Hand it to Him! He is there to carry on. "I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. John 15:5 ...

A great idea?

I really think that I could put a patent on this method for using up scraps, don't you?