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. ~   ...

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. ...

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   ...

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?

Our Summer Begins - Cottage Squares Dishcloth Pattern

~:~      I have been working on this pattern for a few days. As I mentioned before, the style is a bit different from most all of my other cloths. I thought that this cloth would be better fitting for a contemporary kitchen. Contemporary is such a huge decorating factor right now. Even with my cottage look, little bits of modern elements are thrown in here and there. This cloth does mix in with my cottage look as well - and I was pleased about that!      Keep in mind - I am a beginner - therefore my writing style is a bit unorthodox. If you have any questions about this pattern, please feel free to contact me. I consider myself a work in progress.  I would absolutely love to see any finished cloths you create from my patterns. I will post them here in my gallery when I have the opportunity. Here is my Cottage Squares Cloth aka: Colorblok Kitchen Cloth     This cloth is knit using the Intarsia Method. It is an excellent lesson for the begginer or intermediate. Why not give it a try?! Materials: Size 6 US needles (4.5mm) One Cable needle for center hobnail stitch. 4 colors of your favorite worsted weigh cotton yarn. Stitches: knit, purl, slip stitch, one hobnail stitch for center of cloth. Begin by taking your two main colors - a & b - and split them into 2 smaller balls of each color. You then have colors a1, a2, b1 and b2 , a small ball of color c and a scrap piece of color d. This pattern tells where to join the new balls of color, but for simplicity, after the initial join, refers to each ball simply as their original colors of a, b, or c. You simply pick up the color where it is left off. All slipped stitches are slipped knit-wise. CO 40 sts with color a1 1 k5, p2, k26, p2, k5 2 k5, sl 2, k26, sl 2, k5 3 k5, p2, k26, p2, k5 4 k5, sl 2, k26, sl 2, k5 5 k5, p2, k26, p2, k5 6 k5, sl 2, k26, sl 2, k5 7 k5, p2, k26, p2, k5 8 k5, sl 2, k26, sl 2, k5 9 k5, p2, k26, p2, k5 10 k5, sl2, (begin color b1) k26, (begin color a2) sl 2,k5 11 k5, p2, (color b) p26, (color a) p2, k5 12 k5, sl 2, (color b) k26, (color a) sl 2, k5 13 k5, p2, (color b) p26, (color a) p2, k5 14 k5, sl 2, (color b) k26, (color a) sl 2, k5 15 k5, p2, (color b) p26, (color a) p2, k5 16 k5, sl 2, (color b) k26, (color a) sl 2, k5 17 k5, p2, (color b) p26, (color a) p2, k5 18 k5, sl 2, (color b) k26, (color a) sl 2, k5 19 k5, p2, (color b) p26, (color a) p2, k5 20 k5, sl 2, (color b) k26, (color a) sl 2, k5 21 k5, p2, (color b) p26, (color a) p2, k5 22 k5, sl 2, (color b) k26, (color a) sl 2, k5 23 k5, p2, (color b) p26, (color a) p2, k5 24 k5, sl 2, (color b) k26, (color a) sl 2, k5 25 k5, p2, (color b) p26, (color a) p2, k5 26 k5, sl 2, (color b) k7, (add color c) k12, (add color b2) k7, (color a) sl 2, k5 27 k5, p2, (color b) p7, (color c) k12, (color b) p7, (color a) p2, k5 28 k5, sl 2, (color b) k7, (color c) p12, (add ball b2) k7, (color a) sl 2, k5 29 k5, p2, (color b) p7, (color c) k12, (color b) p7, (color a) p2, k5 30 k5, sl 2, (color b) k7, (color c) p12, (add ball b2) k7, (color a) sl 2, k5 31 k5, p2, (color b) p7, (color c) k12, (color b) p7, (color a) p2, k5 32 k5, sl 2, (color b) k7, color c) p12, (add ball b2) k7, (color a) sl 2, k5 33 k5, p2, (color b) p7, (color c) k12, (color b) p7, (color a) p2, k5 34 k5, sl 2, (color b) k7, (color c) k12, (add ball b2) k7, (color a) sl 2, k5 35 k5, p2, (color b) p7, (color c) k7 [remove 2 sts from right needle onto a cable needle. Wrap color d around these 2 sts 6 times. Return sts to right needle, (color c) k5, (color a) p2, k5 36 k5, sl 2, (color b) k7, (color c) p12, (color b) k7, (color a) sl 2, k5 37 k5, p2, (color b) p7, (color c) k12, (color b) p7, (color a) p2, k5 38 k5, sl 2, (color b) k7, (color c) p12, (color b) k7, (color a) sl 2, k5 39 k5, p2, (color b) p7, (color c) k12, (color b) p7, (color a) p2, k5 40 k5, sl 2, (color b) k7, (color c) p12, (color b) k7, (color a) sl 2, k5 41 k5, p2, (color b) p7, (color c) k12, (color b) p7, (color a) p2, k5 42 k5, sl 2, (color b) k7, (color c) p12, (color b) k7, (color a) sl 2, k5 43 k5, p2, (color b) p7, (color c) k12 (color c will now be complete), (color b) p7, (color a) p2, k5 44 k5, sl 2, (color b) k26, (color a)sl 2, k5 45 k5, p2, (color b) p26, (color a) p2, k5 46 k5, sl 2, (color b) k26, (color a) sl 2, k5 47 k5, p2, (color b) p26, (color a) p2, k5 48 k5, sl 2, (color b) k26, (color a) sl 2, k5 49 k5, p2, (color b) p26, (color a) p2, k5 50 k5, sl 2, (color b) k26, (color a) sl 2, k5 51 k5, p2, (color b) p26, (color a) p2, k5 52 k5, sl 2, (color b) k26, (color a) sl 2, k5 53 k5, p2, (color b) p26, (color a) p2, k5 54 k5, sl 2, (color b) k26, (color a) sl 2, k5 55 k5, p2, (color b) p26, (color a) p2, k5 56 k5, sl 2, (color b) k26, (color a) sl 2, k5 57 k5, p2, (color b) p26 (end color b), (color a) p2, k5 58 k5, sl 2, k26, sl 2, k5 59 k5, p2, k26, p2, k5 60 k5, sl 2, k26, sl 2, k5 61 k5, p2, k26, p2, k5 62 k5, sl 2, k26, sl 2, k5 63 k5, p2, k26, p2, k5 64 k5, sl 2, k26, sl 2, k5 65 k5, p2, k26, p2, k5 66 k5, sl 2, k26, sl 2, k5 67 k5, p2, k26, p2, k5 68 k5, sl 2, k26, sl 2, k5 69 Bind Off Finished Cloth (after washing) measures approximately 8 1/2 square. Notes: The sample cloth pictured in blue and green has a border knit with the k5, p2 (w/s) odd row and k5 sl 2 even row pattern. This can easily be added to the pattern. Please alert me if you should find any errors in this pattern. I will make every effort to correct them ASAP.  Click here for the .pdf version Don't forget to stop by and take a look at Elvish Leaves! It's wonderful! ...

In Living Color (or Color Obsessed?)

Besides my current KAL - this is what is on my needles. You can find the pattern by clicking on the picture - if  you are so inclined. This site is often times busy so keep trying!       I love color - have I mentioned that before? I just received another order from Elmore-Pisgah. How does that happen... boxes mysteriously show up at my door? I can go without food on my table but the cotton yarn keeps on coming. How handy! You probably can tell from these pages that I like color a LOT. My yarn wardrobe is filled with every color from the color wheel - well, almost. I am considering trying my hand at dyeing my own colors as our season moves towards summer. One would never know by my clothing wardrobe that I love color so much, as it mostly contains black, white and various shades of taupe. I look at yarn colors in the same way that I look at my Prismacolor pencils - tools to create. Although my "yarn" tools are beginning to take up far too much space. They also collect kitty hair if I am not careful~     (Skip this section if talking about color bores you!) My newest yarn colors are Peaches & Cream Baby Blue (which is about the nicest light blue that I have found so far), a cone of that yummy Pink Lemonade that I have used before, more Apple Green, and Butterscotch. I could have sworn that I ordered Celery! Those shopping carts! I also hunted down a discontinued a Sugar & Cream Celedon. Some members of my KAL were nice enough to help me out with tracking down a long lost discontinued color. Celedon arrived and was close to the color I was searching for. It was not the perfect match - it needs just a bit more yellow. I don't know if it was simply a different dye lot from the color I had the tiniest scraps of - or if the color that I was searching for was altogether a different color still. Let me get my Pantone swatches out here...Celedon is close to Pantone 372 while the color I am searching for is Pantone 386. Any ideas???      I want to take a moment to thank all of you for stopping by, and for offering your words, comments and encouragement. As I often say... knitters are a wonderful group of people. I wish you a day filled with joy.   My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. John 10:27 ...

 

Happy Mother's Day

Oh the blessing it is to be a mother - or thought of - or loved and lifted up like a mom. Funny how one day we can feel like the best mom in the world, and other days we wonder if we can make it through. I lost my own mother nearly 12 years ago and although I have gotten used to her not being here with me on this Earth, is debatably at times, no easier. We simply need to trust in Him. He promises never to leave our side. I was reading once again about the Proverbs 31 woman and realizing how far from her I am. I thank God that he continues to mold me. Her children rise up and called her blessed. A member of my KAL group requested the pattern for this simple Windowpane cloth. Although, it indeed is very simple, it is great therapy knitting - and that can be so good for us! If you should find errors in this pattern, please let me know and I will correct them as quickly as possible.   Windowpane Cotton Dishcloth   1 ball kitchen cotton yarn of your favorite solid color. Needle size U.S. 5 (3.75mm) Needles Stitches: Knit, Purl Difficulty: Simple Each odd row is worked on WS *Finished cloth measures approximately a rectangular 9" wide by 8" high. If desired, an extra pattern set can be knit for a square cloth. I prefer a bit more of a rectangle to keep the size comfortable for use. Cast on 45 stitches Row 1 - Knit Row 2 - Knit Row 3 - Knit Row 4 - Knit Row 5 - Knit Row 6 - Knit Row 7 - *K5 P5 reapeat to last 5 sts K5 Row 8 and every even row: knit accross Row 9 -  *K5 P5 reapeat to last 5 sts K5 Row 11 - *K5 P5 reapeat to last 5 sts K5 Row 13 - Knit Row 15 - Knit Row 17 - Knit Row 19 - *K5 P5 reapeat to last 5 sts K5 Row 21 - *K5 P5 reapeat to last 5 sts K5 Row 23 - *K5 P5 reapeat to last 5 sts K5 Row 25 - Knit Row 27 - Knit Row 29 - Knit Row 31 - *K5 P5 reapeat to last 5 sts K5 Row 33 - *K5 P5 reapeat to last 5 sts K5 Row 35 - *K5 P5 reapeat to last 5 sts K5 Row 37 - Knit Row 39 - Knit Row 41 - Knit Row 43 - *K5 P5 reapeat to last 5 sts K5 Row 45 - *K5 P5 reapeat to last 5 sts K5 Row 47 - *K5 P5 reapeat to last 5 sts K5 Row 49 - Knit Row 51 - Knit Row 53 - Knit Row 55 - *K5 P5 reapeat to last 5 sts K5 Row 57 - *K5 P5 reapeat to last 5 sts K5 Row 59 - *K5 P5 reapeat to last 5 sts K5 Row 61 - Knit Row 63 - Knit Row 65 - Knit Bind Off Weave in ends. Click here for the .pdf version *correction on 6/14/07