Tag: knitting

Keeping It Clean – Washcloth Pattern

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I LOVE cotton knit washcloths. I love making them, and I love using them. To me, they get dishes cleaner than regular washcloths, plus they can pick up more messes around the kitchen. And I make plenty of messes around the kitchen.

I’ve made washcloths many different ways, but I think I like this straight knit version the best. It knits up quickly and works really well with self-striping yarns. Plus, you can create whatever pattern in the center you want, like this heart:

Want to make one? You’ll need a pair of size 8 knitting needles and worsted weight 100% cotton yarn.

*These instructions are for the plain cloth, but you can create your own chart for the inner pattern in whatever design. The inner part is about 38 stitches by 54 rows.*

Cast on 46 stitches. Knit 3 rows.

Row 4: Knit 3, yarn over, slip 1 stitch, knit 2 together, pass slipped stitch over,* yarn over, knit 2 together* repeat to last 6 stitches, yarn over, slip 1 stitch, knit 2 together, pass slipped stitch over, yarn over, knit 3

Row 5: Knit 3, purl 19 stitches, increase 1, purl to last 3 stitches, knit 3

Row 6: Knit 3, yarn over, knit 2 together, knit to last 5 stitches, slip 2 stitches knit wise and knit together, yarn over, knit 3

Row 7: Knit 3, purl to last 3 stitches, knit 3

Repeat rows 6&7 until piece measures 1 inch less than desired length (for mine, I ended at 9 inches).

Repeat row 4.

Knit 3 rows, increasing 1 in the middle of the first row only. Bind off. Weave in ends.

If you just like using these washcloths but don’t want to make one yourself, I offer them in many colors on my Etsy site.

If you make one and post pictures, let me know! I would love to see other versions.

What kind of household items do you prefer to make yourself instead of using store-bought? What colors or patterns would you like to see in a washcloth?

One Skein Knit Shrug

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It had been a while since I had knit a piece of clothing. In fact, it’s been a while since I’ve made any kind of clothing. So I was looking for something quick and cute to start with.

Then I joined Craftsy and saw the One Skein Knit Shrug workshop by Stephanie Japel. It was cute, and only used one skein of yarn. In fact, I actually bought the Cascade 220 yarn (in Plum) suggested for the first one. I never buy the suggested yarn (unless I’m using the pattern on the inside of the wrapper).

Once I got the yarn in the mail, I made the first one. Then ripped it out after having to cut myself out of the sleeves because I had misread my measurements when checking the gauge. But I re-knit it quickly and even managed to make another one before the end of the week for a church auction.

I made the second one of some Lavender worsted weight acrylic yarn I had lying around.

It got finished just a few hours before the fundraiser.

My mom liked them so much she requested a colorful one to be able to wear with a bunch of outfits to work. Her office is can be a bit chilly in the summer.

Now I have to get to work on a silver and blue one with blue eyelash yarn for her gala at the end of the month. I have two weeks. No worries (yet).

When is the last time you made an article of clothing? What was it? Anyone else on Craftsy?

Ollie The Owl

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Meet Ollie. He’s my first knit owl. I have arbitrarily named him Ollie because it sounded good paired with the word “owl” and I have no clue whether he currently has a name beyond “Owl”. This little guy was a Valentine’s present for another little guy that I watch three days a week.

Ollie was made from the “Little Black Owl” pattern posted by Kat on Just Crafty Enough. It’s a top-down pattern with the ears and wings picked up later when the body is finished.

I tacked down the wings like the original, but I chose to sew on the eyes and beak. I did way too many glue gun projects back in middle school to even tough a glue gun right now. And that was almost ten years ago. (Seriously, way too many. We made them every month for old people who were kind of like our “pen pals.”)

I figured an owl made a perfect companion for the Valentine’s Fish. Who says predator and prey can’t get along on a day that’s all about love?