Washpocalypse

My husband commented the other day that we had run out of washcloths. *Gasp* how could this be? I immediately cast on for a washcloth with the half-ball of Peaches and Creme that I had in my stash and ran to the store for more.

cotton yarn

Then I commenced washcloth knitting hard-core. Ok, hardcore may be a bit of a stretch, but I had a goal to prevent the Washpocalypse!

The first washcloth was the simplest garter stitch square. Cast on 50 stitches, knit 50 garter ridges (100 rows) bind off. Pure zen.

I like a generous washcloth, but this one was a little too big. The next one was log cabin, and I aimed for a 40 stitch/row square.

20180225_111257.jpg

This was oh so satisfying! I really wasn’t sure about the log cabin pattern until I picked up the 4th log, and then I truly began to love it. I see more of these in my future.

The 3rd washcloth is the Ballband Dishcloth from the first Mason Dixon Knitting book. I’ve been meaning to knit this for quite a long time. It was such a fun knit! I can’t believe what I’ve been missing out on! Stripes, with slipped stitches. Instant colourwork!

I think I’ve begun to amend the problem (it turns out doing the laundry also helps with the washcloth situation), so I think I’ll take washcloths off the “must make now” list for the time being. But I still have a few balls of dishcloth cotton in my stash. You know, just in case.

What is your favourite washcloth pattern/recipe?

Sometimes You Just Need to Knit a Washcloth

My husband was looking for a washcloth the other day. Apparently he was having trouble finding one, because he told me we need more (We used to have piles and piles of washcloths. I don’t know what happened to them…). Instantly I went into knitter mode. Must. Find. the Cotton. Yarn!!

green cotton yarn

It turns out I had precisely 1 ball of washcloth cotton, and it was only a partial. What a pity. I just had to go buy more yarn. That really broke my heart.

cotton yarn

I am really loving the simplicity of garter stitch right now. I have so many plans and projects and thoughts in my head that I need to just slow down and knit one stitch after another. Since I have lots of colours now, maybe I will join the Fringe Association LogAlong bandwagon. Everyone keeps saying how fun and addicting log cabin is. And I do need washcloths….

knitting garter stitch

New Pattern: The Ribless Hat

Friends, I am so excited to tell you about my newest pattern, the Ribless Hat.

knitted hat with cable

This hat started when a dear friend gave me a beautiful skein of yarn. It wasn’t something I would have bought for myself, but when I really looked at it I realized how lovely it was. I knit on this hat through a move and a job change, and once it was finished it became my go-to hat. It is stylish and easy to wear and just the tiniest bit slouchy.

And (this part is key) it doesn’t have any ribbing.

knitted cables

To celebrate the release of the Ribless Hat, I am offering you a discount. Use the code HOORAY18 to receive 18% off the regular price until January 18. Easy peasy, lemon squeezy.

funny picture with knitted hat

Happy Knitting!

Test Knitters Needed!

I have a friend who knits (well, I have a lot of friends who knit, but this story is about a particular friend). Pam is a lovely person and a great knitter. At the beginning of November she surprised me with the loveliest skein of yarn. A gift of yarn from a dear friend is too precious to be unceremoniously dumped into the stash, so I immediately cast on for a hat. I wanted this hat to be in cozy garter stitch, I didn’t want to sew anything, and I didn’t want that jog you get when knitting garter stitch in the round. So I added a cable. I knit and purled, round and round, and pretty soon I had a pretty perfect hat!

selfie with wood fire

The pattern has been tech edited, and I am looking for testers to knit it up (it would make a great Christmas gift!). If you’re interested, please read the requirements here and reply in the thread.

knit hat with cables

I can’t wait to see all the different versions of this hat!

 

Cables and Garter Stitch

My husband and I moved to a new apartment last week. I know myself well enough to know that when my life is in uproar I need something simple and soothing to knit. One of my knitting friends just gave me the most gorgeous skein of yarn (it’s Ella Rae Lace Merino DK in colour 201), and rather than tossing it into the stash I decided to cast it on right away. Originally I planned to make a Rikke Hat, but I just cannot stand the jog you get when knitting garter stitch in the round. So what is a knitter to do, but design her own hat?

yarn cake

I made a swatch and blocked it before measuring my gauge (Can we just take a moment to discuss how important blocking is? If you plan to wash your knitting ever, you need to wash and block before checking your gauge. Wool reacts to water. Sometimes it grows, sometimes it shrinks. Sometimes there is no noticeable difference. But you don’t know until you block it. Block your swatches, people!). Then I measured my head, calculated the number of stitches I needed, and cast on.

knitting garter stitch in the round with cables

In order to avoid the dreaded garter jog I added a cable to my hat. Simple, effective, and very cute. I can’t wait to wear this thing!

What kind of project is “comfort knitting” for you?

Fibonacci Blanket – Update

I set my Fibonacci Blanket aside a few months ago when I ran out of yarn maddeningly close to the end of the square.

out of yarn

It sat in the naughty corner for a while, until I finally ordered another skein of this colour so I could get on with the knitting. The yarn came in, but the dye lot was more different than I expected. I pulled back a few rows and striped the original yarn with the new dye lot. Learn from my mistake: ALWAYS buy more yarn than you think you need.

dye lot

It’s different, but you don’t notice it too much from a little ways away…

squares

Any guesses what the next colour will be?

The Thing About Big Projects

I have a lot of big projects that I’m working on: A blanket, 2 shawls (both of which have been on the needles for months), my 2nd foray into cables, and I just finished socks. A lot of knitters don’t consider fingering weight socks to be a “big” project (after all, they go on your feet), but I do. And the thing about big projects is that they are hard to take pictures of. Pictures on the needles are bunched up and awkward and inside lighting is usually rubbish. And then it’s hard to show progress in photos without it looking like 20 of the same picture.

So here is me trying. Wish me luck!

lap blanketblanket squares