About Those Dishcloths . . .

It may seem as if there's been very little crafting at casa d'Acrylic-Girl with all the gardening (did you read last week's post?).    But I have managed to find some crafting time--as little as it might be.  What little precious time I have has been spent working on more dishcloths of course!

Notice the ends?  Yeah, I have yet to weave in the multitude of ends **sigh** Guess its the trade-off for using lots of colour (besides, some of the colours I'm using are only small amounts). 

Besides the ballband dishcloths, I made a few more using my own pattern.  In the green-blue version pictured above, I added a navy border using intarsia.  In the white-blue version, I varied the pattern.  Instead of the typical slip and knit stitch, I used the eye of partridge stitch where the slip and knit stitches are alternated each row.

And then I saw some awesome dishcloths over at Purl Soho blog.  All three patterns utilize  slipped stitches to create a thick yet colourful fabric.  While all three patterns look interesting, only the third pattern actually caught my eye.  The Triple L Tweed Dishcoth has a lovely texture created with three colours.

Since the original patterns called for a DK weight, I had to modify the stitch count for my worsted cotton.  Instead of the original 76 called for, I cast on 36 stitches and followed the pattern as written.  My attempt didn't quite look like the version pictured.

What do you think?  Doesn't it look different?  I worked a few rows of multi-coloured garter and then adjusted the pattern using 33 stitches plus 2 (one for each end as selvage since my plan was to pick up stitches and work a few rows of garter).  This means I eliminated the first 3-stitch section of the pattern (I'll post my mods when I'm finished).

I'm not sure the changes worked . . . I'll keep you posted. ;)

Later . . . 

Inheriting a Garden . . .

When the weather calls for sunshine, we have spent our time outdoors.  There's been lots to do: new pens for the animals (more meat birds to come, along with a few turkeys and pigs--yeah, that's plural as in more than one pig.  And yes, baby turkeys are cute, but we all know that won't last).

New Turkeys

And of course, there is much to do elsewhere.  Mowing is no small feat as it takes at least a good three hours or more to trim all the open spaces (front, back and side areas).  We've been using a gas-powered push-mower, but we seriously need to consider a ride-on mower.  There's just too much grass!  And it doesn't help that we've slowly re-claimed much of the fields that were once wild.

Part of Front Lawn

As for gardening, the fellas have been busy putting in the vegetable garden.  It's a lot of work even with a tiller.  And the weather has been less than cooperative with all the rain.  Still, as the beds get prepared, the seeds and seedlings get planted.

Veggie Garden

As for myself, I garden for the soul so my energies have focused on the flower garden.  There's nothing like watching the perennials come up after a long winter.  Then there's the trimming and weeding (I still have to add to the soil--need more compost and sheep manure).  Of course, there`s the shopping and planting.  Oh joy!  There's nothing like finding the right plants and watching them take root.

Front Flower Garden

Perennials Under the Flowering Bush

I even added a new flower bed by the front deck (digging up sod is hard work).  I planted sunflowers and wildflowers, so I'm excited to see what sprouts.

New Flower Bed

Flower Box Detail

How 'bout you?  How does your garden grow?

Father's Day

Remembering all the dads . . . 

photo courtesy of foter.com

Here's to happy memories . . .  :)

Keeping My Promises . . .

I had promised myself to finish some long-standing WIPs.  And true to my word, I have begun doing that.

Back in the knitting basket is my 2010 Mystery Afghan Crochet-along.  Back then, I was still blogging for Bernat.  I probably should have stayed away from the project as I had other things on-the-go at the time, but who could say no to free yarn?  Yup, Bernat was kind enough to provide the yarn gratis to their bloggers if they were interested in completing the project.  So I said yes . . . and I am still working on it three years later.

Lucky for me, I have all the squares completed except for two mitered squares.  Thus far my work has focused on sewing: I'm slowly attaching the squares--some of which need a little coaxing into shape.  I'm weaving in some of the ends too, but its such tedious work! So many ends!!

Still, I can see the proverbial "light at the end of the tunnel".  If I stick to my guns--so to speak--I may just have a finished afghan by the end of the summer.

Later . . . 

Presenting . . .

Another dishcloth--of my own design, no less! ;)

Inspired by the thickness and durability of slip-stitched heels, I created a garter trimmed design to use up odds and ends of cotton.  I wasn't sure if the design would work, but in the end it created a nice pattern and a thick fabric--handy for a dishcloth or washcloth. 

The purl bumps on the back are handy for scrubbing. 

I made some mods after working the original, but here's the pattern:

STRIPEY SLIP-STITCH DISHCLOTH
Cast on 39 stitches using colour A.
Work 6 rows garter stitch. 
Row 7: K2, PM, knit to last 2 stitches, PM, K2
Row 8: K2, purl to marker, K2
Row 9: Using B  K3, *S1, K1  Continue from * until last 2 stitches. K2
Row 10: K2, purl to marker, K2
Row 11: Switch to colour A and repeat row 9
Row 12: Repeat row 10
Repeat rows 9-10 to complete pattern, alternating colours A and B until desired length is reached.
Work 6 rows garter stitch and bind off.  Weave in ends.

Hoping to make a few more and perhaps add a few mods.  Please share yours if you decide to make one. ;)