Yahoo!

Towels with Buttons

I'm finished!  All of it is done: the knitting, the crocheting and all the finishing!

Kitchen Towels

Just lovin' the pretty kitchen towels with their buttons sewn on (I gotta make some for my own kitchen once I figure out which colours I'd like to use).  In my quest for free patterns, I did find a few others that I printed off, but never used.  More items to add to my Ravelry queue.

The place mats turned out lovely too (if I do say so--heck, I'm allowed to brag a little).  I really like the border.  And I'm glad I changed the striping.  This pattern was very easy to modify to one's own taste: add or remove stripes and colours to your own taste.

Four Finished Place Mats

And of course, I added a few extra dishcloths--very simple, easy pattern.  Again, this would be easy enough to modify too.

Dishcloths

I've got three dishcloths in total, plus the coordinating dish soap apron.  And dear hubby picked up a cute basket too.

Items in Gift Basket

Funny story: dear hubby explained to gift store owner about needing a basket to hold place mats I had made.  Store owner wondered if I'd be interested in making some place mats for him to sell in the store.  Very flattering, but I think not--at least not right now.  With pending toy requests from the boys and Bernat blog projects on the go, there's a lot on my plate.  Besides, crafting is for fun and I'm not sure if I'd enjoy it as much if it was work.  Something to consider for the future perhaps.

Have a great weekend :D

Not Quite Done

Yarny Bits

But almost there.  I'm working on it whilst surrounded by yarny bits from woven-in ends.  More yarny bits next to the scissors and threaded through my favorite blunt metal needle.  My diskman plays the tunes to keep my energy high and my attention focused.  Almost there.  I can see the light at the end of the tunnel (and my heavens, it's been a long tunnel!).

Even found some matching buttons for the kitchen towels.  They match exactly, even if slightly darker.  Not easy to find the exact same shade and I wasn't too keen on making my own button covers (too much work).  I think it'll be a good match.  What do you think?  

Matching Buttons?

So close to finishing, and what do I do?  I cast on a few last minute items-ha!  Procrastinator or perfectionist?  Hmmmm, tough call.  Actually I'm only working on a couple of dishcloths ('cuz one wasn't enough).  Super quick and no stripes (so less ends to work).

Hoping to hit the local farmer's market on Saturday to find something unique to add to the gift basket (oh yeah, need to get a basket too).

Catch ya later  ;)

Finally

There are three!  The last kitchen towel is complete.  Isn't it lovely?

Third Kitchen Towel

Three Towels

Sorry to toot my own horn, but I think the three towels look awesome together.  I'm very pleased with myself.

My next big task: weaving in all those pesky ends . . . ugh, the part I hate most!  How do you motivate yourself to get through the tedious finishing?  :O

I think I need a glass of wine--or two--and some killer tunes (hmmm, think I'll get my greedy little hands on Them Crooked Vultures).  Sadly I am technologically behind the times: no ipod, just an ordinary diskman.

Have a great weekend  :)

And Then There Were . . .

Two!  Finished the second towel and started a third one in yellow.  I'm changing how I work the bottom striping section just to add variety to the set.  The blue towel's reverse stockinette doesn't look bad now that it's finished.  I'm sure with the right button, it'll look even better.

Second Kitchen Towel

Dare I say that it looks handsome?  It'll definitely match nicely in MIL's kitchen.   (I'm soooo making a set for myself, in both everyday colours and in Christmas colours too!).  The two towels look quite lovely together, side by side.

Two Towels

And, I also finished the last place mat.  It just needs a border. 

Now if I could get 'round to working in all the loose ends, I'll be well on my way to finishing MIL's birthday present.

Happy crafting! :)

My Quandry: Towel or Placemat?

Almost an FO

Yeah, that kitchen towel proved to be a quick knit.  All done except for the weaving in of ends and finding a button (Aren't I good at hiding the ends?  And I apologize for the quality of my photos, but its been raining for three days . . . )

Another View of Kitchen Towel

While many other knitters have made these towels, I was particularly inspired by Crafterella's  version: check out her towels in bright blue, red and white. And I so love the matching buttons too!

(used with permission from Crafterella)

Aren't they just lovely!  Seeing her towels made me think that perhaps I should make more than just one towel (maybe three?).  Wonder if I'd have enough yarn to make another towel, perhaps with more striping? There should be enough yarn as I'm already on my fourth placemat. 

So here's my quandry: more towels or more placemats?  Initially I thought to make only four placemats, but wouldn't six be better than four?  Now you might be thinking to yourself: make it all.  Well, I'd love to, except that there's limited yarn.  Except for the white, I can't find the same colours locally so I have to use what I've got.

Decisions, decisions . . . :S

Couldn't Resist . . .

I started another project without even finishing what I've got on the needles (or the hook as the case be for my crochet projects).  In my defense, it is an item I planned to make anyways (part of the gift package for MIL's birthday).

Start of Another Kitchen Project

Check out the beginning of my lovely kitchen towel.  I've used this stitch pattern before for a scarf I made (I think I made the scarf about 2 years ago, but didn't actually use it till this winter).  I believe I found the stitch pattern in one of those knitting-pattern-a-day calendars (scarves are easy that way).

The most surprising thing is that the surface of the towel matches very nicely with my crocheted place mats, even though the items are made using two different crafts.  The half-double crochet worked in alternating front and back loops creates a similar textured surface.  How neat is that!

Stitch Detail

This particular kitchen towel pattern comes from Steph's Designs.  The designer has other kitchen towel patterns at her website.  Gotta love the generosity of those who take the time to design something and then offer it for FREE.  Even a seemingly simple item as a kitchen towel does not come easy for me.   Sure I can do a scarf, but anything else and my brain requires a pattern.  Once I've made the pattern, I can modify it and change it up, but I need the pattern first.

Back to my knitting . . .
Happy crafting :)

Place Mat Progress

Place Mats in Progress

Thus far, two place mats are almost completed and am diligently working on the third.  Once I add the white border, the place mats will look more "finished".  I am surprised at how quickly I am progressing (only began this project at start of May).  At this rate, I should be finished well before the end of June--plenty of time to weave in all those pesky ends. 

I've been mulling over the final gift presentation.  An inexpensive basket would be a lovely receptacle for all the handmade kitchenware.  Maybe I could line the basket with matching fabric and ribbon?  I do own a sewing machine and can sew a straight line--um, well sort of straight.  I suppose I could use pinking shears instead (I can cut straight lines on paper; not sure about fabric).

Dishcloth

Dish Soap Apron

Of course I'm including some dishcloths and hand towels.  Perhaps even a bottle of enviro-friendly dish soap wearing it's own apron?  What else could I add?  Sponges?  Fridge magnets?  Any other ideas?  Maybe I need to wander up and down the housewares and linen aisles at my local Walmart . . .

Happy crafting :)