Knitting and crochet projects

Basket weave knitted dishcloths. The purple shows the texture best. Purple is 7.75" by 8.25" Striped is 8.25" by 10".  I don't use them for washing dishes, just as hot pads on the counters and table.  I don't care about gauge with these, I just knit them.  If they come out more like 9" wide and I keep knitting til the yarn runs out, I'll get one that's closer to 9"x12" and will use that for a placemat.  Mr. Fred heats the breakfast plates, so we need something like this on the breakfast table!

Another knitted dishcloth that I use for a hot pad.  Knitting these is a good way to learn/practice a new stitch.  This one is 9"x9.25".  

I knit and crochet in the car when Mr. Fred is driving when we travel.  I can't sew/quilt in the car/truck, but I can knit.  I can also knit in very low light, especially a simple pattern, like the knitted pincushions that are somewhere on this blog, so those are good for long car rides at night or even at the movies.  I do this as well as other handwork - sewing, cross stitch, etc. - while watching TV.



Crocheted Coasters.  This are from a leaflet for coasters made from worsted weight cotton yarn. I prefer cotton for these and the dishcloth/hot pads.  Acrylic can melt if you put something hot on it, and it doesn't absorb moisture like cotton does.  These were leftover from a bunch I made for my 50-year high school class reunion.    I use leftover bits of yarn from the dishcloths to make coasters.  Sometimes, I'll do a set using the same pattern with one main color but different contrast colors.  That way, different people can keep track of which glass of lemonade is theirs.



This is just a thread crochet coaster/doily that I made with the worsted weight cotton.  It's my favorite pattern to make.  It reminds me somewhat of both a poinsettia and a snowflake, so I've done it in both white and red to use on the Christmas table.   These lacy doilies look complicated, but most are a lot easier than they seem.  The original pattern for this one has extra little picots (little points) on the edges, but I like a smoother edge on this particular pattern, so I leave them off.

I made this pillow and set of 6 coasters and 2 tissue holders for my niece whose favorite color combination is purple and black.  Straight line quilting on the machine, which shows best on the second picture.  Color is better in the first pictures.  There is no quilting at all in the purple pieces, so they stand out more.  Two pictures to show the plain backs of the coasters as well as the pieced fronts. 

 

Quilts for my great granddaughter!

Two quilts for my great granddaughter.  The crazy one is made partly with scraps from the quilt I made for her mother in November 2010.  I used 18 of the 20 fabrics from that quilt top, plus some strips from the back of it, and another 18 fabrics for a total of 39 fabrics on the top!  My husband said that it was too busy for a little baby, so I made the pink one.  The first one is from a book called String Quilt Revival.  The authors came to my quilt guild several months ago, and I bought the book.  It's called String Binky.  They said it was their least favorite, though it was the first one they made. They don't show a picture of it on their site.  The pink one is called Spinning Flowers and was in the December issue of the Fons and Porter Love of Quilting magazine.  

Knitted Pincushions

Using size 6 knitting needles, cast on 20 stitches.  Knit 4 swatches, 1 each measuring 7", 5", 4", and 2".  Sew the ends together to make a tube.  Weave iin the loose ends.  Fold the tubes over like turning up a cuff.  Nest the tubes inside one another to resemble a cinnamon roll.  You want the "fabric" to be fairly firm, so if the stitches seem loose, you might want to try a smaller needle.  Gauge, of course, is not critical for these. 

I use cotton worsted weight yarn for these, but any type yarn should work.  16 stitches are fine for regular straight pins, but most quilters use 2.5" long pins, and the 20 stitches work much better with those. 

The small pincushion in the back was knitted with just whatever leftover yarn I grabbed.  Sometimes, I only 2 or 3 rows from a length, but it's a good way to use up the yarn.  A quilter or seamstress can always use aother pincushion! 

Fall Dining Room Table

This is what's on my table right now, but it will change as the season progresses.  If we get the boxes down from the attic, I go all out for fall.  There are about 30 pumpkins of all sizes and materials - ceramic, foam that looks real, grape vine, paper covered, even a wrought iron candle holder. in sizes from small to about 12" in diameter.  If you scroll down, you can see a better picture of this runner that I made last year. 

White Christmas in Alabama!

Of course, it is north Alabama! This was taken from my front porch about 10 AM! But it looks now, at 10:40, like it's turning to rain, so it won't last long.

This one is from the back door about 8 AM. Those are not paint splotches on the fence and house, but snow coming down!

Fall Quilting for the Home

On Oct. 30, I dropped by my local quilt shop to see what was going on at the all-day sew-in. One of the shop owners had made up this runner from her stash using a free pattern from Hoffman Fabrics, "Oh Pumpkin, My Pumpkin." Several of the participants wanted to make this, as did I, so we picked out fabrics, and I helped the shop owner cut the fabric for several kits. Click on this picture for a sharper image.

I made the first block, then decided I didn't like how the placement of the oranges would work out in the runner, so I turned that block into a combination wall hanging/pillow sham. Right now it's hanging on the back of my front door, but I may move it to the sofa. Because I'd decided to bind this pillow sham, it occured to me later to just add a hanging sleeve so it could be used either way.