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.