Friday, February 21, 2014

Stash-Busting Cotton

I have been stash-busting my cotton yarn like crazy this week.
About 2 years ago I bought this pretty green yarn only to discover that it had a sent built into it.  I was sneezing like crazy while working with it.  Last night I did better while using it.  I just want to get rid of this stuff.  I cast on 30 stitches, knit a few rows of garter stitch, then switched to knitting the first and last stitches and doing stockinette in the center (size 7 needles).  

Here I cast on 30 stitches once again with size 7 needles and just knit every stitch (48 yards used).  I was really into a book, so this was the perfect project to make while I read my book.  

I made 5 more spiral dishcloths using my small leftover skeins.   Then I made a wavy dishcloth using my friend Cindy's pattern.  I stopped when I ran out of yarn.  It is a very easy pattern, it looks great, and it is a great dishcloth.  I'm currently using another one that I made to wash my dishes with this week.  These 6 items were all made on the same night.  

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Click for Babies: Period of Purple Crying Caps

I am making purple newborn baby hats for Click for Babies: Period of Purple Crying Caps.  Aunt Margaret's Yarn and Gift Shop is one of the places that will be collecting hats for this charity (through November / December).  Here are the hats that I made using 1 skein of Cascade Yarns Pacific (color #26).  I was able to crochet most of a 4th hat before I ran out of yarn.
This super easy hat uses a G hook and about 23 yards of yarn.  I timed myself, and it took only 30 minute to make it.  I did add 2 increase rows to the pattern, because the pattern is for preemies.  
I used a J and an H hook for this twisted cables crochet hat.  It took about 60 yards of yarn to make.  It was a fun pattern
This ribbed baby hat used an I hook and 72 yards of yarn to make.  The designer also has a matching diaper cover available to.  This pattern was incredibly easy.  

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

Stash-Busting Cotton

Ever since I used up a large skein of cotton yarn (603 yards) earlier this month, I have been wanting to do it again.  My cotton yarn stash is my largest stash, so I brought one of my cotton bins in the living room so that I can hopefully use up most of it.  
In an attempt to stash-bust, I knitted these 3 dishcloths using a very large skein of Christmas yarn.  I did make a mistake in the first one, but I kind of like the stockinette stripe in it.  I used up 156 yards making them.  Here is the free pattern.
Yesterday was a big stash-busting day for me (482 yards).  I used up 6 skeins of yarn (of various lengths)!  This crochet basket weave dishcloth used up 1 leftover skein and some of a 2nd (91 yards).
Pattern:
Using a H hook
Chain multiples of 4
Row 1: Dc in 4th ch from hook, dc across.  Ch 3 and turn.
Row 2. *Front post dc (fpdc) in first 4 posts / stitches, back post dc (bpdc) in next 4 posts / stitches*, repeat to the end, and dc in the last chain 3 space.  Ch 3 and turn.
Rows 3 & 4: Repeat row 2, but make sure to fpdc around the fpdc below and bpdc in the bpdc below.
Row 5: Bpdc into the fpdc from the row before, fpdc into the bpdc from the row before. Dc in the last chain 3 space.  Ch 3 and turn.
Rows 6 & 7: Bpdc into the bpdc from the row before, fpdc into the fpdc from the row before. Dc in the last chain 3 space.  Ch 3 and turn.
Repeat Rows 2 - 7 for however long you want.  End on row 4 or 7.
I made this one a bit smaller (chained 32 instead of 36) then the other one.  I used 65 yards to make it.
For this dishcloth I was looking for a pattern that would look ok with different yarns (scrappy).  As it turns out I only used 2 skeins for it.  I extended the pattern a bit so that I could use what I had left of the pink yarn.  This dishcloth used 46 yards of yarn and a H hook.
These super easy coasters were my real stash-busting heros.  I used 6 different skeins of yarn to make them.  These also used an H hook, and I used up 225 yards of yarn.  After making one, you'll have the pattern memorized.
At one point I started to get bored and wanted a bit of a challenge... A new pattern for me.  Well this one filled that boredom easily, because I really had to pay attention to the pattern.  It isn't a hard pattern, but you do have to look at it for each row.  Each repeat of the pattern gets easier to make.  I wish I would have made one more repeat to get the shape that I wanted.  It is to rectangular for me.  I like my dishcloths more square.  Here is the free pattern.  I used an H hook and 54 yards of yarn to make it.

Sunday, February 16, 2014

Mango Madness

This month I used all 608 yards of my Mango Madness cotton yarn.  I am so excited to not only use up such a large skein of yarn, but to use it all up within 2 weeks.  I also like the items that I made with it.  My cotton stash is my largest stash, because I love to make kitchen and bathroom items.  I can't allow myself to add to it until I use up most of it, but I might have to if I see this colorway again.

Here are the 8 items that I made from this 1 skein of yarn.
About 377 yards were used to make this bag (Feb. 7 - 11).  Here is the free pattern.

Then I made all of the following items on February 13th.  I was on a mission to use up the rest of that skein.
About 42 yards. 
Crochet basket weave dishcloth
About 61 yards.
Orbital Dishcloth - I did not make all of the rounds in the pattern.
About 61 yards.
About 60 yards.
Heart Charm - I only made 1 round before running out of yarn.
About 6 yards.

Friday, February 14, 2014

Valentine's Day Fiber Round Up

Here are things that knit and crochet for Valentine's Day from 2009 to today.
Today I quickly crochet around 2 soda tabs to create the red heart charm.  Yesterday I followed round 1 of this pattern to make the other heart charm.
More crochet pull tab hearts.  These ones are pins.  This is my own pattern, which changes every time I make them.
More pull tab hearts.
Heart pins - free pattern
Heart ornaments - free pattern
Valentine's wreath ornaments
3 pull tab heart bracelets which use large and regular sized pull tabs.
A small but sweet heart shaped box.  Here is the free crochet pattern.
Crochet heart box full of chocolates - free pattern
More chocolates using the same pattern above.
Cupcake - free pattern
Bunny magnets - free pattern
Pom pom heart monsters
Love Puppy - free pattern
Little Big Planet love ninja sackboy - free pattern for the sackboy
Crochet illusion heart dishcloth - free pattern
Hearts with wings dishcloth - free pattern
Be my dishcloth - free pattern
Hot pads
Kaleidoscope hot pad
Heart hot pads (pattern is free through Lion Brand)
Heart dishcloths
Crochet woven hot pad - free pattern
Heart bobble dishcloth - free pattern
Christmas ball ornament with hearts - free chart
Mini heart pillow - free pattern
Heart pillow
A heart for my grandma (it is in her casket) - free pattern for the full bookmark
Heart bookmarks using the same pattern as above.
Crochet cabled heart afghan - free pattern for the square
Crochet cabled heart doll blanket - free pattern
These two crochet cabled heart squares use the same two patterns as mentioned above.
Drawstring bags made on a knitting loom.  The one on the right has plarn mixed in with the pink yarn.
Valentine's envelopes - free pattern