2018 finished projects

 

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knitting: a shawl in Lion brand cotton

I figured out how to make the shape of shawl I was going for after last month’s fail. This one is exactly what I wanted. The triangle drifts off to the side, and the pattern is simple garter stitch, no frills, so the colors do all the talking.

I used Lion brand cotton yarn, and am very happy with it. I bought two skeins because I thought the yardage (380) wouldn’t be enough, but it worked out just fine. Size 11 needles, so it only took a few days. Since I have an extra skein, I’ll just have to knit a second one that someone will get next Christmas. 🙂

The color is called “flower garden.” I think how it knits up is different than how it looks in the skein photo. All my eye really sees in the finished garment is “pink.”

It reminds me of the milk left over after you’ve eaten your Fruit Loops.

I would definitely buy this yarn again. It is soft, easy to work with, and has a nice drape.

knitting:multi-color shawl

I kept looking at the Mandala yarn at Walmart, because they have such pretty self-striping colors, and they are only $4.98. I figured even if the result wasn’t high quality, at least it would be a painless lesson in figuring out how to make a triangle shape. I really wanted to make a lop-sided triangle, so I did learn what I needed to know. Even though this made a traditional triangle.

I love the colors. Daughter says these are “sad” colors, but I think it looks like a Hoggwarts shawl. If they throw all their colors together.

It’s straight stockingnet, because I wanted the colors to do their own shining.

I used size 7 needles. Next time I’d use 10 or 11s, and two balls of the yarn instead of one.

I cast on five stitches, then added one stitch every other row. That’s it.

One ball of yarn made a shawl big enough to knot over your shoulders, without extra drape.

I like shawls that wind around a couple times like a scarf, so definitely two balls of yarn are needed. I don’t love acrylic, but it sure is warm. If it pills the first or second time I wear it, I’ll edit this so you know.

knitting: washcloths

Knitting up more wash cloths.

These have a sort of nautical feel, don’t they? I didn’t know that would happen. I was just combining Americana colors.

Or could be a racing-stripe feel. Maybe?

Then I thought more than Americana, they have a French flair….

I’ve got twenty-three wash cloths finished right now. Definitely a couple year’s worth!

So, since I don’t need that many wash cloths, I am going to have a give-away. Yes, you could win five all-cotton hand-knitted washcloths. Don’t like the above colors? You could choose my blue/green variegated. . . .

The blue-green don’t have a hang-loop, they are just square.

So leave a comment in this post, and I will enter your name in a hat to win 5 of my wash cloths. If you’re like me and hate the micro-fiber cloths they sell now, you’ll be pleased by how absorbent these are.

The give-away will end, let’s see, September 20th. At 5 p.m. Eastern Standard time.

The give away is now closed and the lucky winner knows who she is!

mspt: knitted wash cloths

I am trying to fit in a little knitting every day as my zen time. I don’t have anything I particularly need to knit, I have enough scarves (can one ever have too many scarves?) so I am knitting simple washcloths. Quick, easy, and something you always need.

This is Peaches & Cream cotton. It is very rough and definitely not high-end, but great if you want an exfoliating washcloth. Or maybe a good dish scrubber.

And the color is so pretty for a bathroom.

sewing: lunch bags

I just love this pattern, it is, for me, the perfect lunch bag. I think we got almost a year’s worth of use out of the last ones. And that’s five-day-week use, so I’m happy with how they held up.

I followed my “use your favorite fabric” philosophy. I used to save my favorites, but that was before the internet, back when actually finding something you liked was rare. You settled for what was available, and if you were lucky you liked it. Nowadays, I can shop and pick only my favorites. So why not use them?

This Robert Kaufman print I had anticipated using for something else, but in the end it looks great as a lunch bag. Here it is, front…

and back.

This was a Riley Blake print, I think. She always uses great artists.

My favorite part is the drawstring top. It poofs out a lot higher than it appears here, and you can fit quite a lot of lunch inside.

Lastly, this fun novelty print.

Every day, lunch will be fun. Love this whole design. It takes a little trouble, but is worth the effort. Much better when you assembly line it, and make a couple extra to give away.

🙂

 

mspt: lavender wreath

For those who haven’t been reading forever, “mspt” is “make something pretty today.”

I used a wreath frame from the floral section in the dollar store, and ribbon and fresh lavender. You have to gather the lavender on just the right day–too soon, and it’s not fragrant, too late and it’s gone to seed. I think you have about one week to find just the right day, and then hope you get there before the bees.

This used a lot more ribbon than I expected, so I switched to perle cotton thread. Which I ended up liking better, as it’s less noticeable.

And yes, it smells heavenly.