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!

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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.

fox face quilt square pattern

I have listed my fox quilt pattern on etsy again. I just sort of let it slide to the way-side, but it should be up running constantly, because it’s a good pattern and fits a niche in a way I haven’t seen anyone else do. Please follow the link above and pin to pinterest from there so people see it!

My shop “limephosphate” has been closed, so it’s got to be difficult for people to find me. I’ll have to fix the watermark on all these photos….

who knew

This one was shared with me by Ginger, and it deserves a cross-link.

MSPT: a Japanese knot bag

I’ve wanted to make one of these since the first time I saw one. And then several years passed, and finally there are loads of tutorials on youtube.

Boy, is this a simple bag.

First, I wanted to test my hexi skills, so gave those a go. All hand-sewing and a lot of ironing, but they are pretty satisfying. I got to showcase some favorite fabrics. When I was completing the sewing of the whole hexagon applique, I said to myself, “You better remember to place this so the apple is not upside down.”

Wouldn’t you guess I forgot when the time came?

I didn’t clip the round corners, either. It looks awkward in this flat version, but isn’t noticeable when in use.

I forgot to take a photo, but the lining fabric is that the same as that one with little red and pink flowers. It’s a line called “Forget-Me-Not” by Riley Blake. It has a pretty, folklore feel, and I really like it.

This will be my new project bag, so I can carry around my little sewing box and some embroidery thread and maybe get to work on more tiny necklaces during spare moments (like I have any! spare moments, that is).

I’m already picking out more fabric, because this would make a great lunch bag, too….