Home Away From Mom 2: June 2013

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Knitting Project #4/Learning how to Purl/Dishcloth

Mom didn't like the Round Dishcloth ,,, she said it used to many brain cells and you have to keep track of where you are and which row you are on, way to much,,, She likes to watch tv while she knits and that pattern was just not tv-watching friendly,,,, I had to agree, I needed to find something so I can watch Bon Jovi while knitting :-)

Wanting to learn how to Purl,,,I went on the search for a dishcloth pattern that included the Purl stitch,,, but not overdoing it so much that we would keep losing track and not want to finish...
I came across a site by tricksyknitter , that has 4 free washcloth patterns ranging from easy to more advanced. Sounded exactly like what I was looking for. I chose pattern #3 and after figuring it out and completing my second one, I can say....This is my favorite pattern so far.

She doesn't have a close up picture of this particular wash/dishcloth, but I took a chance and love how it turned out. One side is a little smoother and the
other has the little bumps.

The first one I made,,,I used a size 8 needle, cast-on 24 and followed the pattern. The finished square is 6",,,, way to small for my Mom. She likes her dishcloths to be around an 8" square. The next one I made,,, I still used a size 8 needle, but,,,,cast on 34 and repeat rows 1-4,,, thirteen times, knit row 53, bind off on row 54. This one is closer to an 8" square when finished.

To get this free pattern, click on the link below and scroll down to Pattern 3...
Sand Stitch Washcloth by Megan Goodacre at tricksyknitter.
A Big Thank you Megan for sharing this pattern :-D

Now Mom,,,,You're still gonna have to make a chart and keep track of which row you are on, but this one is a lot easier to keep track of than the Round Dishcloth. So give it a try.

For this pattern,,,we need to learn how to Purl.
I went back to one of my favorite sites, Knitpicks ,and found they had video tutorials for both the English and Continental versions of Purling. (If you have no idea what I'm talking about... please take a look on my page...Learning how-to Knit )
Click on the links below to get started:
Purl Stitch- English
Purl Stitch- Continental

What I found out with this pattern.... Knowing the difference between a purl stitch and a knit stitch, makes knitting and watching tv a possibility.

Pictured above...front view. Showing Knits and Purls.
Pictured on the left...Last stitch was a Knit stitch. Bring your working yarn towards you to make a Purl Stitch....
Pictured on the right...Last stitch was a Purl Stitch. Place working yarn away from you to make the next Knit Stitch.

Hope these pictures help you a little. and Mom,,,I'm expecting a phone call soon, letting me know how many you have made :-D

***I made 5 washcloths using 2 skeins 70.9g/2.5 oz Peaches & Creme 100% USA Grown Cotton Yarn

Monday, June 10, 2013

Dreamcatchers

My Sister and Co-contributer to this blog, Susan, loves Dreamcatchers and Plants. So last year for her birthday I decided to put the two together and make her a Dreamcatcher Plantholder.
Pictured is the first one, of many, that I ended up making. Some with the plantholders, some without, some big, some small and some small enough for the kids to put on their rearview mirrors in their cars.

After the first two, I still wasn't getting the hang of how to tie the knots so I switched to crocheting the middle part.
You can find a nice doiley pattern to crochet, or just wing it like I did. Also, There are many sites with directions on..... 'How to make a Dreamcatcher'..... for those of you who don't crochet.

Items needed for a Dreamcatcher/Plantholder:

*Brass Rings
*Craft Thread
*Craft Cord
*Assortment of Beads
*Feathers
*Any decorations you like

It takes a bit of money to get all the supplies you need to get started, but once you get set up, you can make pretty many Dreamcatcher/Plantholders and just have to buy a few things here and there.

If you decide to crochet your dreamcatcher, remember to make it smaller than the ring so you can stretch it tight onto the ring. I tied mine into place and cut off the strings as I wrapped the Craft Cord around. Once you have the ring wrapped, it is time to add the Plantholder. The Craft Cord comes in different sizes. Choose which size is best for your plantholder, but keep in mind, the bigger the Cord, the harder it is to get the beads over it, for decorating.

Decide how long you want your plantholder to be. Cut 4 pieces of Cord double that length, plus a little extra to count for the knots.

Slip all 4 pieces through one of the spaces in your Dreamcatcher and around the ring. Pull down until all 8 pieces are even. Leaving a loop at the top, big enough to slip all 8 pieces through. Pull to tighten knot. (Larks Head Knot)

At this point... you can add beads, knots or any kind of decoration you want to be part of the cord.

To make the net to hold the pot...

Separate into pairs of 4 and tie a knot
in each pair. (above where you want the top of your flowerpot to be)

Separate again...Go down a few inches and tie knots in each of the new pairs.

Combine all strands, Go down a few more inches and tie them all into one big knot.

This was a little harder to explain than I thought it was going to be...If anyone has any questions, please leave me a message and I will try to help you out.
The picture to the right, is showing an extra set of separating, started higher up with some beads added. Play around and see what you come up with.

From here on out, is the fun part...

The decorating......Add beads, feathers, charms or whatever else you can find.
Don't forget to tie a loop to the top for hanging your Dreamcatcher.

Here are pictures of some of the Dreamcatchers I have made. They did end up being Plantholders, but I took the picture before adding them.

NeverEnding, NeverAgain Afghan

(updated version: March 26, 2013)

I started this afghan about 2 years ago. I never ever, ever thought that 2 years later I would still be working on it. A total of 285 small Granny Squares is what it took to make this afghan big enough for a double size bed. I have 3 more rows to slip stitch together, and maybe a border added, before I can call this 'My Finally Done Afghan'

This was suppose to be a project to use up my scrap yarn and instead, ended up being more than one trip to the hobby store... Which ended up with me buying yarn to start other projects..... wonder why this one isn't done yet?

In this picture,,,you can get an idea of what it will look like when completed. That is my little buddy, Stella, sitting off to the side.
Her little heart is going to be broken when she realizes I didn't make this for her.

At this point, I was planning on writing a tutorial on 'How to make Granny Squares' but while looking around on Pinterest, I came upon a blog called things to make and do.

She has a great tutorial on how to make basic granny squares, plus tutorials on how to adjust the sizes, blocking and joining. Anyone wanting to learn......Go say 'Hi' to adaiha@ things to make and do. and tell her that Lorri, from Home away from Mom, sent you. I am sending you to her patterns & tutorials page.

Start at Granny Square Tutorial part 1: Basic Granny Square.

Once you learn that, the possibilities are endless. You can use multiple colors, sizes, stitches, make up your own design, you name it...it's all up to you. Get creative and have fun.

For those of you who don't know how to crochet, but would like to learn......Go on over and say 'Hi' to
Mikey @ The Crochet Crowd
He has some great videos on Youtube to help you on your way.

For my afghan:
I used an H/8-5.00mm hook and
RedHeart Supersaver yarn
(I'm sorry, I didn't keep track of how much yarn I was using)

*I made up a graph to make my pattern.....

As you can see, alot of scribbling went on,,,, and this was the one that got saved from the trash.

For anyone wanting to take on this mammoth of a blanket.
Everyone is welcome to the pattern I have created out of little granny squares and the pictures of it, but please link back to me....Thank you.

Here is the placement of the squares I came up with. I redid the sheet and put in generic letters as the colors, but still posted, at the bottom the colors each letter represents on my afghan... It was amazing to see what it turned out looking like once I started getting it put together.

Each one of my squares were made up of a solid color for 2 rounds and the 3rd round is black. Then I slip stitched them together using black.... I'm still debating on...Border or no border. and if I decide on a border...what kind of border.....decisions, decisions.

I know I call this my NeverEndingNeverAgainAfghan, But....who knows...Never say Never :)

Ravelry members.... Make sure you visit this page to post your pictures.
Ravelry: Page for NeverEndingNeverAgainAfghan

Once you get going, and have so many blankets made, that you don't know what to do with them all......there are alot of charities out there that need help. A nice little security blanket would mean the world to some little boy or girl. You can check your local shelters and hospitals to see if they take donations.
Hoping you all have a Happy Friday
and a happy and safe weekend,
Lorri

Finished Knitted Baby Blanket

Knitting Project #2/Baby Blanket
Finally done :)

I found out that it's not a good idea to watch Bon Jovi on palladia and knit at the same time. I ended up having to rip out about 25 rows.
I was a nervous wreck thinking I was going to have to rip out all that hard work. It sure is alot different making a mistake in knitting compared to making a mistake in crochet.
The video by Knitpicks on how to unravel your knitting makes it look easier than it was for me...But, after watching the video over and over,,, I finally learned how to unravel down to below the mistake.

I am really happy by how it turned out. Still debating on adding a border, weaving an i-cord through the openings or leaving it as is.

I increased to about 200 before starting the decrease rows. 2 skeins of Caron-One Pound Baby Yarn was more than enough yarn, with enough left over for some baby hats and booties. The finished blanket is about 34"X34". A nice size for a little bundle of joy.

Despite the time it took to unravel and reknit,,, this blanket still worked up really quick and is a great project to learn how to knit.