Knit Two [or more] Together

Whilst sorting the loft I found one or two things I had almost forgotten about. Like some baby jumpers I knitted up ages ago using a vintage, very simple Oxfam pattern which Auntie Peggy sent me back in the Last Millennium. They were knitted - but not sewn up. I also found a baby hat I'd made at some point.

I've sewn them together, and now they can go to church on Sunday, to add to the baby stuff we are collecting for Dave to take to Africa.[I wish I could find the pattern again though! It may yet turn up somewhere] This aim of 'giving away not giving up' for Lent is surprisingly proving less of a challenge than I thought. I keep finding things and thinking "Why do I still have this? I do not need this anymore - so-and-so would have much more use for it...". I also found some postage stamps I'd mislaid - so I am giving time to writing cards and notes to people too.

Also in the loft I found a carrier full of random odd sized balls of 100% cotton yarn. These are at least twenty years old, and someone in our previous church gave the bag to me. I have never done anything with them because there wasn't enough of any one colour to produce anything significant and the quality and thicknesses were rather ..err..variable. Then I realised, following Dulce Domum's recent gift that I could make some dishcloths!

I found a few free patterns on the internet [dozens here] and have been producing about one an evening since. It takes about an hour and a half [or ten minutes either side of a TV programme like "No 1 Ladies detective Agency" or CSI!] I now have a stack of dishcloths - enough to last for years. I shall have to give some away, I guess!

Here are just a few of them...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

First attempt [navy, top left] cast on 40 stitches. K every row till you get a square. Cast off. This produces a rather dull product.

The pattern which works best is so easy I memorised it in minutes and I like the result. I mostly used a 4mm needle [US 6, UK 8] - but  tried different sized needles till I got a tension which I was happy with, for the thicker/thinner yarns. They are dishcloths though- so I didn't feel I needed to be too precious about it!! The diagonal way of knitting works well with random colours, and the holey edge is neat.

yrn = yarn round needle

PATTERN FOR DISHCLOTH

Cast on 4 stitches.

Row 1- knit 2, yrn, knit to end of row.

Repeat this row till triangle is half the size of your desired square.

Row 2 - knit 1, k2tog, yrn, k2tog, knit to end of row

Repeat till 4 sts left on needle

Cast off

AND THAT'S IT!!

Many of the patterns out there have little mottoes and motifs - but the end product is for cleaning and wiping and I wanted simple and usable, not fancy work! One pattern just would not work at all for me - it was supposed to produce "a square 'with an interesting stripe design" but it didn't!

You can win 'em all...

Knitting Group at Borders continues to go from strength to strength- we now have two men in the group! My dear friend Lesley kindly brought me a surprise gift last night, which was greatly admired by all present. A new bathmat - knitted from rag strips. Lesley knitted it up, after her daughter Em had prepared the strips.

 

Tremendously thrifty - there are bits of shirt, leftovers from her nativity angel costumes and all sorts in there. The texture is wonderful! [I forgot to ask what sized needles she used.]

Having missed Knitting Group the previous time, due to the Norfolk Funeral, it was good to catch up on everyone's news. We had 2 more new people as well. The Starbucks staff were struggling - every drink served in a paper cup as their dishwasher had broken - but at 8.30 they came round with free samples of vanilla latte for us all. Then we were all turfed out at 9 as the store closes earlier now. Home nice and early in order to get ready for my trip down south to see Liz later on today.

More about that when I return!!