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Double Bump Dishcloth

Posted on July 11, 2013 by auburnchick

I finished another project a few days ago.  This is my Double Bump Dishcloth.  It is a free Ravelry download available here.

I used size 6 needles…smaller than what the pattern called for because my tension is loose.

I used Peaches n Creme yarn.  You probably recognize the color.  Last Christmas, I bought a cone of this yarn.  I’ve knit a few cloths from it already.  The color is Happy Go Lucky.  I used 51 yards of yarn for this project.

The pattern is a four-line repeat that is so easy to memorize.  I love the texture!!!

I’ve already added this to my dishcloth drawer and, in fact, have used it!  This pattern only took two or three hours to knit up.  I know I’ll be using more in the future!

Filed under: Knitting | Tagged: , , | 1 Comment »

Always Have a Plan C

Posted on December 23, 2009 by auburnchick

First off, Super Sis, if you’re reading this before Christmas, do yourself a favor and skip it.  Just for a few days.  You’ll get it…later.

Back to my story.

Somebody somewhere is having a good laugh right now…

At my expense.

You see, for some odd reason, the knitting magic has disappeared from my hands, and I can’t, for the life of me, figure out why.

You’ll recall the disaster I encountered with the felted slippers.  A HUGE thanks to all who assured me that this tragedy has befallen others in the knitting kingdom.  I don’t feel as stupid as I did.

The latest mishap occurred today.

The AuburnChick family headed out for some Christmas visiting, spending oodles of hours in the car en route to our multiple destinations.

I figured this would be the perfect time to finish the project I made reference to in yesterday’s post.

The pattern I had set my heart on was the Journal Cover, found in the 2010 Calendar included with the December issue of Simply Knitting.  As soon as I saw it, I thought of Super Sis.  She loves to journal, so I figured I would pair it with a nice pen and Voila!

Of course, this is AuburnChick.  Simply saying “Voila” doesn’t make things magically happen.

Anyhoo, at 8:00 this morning, I was still blind to my lofty aspirations.  This is, after all, the Christmas season when there is magic in the air and when miracles happen.

I eagerly knit to my heart’s content, marvelling at how quickly I was making progress.

It wasn’t until we were headed to our second destination that I realized I might have a problem.

As I was working on the journal’s strap, I ran out of yarn.

Great.

I closely eyed my project.

I pulled out my ruler.

That’s when I discovered that my gauge was off…by two stitches per inch.

Yeah.  You can guess what that means.

The cover is humongous…and oddly shaped.

Still, I held out hope and carried it with me as I entered Coupon Queen and Grand Pooba’s home.

Queenie pulled out a journal she had in the closet.  I realized that this was the size the journal cover was SUPPOSED to be.

Great.

Take a look for yourself…

I didn’t exaggerate, did I?

I voiced the idea that maybe I could find a journal at the store…one that was a little taller and narrower.

Everyone raised their eyebrows.

Around this time, Super Sis’s husband, Super D, came to visit.

I explained my dilemma, and he did what everyone else was doing.

He laughed.

Oh, not a snicker, but a deep gutted laugh.

Thanks.  I feel so much better now.

We decided to play a game.  How many different things could this “thing” be?

Here’s what it looks like right now…

Perhaps it could be a wash cloth.  Except that my sister is the same size as me (which ain’t big, mind you).  This thing is large enough to almost go around her waist.

How about a kerchief?  Or a bib (to which Super D said that she has gotten kind of messy lately)?

A shawl?  Or how about if I put a dowel in the top, embroidered “Sisters are Forever” and asked her to hang it in her kitchen (to which Super D responded that this would be the thing you hang up right before said company visited). 

Gee thanks.

You know, though, I can be stubborn (ok people who know me…I know you’re SHOCKED by this admission).  I decided to visit the book store anyhow…just to make sure I had covered all bases.

Coupon Queen looked on as I tried to figure out a way to make this thing work on the many journals lining the store shelves. 

One thing she didn’t do was to lie.  She didn’t say a word as I stretched that piece of something over each book.  However, she did look visibly relieved when I finally seemed to come to my senses…declaring the mission (and the project) a total failure.

Needless to say, we’re headed out shopping VERY early in the morning.

Just for laughs, I plan on wrapping this thing with whatever her “real” present is.  Just to watch her reaction…see how nice she can be about something so utterly unusable.

As for me…Plan A, B, and C will henceforth involve better planning and a mass-produced item…just in case.

I am, after all, AuburnChick…Queen of Disaster.

Filed under: This-n-That | Tagged: , , , , | 2 Comments »

A Gift for Ms. Donna

Posted on October 7, 2009 by auburnchick

Do you remember my friend, Ms. Donna, the Attendance Lady?  She’s the wonderful gal I worked with last Spring when I was blessed to sit at the Attendance desk for two months.

Well, today is Ms. Donna’s birthday.

I learned of it quite by accident.  Well, it was probably a God-thing.

Substitute teachers receive a daily newsletter when we pick up our attendance forms each morning.  The newsletters are great for informing us of school functions, suspended students, and other important information.

The newsletters also list monthly staff birthdays.

As I glanced at the list, I noticed Ms. Donna’s name, and I said to myself, “AuburnChick, you know how much you adore Ms. Donna.  Now, you don’t have much money.  What can you do to show her that you care for her?”

Naturally, I thought of knitting, but because I didn’t have much time, I decided to make her a couple of spa cloths.

I showed you a picture of them as they were blocking.

Because we had cooler weather for a few days, the cloths took longer than usual to dry.  However, yesterday they were finally done!

The pattern is called Turn Back Time Spa Cloth, and it is from the January 2008 Creative Knitting issue.

I used Lily ‘n Cream in Yellow (above) and Cornflower (below…and my all-time favorite color in the crayon box)…

I ran to my second pantry and pulled out an orange vanilla soy candle.  I thought it added a little something to the gift…

I wrapped things up…

And put everything into a pretty little bag I found with my wrapping paper…

I will be running by the school in a bit to give her the gift.  I can’t wait!  She’s such a special lady…the way she cares for the students and everyone she works with…that she deserves to be pampered.

Happy Birthday, Ms. Donna.  I love you!

Filed under: Knitting | Tagged: , , , , | 11 Comments »

College Football and Knitting

Posted on October 4, 2009 by auburnchick

Can I tell you how happy I am now that football season has begun?

I am a huge college football fan.

Rooster created a group on ESPN’s College Pick ‘Em site.  Each week, the Mr., Rooster, and I make our picks and eagerly await the results.

It makes each Saturday a lot more fun because I now have a vested interest in the results.

I haven’t done so well this year, but it’s been fun all the same.

Sometimes, I pick for upsets, and sometimes I go with the flow and pick the teams favored to win.

The thing I enjoy most about college football Saturdays is the relaxed atmosphere around the house.  We’ll usually open the windows, because the weather has gotten cooler, eat “football” food, and just chill out.

It makes for great days of knitting.

On Friday, I learned that my friend, the Attendance Lady, has a birthday coming up.  So, I printed a couple of Joann’s coupons and headed out to buy some yarn.

I quickly churned out two Spa Cloths (Creative Knitting, January 2008).  I used Yellow and Cornflower Sugar ‘n Cream.  The cloths are blocking right now.

When they are dry, I’ll package them up with one of the candles I purchased a couple of weeks ago.

You’ve just gotta love the Fall and all of the activities it brings!

Filed under: Knitting | Tagged: , , , , , , , | 2 Comments »

Cabled Napkin Rings

Posted on March 1, 2009 by auburnchick

Ok…I’m finally getting around to posting details about the cabled napkin rings I made for the banquet.

If you didn’t see the picture in my previous post, here it is again.

Cabled Napkin Rings

Cabled Napkin Rings

I used Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece.  The color is Cotton Ball.  This yarn is leftover from my second knitting project.  I was thrilled to find it in my stash.  The color is more of a cream.  Lovely, in my opinion.

I used size 4 needles.

Yeah, I know.  Kind of small, eh?  However, I’ve discovered that smaller needles make the stitches tighter and, hence, the cables “pop.”  You want the cables to stand out.  All of that hard work shouldn’t go unnoticed!

Now, for the fun part.  The pattern.

For such a small project, this proved to be one huge challenge.  I cast on this pattern first.  After completing a couple of repeats, I found myself unhappy with the pattern.  Maybe it was the size of the cable…just too big for my liking.

So, I went back to the drawing board and began the hunt for another pattern.  I eventually landed on this.  I cast on eagerly.

I completed one pattern repeat and made an interesting discovery.  The pattern was riddled with mistakes.

If you work the pattern as is, you’ll come up with a garter-style cable.  I also realized that I had to go down several needle sizes to obtain a tighter cable.

So, I sat down and rewrote part of the pattern.

A brief explanation of how the pattern works.  The rows begin and end with K1, P1, K1 so that you are knitting a pretty Moss Stitch border.  It’s the eight center stitches that you need to pay closer attention to.  The cable is worked on only one row…the last of every pattern repeat.

One other tricky thing was figuring out how I was going to seam the thing.  It’s not worked in the round.  I hate seaming but gave it a valiant effort on my first napkin ring.  The result was hideous.

So, I tried Plan B.

I used a Provisional Cast on, following Amy’s video on KnittingHelp.com.   After working the pattern, I tried a three needle bind off. Once again, the seam was not to my liking.

On to Plan C.

Once again, I cast on using Amy’s Provisional Cast On.  After working the pattern, I seamed it up using the Kitchener Stitch.

Voila!  Success!  You could hardly discern where the ends met.  This is, ultimately, how I completed the rest of my rings.  I had it down to a science, completing each ring in under an hour (per ring, I mean).

Here is the pattern as it should have been written:

Cast on 14 stitches, either using a provisional cast on or a regular one.

1.  K1, P1, K1, P2, K4, P2, K1, P1, K1

2.  K1, P1, K3, P4, K3, P1, K1

3 and 4:  Repeat Rows 1 and 2

5. K1, P1, K1, P2, C2F, P2, K1, P1, K1

Because you’re ending on a RS row, your next series of pattern repeats will actually total six rows.

1.  K1, P1, K3, P4, K3, P1, K1

2. K1, P1, K1, P2, K4, P2, K1, P1, K1

3 and 4.  Repeat Rows 1 and 2

5.  Repeat Row 1

6. K1, P1, K1, P2, C2F, P2, K1, P1, K1

Work the above six rows until you reach the length you want.  I worked a total of six pattern repeats in addition to the first five rows.

Seam up in your preferred method.

Filed under: Knitting | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Olympic Knitting – Part 2

Posted on August 26, 2008 by auburnchick

As you probably already know, I went on a dishcloth knitting spree during the Olympics. I organized an Olympic Dishcloth Knit-a-Long on KnittingHelp.com. You can find the thread here. My objective was to use up my cotton stash, which had grown quite large in the two years I’ve been knitting. We travel quite frequently to soccer tournaments, and I’m always surprised at the different colorways that Michael’s and Joann’s carry. I remember one find that was especially delicious…self-striping Sugar ‘n Cream! Lovely stuff, I tell you.

When I left off of this topic (you can refresh your memory by going to this post), I had completed Dishcloth #8. I wasn’t nearly done.

Dishcloth #9 is called Flurries Dishcloth. Here’s the link for the free pattern. I used Tahki Cotton Classic.

Flurries Dishcloth

Dishcloth #10 is the Dayflower Cloth, and it’s a free pattern that you can find here. I used Sugar ‘n Cream, and the color is Natural Stripes. The yarn is self-striping and really pretty up close. The pattern was so much fun and literally flew off of my needles. I’m really surprised how quickly it went by.

Dayflower Cloth

Next, I knit up 4 Corners Dishcloth, and I used Sugar ‘n Cream. The color is Rose Twists. I loved this yarn, and the pattern was fairly easy, except for the provisional cast on (used the video here on KH), and the garter stitch graft (instructions found here). You can find the free pattern here.

4 Corners Dishcloth

The next dishcloth begged for me to use my I Love This Cotton, and the color is Buttercup. The pattern is called Christmas Lace Dishcloth. It’s free, and you can find it here.

This was a FAST knit…took me under two hours. I’m not sure exactly because I started it while in car loop picking up my children and then stopped while I cooked dinner and cleaned the house a bit. I picked it up and finished during the diving events one evening.

Christmas Lace Dishcloth

This dishcloth (I’ve lost count by now) is called Eyelet and Bead Cloth. The pattern is located here. I used Sugar ‘n Cream, and the color is Ecru.

Eyelet and Bead Cloth

The next pattern was a bit different for me. I found it on Ravelry, and it was written by Eloomanator. You can find it under her name. The pattern is called Eloomanator’s Diagonal Knit Dishcloth. What an awesome pattern! I used the rest of the skein of I Love This Cotton (Buttercup). Here’s the finished project:

Eloomanator's Diagonal Knit Dishcloth

Dishcloth #15 is called the Squidge Cloth. Here is the link for the free pattern.

The reason why it has this name is because you’re supposed to use a much smaller needle than normal…to tighten up the stitches for a tight gauge, which makes the cloth squishy.

I used Sugar ‘n Cream, and the color is called Tie Dye Stripes. It is a self-striping yarn. I used size 3 needles, cast on 48 stitches (the pattern calls for 40 or a multiple of eight) and completed 60 rows.

The Squidge Cloth

The next cloth called the Mason Dixon Washcloth, and you can find it in the Mason Dixon Knitting book. I used Sugar ‘n Cream Twists, and the color is Country Twists.

This was a fun pattern! It was a bit tedious, at first, but once I got through the third or fourth round, I was set.

Mason Dixon Washcloth

Dishcloth #17 is called Intertwined Dishcloth. You can find the free pattern here. I used Sugar ‘n Cream. The color is Ecru. This one gave me a fit! I think that’s because I was getting pretty burned out by now, but I desperately wanted to use up that yarn! I made it 3/4 of the way through before I discovered I had made a mistake. Unable to fix it properly, I frogged the entire thing and had a tantrum on the floor, determined that I was done with this KAL. About ten minutes later, I picked up my needles and tried again. I guess you could say that the Olympian spirit has infiltrated my person. I dove in again, adamant that a pair of needles and yarn would not get the best of me. The effort was worth it.

Intertwined Dishcloth

Well, my 18th (and final) dishcloth leaves a lot to be desired. I wanted to use up the Cornflower yarn I had, and that’s just what I did. However, it wasn’t enough to finish up the pattern. I debated about buying more of that color but decided I wanted it finished, so I pulled out the remnants of the Tea Rose yarn and knit the last third with it. It’s a bit funny looking, but oh well.

The name of this pattern is called Springing Up Flowers. The pattern is located here. I used Sugar ‘n Cream, Cornflower and Tea Rose.

Springing Up Flowers

Here’s what all of my cloths look like, stacked on top of one another…

18 Dishcloths Completed - Olympic Dishcloth KAL - 2008

And here are the remnants of yarn leftover…

Perhaps one day I’ll get around to knitting up some “scrap” dishcloths. I know it won’t be for quite a while, though. I’m a little dishclothed-out.

Filed under: Knitting | Tagged: , , , | 4 Comments »

Olympic Knitting

Posted on August 16, 2008 by auburnchick

I’ve spent so much time lately discussing non-knitting things, that I thought it was about time to catch you up on projects that I’ve been working on.

First of all, I realized that I never posted a picture of the completed bag I started on my trip to Virginia. The pattern is called A Little Slip of a Thing. You can find the pattern here. The yarn is Lamb’s Pride Worsted. The colors I used are Spruce and Dynamite Blue. The pattern was very easy…something I did not expect with the color changes. It is knit totally in the round, and you only carry one color around as you go, using slip stitches to incorporate the different colors. You can find helpful instructions for the i-cord bind off at this site.

I-Cord Bindoff

Pre-felted

Pre-felted

A Look at the Inside - Yarn Carried Over

A Look at the Inside - Yarn Carried Over

The Finished Product

The Finished Product

After finishing the bag, I began work on a series of dishcloths. I started a Knit-a-Long on KnittingHelp.com. I’ve named it the Olympic Dishcloth KAL, and the purpose is to use up the stash of cotton dishcloth yarn that has accumulated. I started out with this pile of yarn.

One of the gals who is participating worked up a pattern for the Olympic rings. That was my first dishcloth. I used Sugar ‘n Cream, and the color is Cornflower.

Olympic Dishcloth

Olympic Dishcloth

Since Opening Ceremonies, I’ve completed one dishcloth almost every day. All but the last dishcloth patterns came from this booklet, which you can purchase at almost any craft store:

For the Bee Stitch Dishcloth, I used Sugar ‘n Cream, and the color is called American Stripes. It’s self-striping yarn. The yarn was very rough and thick. The pattern was easy. The rough texture will be good for cleaning dishes (yes, I do use these…what’s the point in having them?).

Bee Stitch Dishcloth

Bee Stitch Dishcloth

The next cloth is called Elfin Lace Dishcloth. I used Sugar ‘n Cream, and the color is Ecru. Again, the yarn is a little rough, but the color is great for knitting lacy patterns.

Elfin Lace Dishcloth

Elfin Lace Dishcloth

The next cloth is called Zigzag Eyelet Dishcloth. I used Sugar ‘n Cream, and the color is Tea Rose. This yarn was fabulously soft. I don’t understand how you can use the same brand of yarn but a different color, and one be different from the other. Strange. Oh well. The pattern was extremely easy, and I like the result.

Zigzag Eyelet Dishcloth

Zigzag Eyelet Dishcloth

The next cloth is called Climbing Lattice Dishcloth. I used Sugar ‘n Cream, and the color is Lime Stripes…another self-striping yarn. The pattern was easy but seemed to take forever to knit up. I like the end-result though.

Climbing Lattice Dishcloth

Climbing Lattice Dishcloth

The next cloth I knit is called Slanted Squares Dishcloth. I used Sugar ‘n Cream (big surprise, eh?), and the color is Potpurri. I really liked this pattern.

Slanted Squares Dishcloth

Slanted Squares Dishcloth

Next, I knit the Shapely Diamond Dishcloth. Sugar ‘n Cream was the yarn of choice, and the color is Ecru…again, a perfect choice for the pattern.

Shapely Diamond Dishcloth

Shapely Diamond Dishcloth

And last night, while Michael Phelps was winning his seventh gold medal, I knit the Papillon (Butterfly) Cloth. Very appropriate considering the timing (Phelps’ medal was for the 100m Butterfly). I used a new yarn called I Love this Cotton, which is sold by Hobby Lobby. The color is Buttercup. What fabulous cotton yarn! It is unbelievably soft and not as thick as the Sugar ‘n Cream.

I Love This Cotton - Buttercup

I Love This Cotton - Buttercup

You can find the pattern here, a site with many great, free patterns. The pattern was a bit difficult, for a dishcloth, and I had to learn how to p2tog through the back loop…not an easy feat. The result, in my opinion, was well worth the effort. The picture does not, unfortunately, show the color. It is a soft yellow.

Papillon (Butterfly) Dishcloth

Papillon (Butterfly) Dishcloth

Believe it or not, I still have more cotton yarn. So, I’ll continue staying up very late and knitting my little heart out as it swells with pride for the valiant efforts of all of these amazingly talented human beings.

Filed under: Knitting | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments »

AuburnChick Welcomes an Old Friend

Posted on August 1, 2008 by auburnchick

What is that, you might ask. Well, it is one of my books from a class I took last year.

Why is it sitting on your table, since you’ve already graduated, you continue.

Well, if you want to teach, you have to pass various exams. I’m on the quest to NOT fail the Social Sciences test. So, I pulled out this book, which was in too poor of shape to sell, and have begun studying. Social Sciences is a hodgepodge of disciplines, and one naturally melds into the other. Hence, the volume of information to cement into this Mom Brain is ginormous.

My test date is the 11th…of August…leaving only two weeks to prepare.

I am not the happiest of campers, but I know this is a necessary evil in my quest for a career change.

Despite the studying, which began in earnest last night, I still managed to pull out the knitting and take a short break.

Over on KH, I’m heading up an Olympic Dishcloth KAL, during which I plan to use up my stash of cotton yarn.

My goal is to knit one dishcloth each day of the Olympics. Lofty, I know, but what’s the fun in obtaining the prize if a little challenge isn’t involved?

One of the gals over there designed the pattern for the first dishcloth I want to make.  You can find it over on KH or here, I think. Here’s a picture of what the finished cloth looks like.

And here’s a picture of mine…in progress…

My Little Slip of a Thing is currently blocking. Here’s a picture of the inside of it. You can see where the yarn got pulled across each block.

And here’s a photo of it blocking…

Oh, and I thought I would show you pictures of the i-cord bind off…in progress…

I have to say that the finished edge is LOVELY! I’m quite pleased with how it looked…actually like I knew what I was doing!

A note about the yarn…Lamb’s Pride…

It’s really awesome to work with. In the past, I’ve only used Noro Kureyon for my felted bags. As you know, the colors are lovely, but the yarn is rough and takes a bit longer to felt. Not so with the Lamb’s Pride. It’s very soft, although it does shed quite a bit while knitting with it, but it felts so FAST! I only had to put it through one agitating cycle in my washer before it was done. So, if you use this, make sure you watch it very carefully.

Well, I’m off to work and then to study.

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