My family - for as long as I can remember - has always made wine at home. It is a big hobby of my brother's and my dad's, and was my grandfather's as well. My husband, knowing that it's being done but was never really exposed to it, thought it was interesting that my family did this.
Him being more of a beer drinker than wine, a few years ago he was gifted a beer making kit, and has made a few batches with great success.
Last Christmas, to take his home brewing a step further, I bought him a brew-your-own hard cider kit, because he talked about how he used to have hard cider when he was visiting his family in Northern Ireland when he was younger. I think this particular hobby picked up better than making his own beer, and he has since made a handful of batches.
This month is both Father's Day (June 21) in Canada and his birthday (June 28th) - so to extend his new hobby a bit further, I bought him a few more home-brewing cider things, plus I made him these lovely dishcloths to clean up his fermentation equipment with:
The pattern is Fresh Knit Apple/Bar Mop - it's another mosaic dishcloth pattern. I had so much fun learning the mosaic knitting technique from making the St Patrick's Day ones, I was eager to make some more!
The texture of these on the picture side is so waffley, it's very neat to feel and I'm sure will be very scrubby to work with! I can't wait to make more of these, I can totally see myself making them for Christmas!
My bacon pigs are finally all done! I finished the 'O' and the 'N' today, and as it stands, they're currently being blocked.
Each square measures 7" square, using 4mm needles. I knit them with slightly tighter needles (meaning, as opposed to 4.5mm's) because I think that patterned dishcloths usually turn out a bit better that way, and I'm glad I did. This size is perfect!
eta: I also always advocate keeping your cotton yarn ball bands for a reason - for exactly this reason:
One ball band from a skein of Lily Sugar 'n Cream fits perfectly around my 5 dishcloths, keeping them snuggly together without squeezing it or distorting the dishcloths at all. That way the recipient knows fiber content, care instructions (which are all written on the ball band) and the dishcloths all stay together until they're gifted without getting any lost!
At Thanksgiving, my side of the family does Secret Santa, where we draw names for who we're buying for at Christmas - at that point I gift each couple in my side of the family a set of 3 or 4 dishcloths, and my inlaws get their respective sets at Christmas. This particular set of 5 dishcloths saves me from gifting dishcloths for my brother and SiL this year, since they'll be gifted to my brother on his birthday in September. (I think that 5 dishcloths should last them a year at least, considering how sturdy they are!)
Participated in another swap in the dishcloths r us group on ravelry - I sent the illusion maple leaf dishcloth I made a while back, with a few treats. I received this yesterday:
Lovely, isn't it? Some tea, including one chai which is my favourite!
My brother and SiL are having their baby shower at the end of next month - and I'm co-organizing it with SiL's sister. As the prizes for the games, I've volunteered to knit some dishcloths, making one in blue and one white for each prize. These are the ones I've made:
I've completed 8 of each colour all together (despite that there are two of each in the picture) - the picture shows the front and back of each cloth.
It's a basic stitch pattern for each, and are all knit on 4.25mm needles. The finished cloth each measures approx 7.75" square.
For the white cloth: it's a basic farrow rib pattern, commonly used for scarves. I casted on 40 stitches; row 1 is knit 1, purl 1 rib to the end; row 2 is knit across. Bound off in pattern after row 2 at desired length.
For the blue cloth: a basic brick stitch pattern that's a bit more involved. I casted on 39 sts. All odd rows (starting with row 1) is knit. Rows 2 & 4: (k3, p1) to last 3 stitches, k3. Rows 6 & 8: k1, (p1, k3) to last 2 sts, p1, k1. Bound off in pattern after row 4 or 8 (in my case, after row 4) at desired length.
Yarn used: Bernat Handicrafter Cotton in white; Bernat Handicrafter Cotton Nauticals in nautical blue.
It's no surprise that I knit up a heart dishcloth for today! An interesting pattern that incorporates just a hint of lace along with seed stitch, garter stitch, and stockinette stitch parts in the pattern - two can easily be made from one skein of Lily Sugar'n Cream with a bit left over.
I've already made 2 (using Lily Sugar'n Cream in Country Red) and I've enough left over to make 2 more. A cute gift for Valentine's for anyone who loves to cook or bake, I think!
Since I do most of my dishcloth gifting at Christmas, though, I'll be gifting these two (plus the two more I'll make at a later time) each to a different person along with some Christmas themed dishcloths.
I participated in a swap in the dishcloths r us group on ravelry last month. The exchange was for a postcard and a dishcloth, and if you wanted to, add treats too. I sent my partner one of my circle cloths (the one with the pink variegated yarn) along with some stitch markers and other little knitting tools. Today, I received her envelope: these two crocheted dishcloths and some Valentine's candies.
Needless to say, the candies are already consumed, and I'll be putting these dishcloths to good use very soon!
I love this sort of swap - I'm part of a few each year on ravelry, but one like this where everything fits in an envelope is easy, affordable on postage, and a fun treat. :) I will likely participate in a few more from this group soon!
I was boiling eggs the other day, and as I was rinsing them under cold water when they were done, I discovered I forgot a plate to put them on so they could dry off a bit before peeling them.
As it turns out, circle cloths are not only extra-sturdy dishcloths, but are also very functional at keeping eggs in place, while they're drying from being boiled. In case you're looking for an extra purpose for them. :)
Dishcloths are a great gift for pretty much anyone with a kitchen - and every home, no matter how small, has one.
Regardless of your cooking or baking skills, we all spend varying amounts of time preparing food in our homes, and our kitchens inevitably need cleaning. Needless to say, dishcloths come in handy for this reason.
In my many years of knitting & crocheting, I've found myself with extra yarn, and extra time with no one in particular to knit for. This is when knitting for charity comes to play; there are a surprising number of charities that collect knitted & crocheted items for those in need. The biggest demand, in my experience, has been for items made of wool, like sweaters, mittens, and hats - which go to people living in cold climates with limited resources.
It got me thinking, if there was a need for dishcloths. A dishcloth isn't going to protect you from the elements, but there are people in need who rely on food banks when they can't afford groceries.
This past week, I did a bit of research of food banks around where I live. The ones in my own city (Mississauga, Ontario, Canada) provide 7-10 days worth of food. Some neighboring cities & towns that either DH or I frequent because of family or work, those food banks provide 3 days' or up to a weeks' worth of food as well. These food banks not only provide food, but other household items as well, like toilet paper and cleaning supplies. That being said, it doesn't hurt to ask if I could provide knitted dishcloths. A few emails have been sent.
I got a very good positive response already from a few food banks that I've contacted, so I proposed the idea in the charity knitting group on ravelry last week. Positive response, which motivated me to start a dishcloth charity group. It'll be a work in progress for a while, with a few KAL's and CAL's on the go already, but I'm hopeful that I'll be able to get some help in creating a few bundles of dishcloths to donate. I've tentatively made a deadline for the end of May, 4 months away, so we'll see how many bundles I can have made by then!
I love cables, seriously. Those aran sweaters were my motivation to learn to knit in the first place. DH has received his fair share of cabled sweaters, and now my toddler son is acquiring a good collection of cabled sweaters from me too. So, it's no surprise that I'm going to make a dishcloth covered in cables.
This pattern is the celtic cables dishcloth - and so much fun to make. Unblocked, it measures 7" wide by 9" long, and looks kinda cool with the salt & pepper colourway.
I've always loved illusion knitting. It's such a cool technique, and it's such a cool surprise when a recipient gets an illusion-knitted item. Looking at it straight on, it's just a dishcloth with stripes, but at a certain angle a magical image appears!
This pattern is the illusion maple leaf dishcloth, and I knit it with Lily Sugar'n Cream in Wine and Cream.
