All of Them

In an attempt to get control of, and use up, my yarn stash, I took all those odd bits of leftover cotton yarn and wound them into new assorted balls. Some people in the knitting community call it a magic cake, I think it's more of a magic onion because each layer brings a new surprise color. Some of the balls were completely random - I just reached over and blindly grabbed the next color. Others, like some above, were selected with a bit more thought, combining like colors or themes - ie, all muted colors, or all bright colors together. 

I knitted and crocheted a few dishcloths from these surprise balls and I love the fun, scrappy feel they bring to my kitchen. Some are hideous and some are pretty, but they all wash dishes just the same and they all used up a small part of my overflowing stash. I can knit a whole dishcloth out of a little less than one of these balls, so I just tie those leftovers on to the next ball and start all over again. I plan to keep going until I completely run out of cotton yarn and then comes the real fun - restocking! 

As I knit each new color section, I remember the original recipient of many of the original dishcloths - specific colors for specific people - moms, aunts, grandmas, cousins, friends... It's nice to think a little part of their kitchen is also in my home. These scrappy versions are very much like a scrappy quilt made with all the cherished leftovers and memories, which also happen to be some of my favorite quilts. 

I plan to spend my weekend knitting some more scrappy dishcloths while watching the Olympics. We caught a bit of the snowboarding qualifiers last night and it was so exciting to see the patriotism and competitive spirit in the athletes! I hope you have a great weekend and Go Team USA! 

Sending and Received (Part 2)

It was my grandpa's birthday a week or two ago and I was sending a package their way anyway, so I wanted to include something for him. I decided on a nice cable hat, and used this pattern. If you check Ravelry, there are obvious issues with the decreases. I didn't even bother reading the pattern at that point and just decreased as I saw fit. It turned out pretty darn cute and hopefully he will enjoy wearing it in the coming months. It's not super warm, but I think it will be the perfect hat to wear during the fall and early winter. Maybe for Christmas* I will make him a nice fleece hat to take him through the bitter Michigan winter.

I used I Love This Yarn from Hobby Lobby and US7 dpns. This yarn is cheap and soft and perfect for quick, simple projects like this.

For my grandma, and my grandpa too, I suppose, I included a crocheted dishcloth and scrubby.  I used this pattern, here it is on Ravelry, with Sugar n' Cream yarn. The pattern was quick to crochet, easy to memorize, and should prove to be a good scrub because of the texture from the tulip stitches. The scrubby was just two crocheted circles stitched together for some added omph. If you ask me, one can never have too many handmade dishcloths.

For my secret pal last year, I knit 12 dishcloths, one for every month of the year. I think they are a perfect little gift, especially with the matching srubby. Not to mention I have cotton yarn coming out of my ears.

Tomorrow I will send the hat, dishcloth, mitts, socks and messenger bag in one big package, and they can find their way from my grandparent's house. 

Today my DQS7 came in the mail all the way from Greenwood, Ind. I had to laugh when I saw that- my best friend lives there and our last home was about an hour away from Greenwood. The quilting world is such a small circle when you get down to it. 

Look how cute this butterfly is, Jamie did such a nice job appliqueing and quilting it! So cute, now I have to figure out where I want to put it :-)

I'm slowly finishing my Hedgerow socks (link here). I turned the heel on the second sock and have made it about an inch or two into the foot. I was feverishly working on these during Feedback weekend and made some great progress. I've been working on them between other projects and in bed before I fall asleep. They will be finished by the time the cooler fall weather comes around and I actually need to wear them. This pattern is quickly become a favorite of mine and I will most likely knit another pair in the future. 

*I'm trying to start making my handmade Christmas presents right now so I will have them all ready by the time Christmas rolls around. I'm thinking lots of hats, mittens, scarves and mini quilts. Things that aren't huge undertakings, but still cute/useful and hopefully appreciated because they were made with love by me :-) 

What are your favorite handmade gifts for adults?