On The Needles - Jun 21, 2013

For the month of June I chose to knit the Sanquar Check Washcloth.   Recently I purchased a 14 ounce ball of Peaches & Creme variegated cotton yarn that I thought would work well for this pattern.  The background yarn is white.  I don't think the design shows up as well as it could, so in future I would probably use a dark, solid color yarn to achieve a better contrast.  

This was not a hard pattern to make and I'm glad I tried something new.  

Be sure to visit Patchwork Times for links to other On The Needles blog posts.
Thanks for stopping by and Happy Knitting!

                 ~Diane

Got It Done-–May 2013

In keeping with Judy L’s Getting It Done challenge of posting a list of goals each month and also posting a progress report, I am presenting my list of completions for the month of May.

Here is my original goal list:

May Baby Quilt top

“Boy It’s Spring” is the name I gave this quilt top.  It measures 37” square. 

This was a fun and easy quilt top to piece.  I like the combination of bright and pastels.

For more information about this quilt, check out my blog post.

Craftsy BOM

This month’s block is called “Strippy Spools”.
I chose to make mine with patriotic fabrics in honor of Memorial Day. 
The block measures 8-1/2” but I it to 7-1/2” as instructed.  This would be a good block to use for Quilts of Valor.

May Washcloth

The pattern I chose to knit for this month is called the Bee Stitch Cloth.  I blogged about it here.

I used a light blue variegated 100% cotton yarn.  The finished size is 9”x10”. 

QOV Quilt Top

Not done yet.  I still have some red star blocks to make and then sew the rows and columns together.  I may have to put this on my list for June.

Bonus Completion:

Thrifty Washcloth

This washcloth is made homemade variegated yarn.  My blog post of May 24 gives all the details.

Get It Done – June 2013 goals

Here is my list for next month. 

On The Needles --May 31, 2013

This week I tried something new (to me).  I've always been intrigued with the look of Entrelac knitting.  First I went online and found several good YouTube videos demonstrating the technique.  There is also a course on Craftsy.com.  I learned a lot from the videos presented by Sapphires-n-Purls and I downloaded the instructions, too.

For my practice sample I used US size 9 needles and 100% cotton yarn by Sugar-N-Cream (White and Blue Jeans).

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to visit Patchwork Times for links to more On The Needles blog posts.

          ~Diane

On The Needles–May 24, 2013

Since I started knitting wash clothes several months ago, I’ve accumulated lots of leftover bits and pieces of yarn. 

Recently I stumbled upon a YouTube video on making a Magic Knot to join yarn ends.  I know a lot of knitters don’t/won’t knit with knots in the yarn, but I thought this project would be a good test. 

First, I got out all my scraps of 100% cotton yarn and cut lengths about 20” to 30” inches long and stacked them in piles.  Then I began joining one color of yarn to another making sure to get a good mix.  I used a couple different variegated yarns with solid colors….so I made my own variegated yarn.  I wound it all into a ball as I added more strands until the ball was about 3 inches in diameter. 

The pattern I used for this wash cloth was the “Infamous” Darrell Waltrip Cloth by Rhonda K. White based on a stitch pattern from the “365 Knit Stitches a Year: A Perpetual Calendar”.  The stitch is actually called the “Double Woven Stitch” and it incorporates slipped stitches (“sl 2 wyif”), knit and purl. 

The knot technique I used worked really well and even though the knots appeared as I knitted them, you can hardly tell they are there.  The finished cloth looks and feels like it was made using a regular variegated yarn.  I still have leftovers so I’m sure I will be making more “Thrifty Washcloths” in the future.

Happy Knitting!
                              ~Diane

Design Wall Monday--May 20, 2013

There are a couple of star quilts that I want to make so I've been practicing the cutting and piecing of 45 degree diamonds.  I have sewn together the diamond pairs, but haven't figured out what background fabric to use yet.  Once that decision is made I can cut the setting triangles and corner squares.  This will give me good practice at sewing "Y" seams.

I used my "Fussy Cutter Ruler set by Jan Krentz to cut the 2-1/2" diamonds.    I got the ruler set a while back and have been itching to use it.  I'm enrolled in Jan's class at Craftsy.com called "Diamond Quilt Designs".  She's a great teacher and I've learned a lot.

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to visit Patchwork Times for links to more Design Wall blog posts.
     Happy Quilting,
                  ~Diane

Design Wall Monday - May 13, 2013

This week I'm working on piecing "Boy It's Spring" baby quilt.  All the smaller blocks are made so now it's a matter of assembling the rows and columns.

Now that I'm up at the lake, I don't have a nice design wall like the one at home.  The blocks for this quilt have been laid out on a portable flannel design wall by Fons & Porter on top of the guest bed.  I have my eye on a wall in the guest room that I might be able to use after I rearrange some furniture.

Thanks for stopping by.  I'm linked up with Patchwork Times Design Wall Monday.

UPDATE:
I just finished hanging up my new design wall.  Here's a better photo of the quilt blocks.  A couple of the blocks need to be switched around.

On The Needles–May 10, 2013

The knitted wash cloth pattern I chose for this month is called the Bee Stitch Cloth.  This is the first time I’ve knitted a pattern using the “k1 in the stitch below”.  Things are going well so far.  I'm liking the density of the cloth.  However I did discover that, while watching an exciting movie, I got off one row.  This pattern has a right and wrong side so I will try to incorporate this new “pattern” again when I get close to the end so that it looks intentional.
 
I’m using size 7 needles with Sugar ‘n Cream Faded Denim (variegated) 100% cotton yarn.

I'm linked up with Patchwork Times.  Be sure to visit Judy's blog for links to other On The Needles blog posts.

Thanks for stopping by and Happy Knitting!
    ~Diane