Saturday 28 January 2017

A Dishcloth Challenge

Over on the Down to Earth Forums one of the members started up a Dishcloth Challenge this month and some of the keen knitters are going to knit a dishcloth a week. Well, I am a slow knitter so decided to just knit one a month which is enough for me. I said I was slow :-) Anyway one of our experienced knitters showed us a photo of twelve dishcloths she has made recently and said she got the patterns from a book called Garden Dishcloths to Knit by Melissa Bergland Burnham. The dishcloths looked really nice so I took the plunge and ordered the book which was approximately $10 and was pleasantly surprised when it arrived to find that all the patterns are just plain and purl. Just up my alley and good patterns for beginners.






As I mentioned there are twelve patterns in the book featuring a Frog, Hummingbird and Trumpet Vine, Bee Skep (whatever a Skep is but it is on the front cover in the above photo so might be a bee hive), Sunflower, Rose, Topiary with Heart.....



 ...Butterfly, Michigan Cherries, Ladybug, Tulip, Cardinal and a Birdhouse.


I used Bendigo Woollen Mills cotton which is so very soft and is suitable for facecloths really. The balls are 200g so it works out that they are cheaper to buy than the 50g balls x 4. There are often sales on at the Mills and you can be notified if you are on their email list. 



So this is the finished product! I used the Cardinal pattern and it does resemble the one in the photo even though I did some loose stitches here and there. The patterns are easy but require concentration which is why I wanted to try them as I find that since I retired I have had difficulty concentrating so doing a bit of counting on each row has been helpful. I do need to tidy up the edges a bit though but I have a friend who is a knitting whiz who I just know is going to tell me how to do that the next time I see her :-) Isn't that right, Margaret? She is such a whiz that she can knit socks without looking at what she is doing. 

So if you would like to join in our Dishcloth Challenge come over to the Down to Earth Forums and join in as it is a lot of fun seeing what everyone is knitting or crocheting. There are a lot of beginners there who are just starting out and learning and we also have the more experienced knitters who are always only too willing to help out if anyone is having a problem. 


I saw this 'pretty' pest chewing up the dahlias the other day. Look at the pink on its back. Isn't it colourful? Unfortunately I had to use some natural pest control via my thong (flipflop for my Northern Hemisphere readers).

I hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend. We had some light rain last night and it has been a nice day before the next heatwave arrives this week. I believe the snowfalls in some places in the Northern Hemisphere have been extremely heavy this year so I hope it eases off for you if that is the case where you live. Stay safe everyone!


32 comments:

  1. I didn't see that bug at first glance. I had to go back and have a look lol! Very pretty indeed for a "bug".

    I love those dishcloths! I can see I am going to have to invest in that book. Naughty Nanna Chel for showing me such things lol! Lucky I went to Bendigo Mills back in December and stocked up on cotton :)

    I love how the dishcloths are nature themed. Very impressed!

    Have a great Sunday!

    xTania

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    1. Tania, sorry for tempting you with that book but you will love it I am sure.

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  2. I' m a slow knitter too. I have a dish cloth on my needles at the moment but I started it at New Year! I sit to knit then think of all the other things I should be doing so off I go! Will tr in earnest to finish the one I'm on! 👍🏻

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    1. Joolz, I am a bit like that when knitting too but in the hot weather I can't do much anyway without aircon so I try to do a bit of knitting.

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  3. Dish cloth my most knitted projects and I tend to knit one in a couple of hours. I find with the kids I never have enough of them and miss 4 year old takes them and uses them as dolls blankets. These patterns look very nice

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    1. That's cute Sarah...dolls' blankets :-) Good to hear from you.

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  4. Love the dishcloth that you've just finished, Chel. It looks great! The pattern book looks good too, and good on you for taking on a project that needs a bit of concentration. I know I tend to do 'mindless' crocheting and knitting, far too often.
    Like you I love the Bendigo yarns and yes the cotton is quite e onomical too.

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    1. Maria, if I could knit and crochet like you I wouldn't care if it was mindless. LOL!

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  5. Cute dish cloths! A skep is an old-style beehive, woven from willow etc. From the middle ages onwards. Before langstroth hive boxes were invented :)

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    1. Thanks Liz I didn't realise that. Good to know.

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  6. That footwear is still a thong for most of us old babes. Always was a thong, always will be a thong.

    Nowadays, if a younger person here wants to smash a bug with their thong, they have to just whip it at the critter over and over again until the bug can stop laughing and go about its business.

    The dishcloths are nice, although they would be face washers in this house, :)

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    1. I know you don't like dishcloths. LOL! Perhaps washcloths sound better.

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    2. I think about using one of my lovely cloths for dishes and I just cannot do it. Originally it was because, the whole not-for-dishes thing, was because I had to drive a few miles to the laundromat, but now that I have both washer and dryer downstairs and can wash any old thing any old time I want, I no longer have that excuse.

      Keep calling them what they are, which is cool, cute, beautifully made and made for washing dishes.

      Old babes. Right?

      Juds

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  7. I love the little pictures knit into these dishcloths, Nanna Chel. I've not made any like that! I'm working on one at the moment (I'm a bit slow too plus I had to undo it twice) that is called "Feather and Fan". My Mum sent me the pattern. We use the dishcloths here quite a bit. Some for washing up, some as face washers and some I knit for gifts. Might have to buy this book as I think my Mum would have fun knitting these up too. Meg:)

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    1. I am sure your Mum would like knitting them, Meg. They are also good for beginners as only plain and purl are used. You just need to concentrate and that's the hard part for me.

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  8. Lovely dishcloths. I crochet dishcloths but I should hone my knitting skills by making them :P.

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  9. Lovely looking cloths, and yes they would take a little concentration to do, you can't just set and forget with that type of pattern. Like you cotton colours, vibrant.

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  10. I was pleasantly surprised to find the patterns were just plain and purl stitches when my knitting book arrived as well, Chel. Am currently waiting on an order of cotton from BWM as all I had in my stash was pink and lilac - not really the colours for doing garden themed cloths.

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    1. Blinky, I think you can do way beyond plain and purl :-) No, pink and lilac aren't really the best colours for these dishcloths.

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  11. What a good idea.I have knitted a couple of dishcloths, however I am not a great knitter at all so if the forum is the place to learn perhaps I should join. The books look really helpful as well.
    Thanks, Pauline

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    1. Pauline you would be most welcome to join the forum. There are lots of experienced knitters there who could help you. Then there are beginners and slow ones like me :-)

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  12. Such beautiful handiwork is far too lovely to use in the kitchen Chel. They would be used as bathroom washers in our home, or joined together to make a rug. ;)

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    1. Yes Sally, I never thought of joining them together. Good idea.

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  13. i love using my cloths for the dishes, they wash really well & last a while between being washed too :))
    great cloth there Nanna Chel, you've done well. practice makes perfect, isn't that how it goes? hope to see another one on your needles soon!
    thanx for sharing

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    1. Selina I still need to try out that Bavarian crochet stitch you use for yours.

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  14. Is there something similar for crochet? I have long-since given up knitting. Caused me more stress than it was worth, lol. I love the designs of those dishcloths though and would love to see if there were crochet alternatives.

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    1. Lori, these are only knitted in plain and purl so it's only the counting that's the hard part for me as I lose count so easily. I will ask on the forum if there is a crochet version,

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  15. oooh yes a crochet version! They are so pretty. Laugh at the word thong! My daughters in law were coming up the walk to the house with their cute flowered 'flip flops' and I said "oh cute thongs" and they both grabbed the back of their pants thinking their underwear was showing!! Sigh...

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    1. Kathy, it is amazing how the same word means something different in our countries :-)

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  16. Hello ladies, just wondering how many stitches most people use to knot 8ply cotton on size 5 bamboo needles? Also are the bamboo needles better than metal ones and why? I just made my very first dishcloth 44 stitches, on 5 needle size and used 8 ply cotton. Is this too big? TIA Lorraine

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    1. Lorraine, I have found that 8ply cotton can vary a lot depending on the brand. I have used two strands of 4ply cotton from the cheap shops and 5mm needles to knit dishcloths and have cast on 50 stitches in case it did shrink. It certainly wasn't too big. I don't usually use bamboo needles apart from when I did a bit of Tunisian Crochet and mainly use metal ones I pick up from Op Shops. It depends on a person's preference but I did read the other day of someone who found the bamboo ones she bought at ALDI were splitting. I guess it depends on the quality.

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