Dishcloths and Sew Alongs

There seemed to be a lot of interest in the Garden Dishcloths to Knit book that I mentioned recently. So far I have only knitted one of the dishcloths in the book but plan to knit some more when my brain isn't being pickled by this protracted heat wave. If I survive the 38C days coming up on Sunday and Monday I will start on another one. It is a bit hard to concentrate when you have sweat pouring off you during such hot days :-) So now I have finished my dishcloths for January and February in the Down to Earth forum's Dishcloth Challenge as I am knitting one a month.

This one is a basic pattern and good for beginners. It is often called Grandmother's Favourite Dishcloth and if you click on that link there are some variations there if you are interested. Lori was asking if I knew of any similar patterns to the knitted garden themed dishcloths that she could crochet and unfortunately there don't seem to be many but I did find a tulip patterned one on this page on Pinterest and if you scroll down the page there are some more patterns there that readers might like if you crochet. For those who are after some easy ones check out Crochet Dishcloths ~ 4 quick and easy patterns. Of course there are heaps more on Pinterest if you just do a search for easy crochet dishcloths. 

As well as the Dishcloth Challenge there is also a Sew Along on the forum using New Look Pattern 6871. 

This pattern is easy enough for beginners as well as more experienced sewers who can experiment with different versions of the pattern. The lovely lady who is running the Sew Along has used fabric from the Op Shops to make pyjamas on which she has pieced together a yoke from scraps of vintage linens. She has also made a pop-over style pinafore from men's shirts as well as really stylish dress which used up fabric in her stash.

So if you would like to join in you are most welcome. We are in Week 1 of the Sew Along but the photos and instructions will be there later on if you are too busy now. Just head over to the Down to Earth Simple Living Forums and register. Rhonda or our other Admin staff check regularly for new members who are registering.

As an aside I finally got around to downloading some of the photos I took on my new camera while at the beach last year. I still can't work out how to use the WiFi option so one of my clever friends said to buy a media card reader which I did. One day I will go back to where I bought the camera and get someone to show me how to use the WiFi. I did follow the instructions so am not sure what the problem was but who knows with technology. Sometimes it can just be such a mystery.

These photos make me long to be at the beach again so I can cool down although it is probably just as hot there at the moment but the sea breeze would be nice. I think my Northern Hemisphere readers would like to be there as well. Yes? :-)