Art, Craft and Needlework, May, 2014

[Ivy]

Nancy, What did you do with the dog fur blanket, when you found out it stunk like a wet dog when it got wet? Did you keep it, making sure it was kept dry, or did you get rid of it? My DFriend loves her dog so much, she put such effort & time into making her knitted afghan, she'd never be able to part with it because of her love for her dog. ♥

I decided that after I crochet the 1 pr. potholders + 1 hot pad, if that looks like enough of a gift, to not go overboard to crochet a hanging dishtowel, too. Or perhaps, I can get a cone of white P 'n' C yarn, make a fingertip towel, which takes 2 small buttons, & have red buttons on a white fingertip towel. Or I could crochet her 2 CD disc coasters, in Christmas colors. She's such a special lady.

I have 1 SC pen pal, who's become my BFF over the several years we've been corresponding & I'd love to make her a pair of yellow variegated scalloped potholders because yellow is her kitchen color. It'll be a surprise gift to her around Christmastime. If I do a Christmas-theme potholder project, she'll only be able to use them at Christmas. I want her to be able to use the yellow variegated ones year-round, so she can always think of me.

[Ivy]

I found out that a banner on the Internet was over row 2 on the potholder/hot pad pattern. I hadn't noticed, so didn't "X" the close on the banner, so printed it up. So I went to my pattern file. I found a pattern, which was translated from Norwegian into Old English & it *STILL* is just *TOO WEIRD*! LOL! But figured out how "Tremble" means "TL" & it's an American DC. So the pattern's written out oddly, too, so I'm re-inventing it as I go. It has 7 rows, then the joining edging row is scalloped. My row colors are as follows:

r. 1 = red
r. 2 = white
r. 3 = green
r. 4 = variegated red-white-green
r. 5 = red
r. 6 = white
r. 7 = green
joining scalloped edging = variegated. It's so vibrant, bright, festive & pretty all put together. I'm about to do row 5 or 6 now, on the 1st side. I want to do 3 in all; 1 pr. potholders & 1 hot pad.

Then, I'll crochet the hanging dishtowel. After that, I'll be ready to finish dgd's 1st butterfly Granny afghan square & get her afghan done.

[Nancy]

I had done that fiber for someone else I just washed the yarn before giving it to them and warned them it was their prob. To deal with.

I started a dish cloth the regular go to knit on the diagonal one I do most often. For me I need some new ones may up do some others for the outdoor kit.

I have the main part of a tote done all but the handles.

[Ivy]

Nancy, I don't blame you for telling the other person for them to deal with that problem.

You're lucky you have an outdoor kitchen!

Do you ever put metal or plastic handles on your tote bags? Have you ever done those projects where you shrink the finished project? I don't know if it's called boiled wool or not, but you can do it in the washer, if you have the right type of washer. I just can't recall the name of it right now, that it's called by. OH! "Felted"??????? Is that the word?

I have 2 felted knitted rolled brim hats my Dsis gave me. I don't think my washer's the right type to be able to do it, but I've got a pattern for a felted hat. Maybe I'll try it in Jan. after the holidays are over. I like felted totes, too.

I will work on the Christmas colors potholders on & off today, some more, too.

[Nancy]

I am working on pot holders and dish clothes. Yep I did look on Ravlery that is where I got one of the patterns that was making me tear my hair out.

[Ivy]

Sometimes, at Ravalry, I see patterns, which are great for dgd, but they're on sale for $. I prefer free ones. Also, many patterns are marvelous, but they're from foreign countries & not in our language. I "heard" you can get a translator somehow, from "Google," but I've never used it, don't know how, & put off trying because it sounds like more effort than I could stand.

But some of the foreign patterns are beautiful, from Japan & Poland.

The 1 I'm currently doing are potholders from Norwegian translated into Old English & Old English is "bad enough," but oh, no! It just HAD to be translated from Norwegian. So what I end up with is trying to meld the 2, use my imagination thinking cap & it's working for me. They threw me when they first said "Treble", which means DC in Norwegian OR Old English. But the stitches in the photos show DC ones. As I have worked onto 6 rounds now, it all falls together so lovely & this is a pattern I'll use again and again. It would be nice making in in 2 solid colors: 1 row white, 1 row black, for instance, or use one of their photo ideas, which are rounds looking like rainbow colors. Also, I'm thinking how if I got it to the size of a CD disc, I could make it into a CD hot pad or coaster. I love CD coasters because they don't let drips through, as opposed to 1 single side of P 'n' C crocheted coasters.

If you pull enough hair out, over a pattern, Nancy, you could make it into yarn & spin it.

[Nancy]

I tried spinning a bit of hu m an hair is was scratchy.
Dish cloth is done now.

[Nancy]

http://www.simplynotable.com/2013/the-a ... h-pattern/

A pen - friend suggested the above pattern I saw it in u tube.

[Ivy]

That's very pretty. I don't knit. I sure wish I did/could, but my attempts at teaching myself have failed.

I got 1-Lb. white P 'n' C cone at Walmart today & 1-Lb. white/with colors (same as my facecloths yarn color cone) for kitchen mats. Picked up 2 balls of variegated P 'n' C Christmas red-white-green yarn, too, to make BFF's yarn go further for her Christmas gift.

Got 1 skein rose, to go with my 1-Lb. rose acrylic yarn for dgd's Christmas Butterfly Granny afghan. Also, found variegated 2 skeins of rose-pink-burguny yarn for edging the afghan. Will tie in with the afghan colors & be so PRETTY!

[Nancy]

Next dish cloth half done.