Recent Knitting Exchanges

Happy New Year!

I was in a dish cloth exchange in December. I sent my partner one with her initial on it. :)


I took a picture with my camera of the one she sent me, and I will have to upload that here soon.

I am currently knitting some dish cloths to give to my brother-in-law and his bride when they get married in April. I will upload pictures of them soon.

I also recently took part in a bookmark exchange. Here's a picture of the one I sent ...

The yarn looks better in real life - it has a shimmer to it and also has beads sewn into it.

Jesus is the REASON for the Season

Luke 1:26-56

In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin's name was Mary. And coming to her, he said, "Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you." But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.

Then the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end."

But Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?"

And the angel said to her in reply, "The holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. And behold, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren; for nothing will be impossible for God."

Mary said, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word." Then the angel departed from her.

During those days Mary set out and traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said, "Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled."

And Mary said: "My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior. For he has looked upon his handmaid's lowliness; behold, from now on will all ages call me blessed. The Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. His mercy is from age to age to those who fear him. He has shown might with his arm, dispersed the arrogant of mind and heart. He has thrown down the rulers from their thrones but lifted up the lowly. The hungry he has filled with good things; the rich he has sent away empty. He has helped Israel his servant, remembering his mercy, according to his promise to our fathers, to Abraham and to his descendants forever."

Mary remained with her about three months and then returned to her home.

Pay it Forward (PIF)

The guidelines: I will send a handmade gift to the first 3 people who leave a comment on my blog requesting to join this PIF exchange. I don’t know what that gift will be yet and you may not receive it tomorrow or next week, but you will receive it within 365 days that is my promise!

The only thing you have to do in return is pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog. Want to participate? Be one of the first 3 people to leave a comment on this post and make the same promise on your own blog.

Not So Random Acts of Kindness, and 365 days to do it in!!! What a cool idea!

So, here goes! If you're interested in participating, just be one of the first three people to post that you would like to PIF! You don’t have to be a knitter, you can hand craft any gift you are good at.

By the way, I found out about this at Jant's Art Blog.

Grandma's Favorite in Playtime

Another pattern that I am in love with right now .... I made this one 50 stitches across this time and it seems to be the perfect number. The others I had made seemed a little small to me.

Patio Pink DW Dish Cloth

I just can't resist this pattern!

Polka Dots and Paisley

I belong to an awesome online rubber stamping community called Splitcoast Stampers. If you are a stamper and/or scrapper, you should definitely check out this site.

They have weekly color challenges and layout challenges. For this card, I combined both types of challenges into one card (SC137 and CC125). The colors I used were Close to Cocoa, Bashful Blue, and Certainly Celery by Stampin' Up! I just love these colors together!

I made this card to send to my Chemo Angel patient.

DW Dishcloth in Key Lime Pie

This is my favorite dishcloth pattern so far! I really love how it shows off the different color patterns in the yarn. I found the pattern at KnittingKnonsense. I will definitely be making more of this one.

Thanksgiving Day Cards

I received a couple of wonderful Thanksgiving cards from some of my rubber stamping friends.

This first card is by my best friend, Suezette. She must know how much I love brads on cards. *grin*



The second card is from an online friend, Shawna. I love how she used punches for the turkey.


Thanks, ladies, for the smiles. :)

Seed Stitch Dish Cloth

I am getting much better at the seed stitch. I didn't make a single mistake in this dishcloth. Yay me! The seed stitch really gives the cloth a nice texture.

Meet the Greyhounds

We are very fortunate to have two wonderful greyhounds. Their names are Janie and Bandit, and they make us laugh every day with their antics.

Since the weather is starting to cool off, I thought I would first share some pictures of them in their coats. The lady that I order the coats from makes them specifically to fit each dog, and we even got to pick the fabric she used. She donates all of her profits to her local greyhound adoption chapter.

This first picture is of our boy, Bandit. Look at that handsome profile!!!

The coats came with "snood" attachments. Look at how our girl Janie looks.

Here is a great shot of the two of them together so you can see their size difference. Janie may be smaller, but she is definitely the Alpha dog, and Bandit lets her boss him around. She THINKS she is the boss of me, too.

Here's a lovely shot of Janie relaxing. What a beautiful face!

When a greyhound is happy, he or she will flip upside down. They can even fall asleep in this position. I don' t know how that can possibly be comfortable....

When we first got Bandit he liked to sleep in his crate with his head hanging out. Again, how can that be comfortable?

Now he likes to sleep all over. His favorite place is in my older daughter's bedroom ... away from bossy Janie.

Here's a shot of princess Janie on the spare bed in my craft room. She likes to cuddle up with my stuffed bunny.

Grandma's Favorite in Faded Denim

Another Grandma's Favorite. I really like this pattern, it is very simple to knit. This yarn is Faded Denim by Lily Sugar'n Creme.

I crocheted a loop at the top so it can be hung. I really like that idea and will start incorporating it on some of the cloths I knit.

Knitting My First Purse

I found a local yarn shop! The owner is very nice and very knowledgeable. She recommended that I knit an awesome purse and helped me select this fabulous wool yarn. Yes, wool in Florida, I must be crazy. But the colors are so adorable. In fact, I recently purchased a wallet in these very colors, so when the purse is finished I will have a matching set.

It's hard to tell what the purse will look like by the pictures here, but trust me, it will be fabulous!!!

This first picture is of the yarn. I purchased 3 balls, but it already appears that I will need a fourth one to finish the pattern. I will pick that up at the yarn store in the next few days. I really love the combination of the orange, greens, and pink.


In the next picture, you can see the knitting start to take shape. But don't let it fool you, this really looks nothing like the final item because when it is finished it will be folded in half and stitched together.


In this last shot, you can see that the yarn goes from being loosely spun to tightly spun and back again. It creates an awesome texture!


You can see the orange, pink, dark green, and light green pretty clearly in this shot.

I am thinking about lining the bag with hot pink fabric when it is completed.

How I Created My First Pattern

Someone asked me how I created my first pattern, so I thought I would share the response here for anyone else who might be interested. ;)

First, I downloaded some grid paper that is made especially for knitting. I found it at

http://www.sweaterscapes.com/grafpap-134.htm.

I decided to make my design 35 stitches wide and 60 stitches high. I lightly drew the football in pencil first, and then went in and filled it in with Xs where I wanted the pattern to show. I also drew in the border.

When I converted it to text format, the tricky thing was remembering that odd rows are read from left to right, but even rows are read from right to left. Also, remember that on odd rows, the Xs would be knits and the blanks would be purls. On the even rows, the Xs are purls and the blanks are knits.

It was very confusing for me at first. LOL I would say it took me an hour to convert it from the grid paper to the text format. I am sure it gets easier with practice.

When I created the cloth, I checked each row on the grid and on the paper as I knitted it so I could find my mistakes. I did find 2 in the text version, so it was a good thing I had done that. I kept track of my progress by using a highlighter to color each row as I started it (on the text and grid versions simultaneously).

If you have designed things before and have any advice for me, please feel free to contact me. I am always open to learning new "tricks."

Football Dishcloth

I created this dish cloth for my husband who is a Steeler's fan. I have included the pattern. Feel free to use the pattern as you wish, but remember to give me credit if you pass it on to others. Thanks!

Football Dishcloth by BunnyStamping

Cast on 35 stitches.

ROW 1: (K1, P1) ACROSS, K1

ROW 2: (K1, P1) ACROSS, K1

ROW 3: (K1, P1) ACROSS, K1

ROW 4: K1, P1, K31, P1, K1

ROW 5: K1, P1, K1, P29, K1, P1, K1

ROW 6: K1, P1, K14, P2, K15, P1, K1

ROW 7: K1, P1, K1, P13, K4, P12, K1, P1, K1

ROW 8: K1, P1, K12, P6, K13, P1, K1

ROW 9: K1, P1, K1, P11, K8, P10, K1, P1, K1

ROW 10: K1, P1, K10, P10, K11, P1, K1

ROW 11: K1, P1, K1, P10, K10, P9, K1, P1, K1

ROW 12: K1, P1, K9, P12, K10, P1, K1

ROW 13: K1, P1, K1, P9, K12, P8, K1, P1, K1

ROW 14: K1, P1, K8, P14, K9, P1, K1

ROW 15: K1, P1, K1, P8, K14, P7, K1, P1, K1

ROW 16: K1, P1, K7, P16, K8, P1, K1

ROW 17: K1, P1, K1, P6, K18, P5, K1, P1, K1

ROW 18: K1, P1, K6, P18, K7, P1, K1

ROW 19: K1, P1, K1, P5, K20, P4, K1, P1, K1

ROW 20: K1, P1, K5, P20, K6, P1, K1

ROW 21: K1, P1, K1, P5, K20, P4, K1, P1, K1

ROW 22: K1, P1, K4, P8, K6, P8, K5, P1, K1

ROW 23: K1, P1, K1, P4, K8, P1, K4, P1, K8, P3, K1, P1, K1

ROW 24: K1, P1, K4, P8, K6, P8, K5, P1, K1

ROW 25: K1, P1, K1, P4, K8, P1, K4, P1, K8, P3, K1, P1, K1

ROW 26: K1, P1, K3, P9, K6, P9, K4, P1, K1

ROW 27: K1, P1, K1, P3, K9, P1, K4, P1, K9, P2, K1, P1, K1

ROW 28: K1, P1, K3, P9, K6, P9, K4, P1, K1

ROW 29: K1, P1, K1, P3, K9, P1, K4, P1, K9, P2, K1, P1, K1

ROW 30: K1, P1, K3, P9, K6, P9, K4, P1, K1

ROW 31: K1, P1, K1, P3, K9, P1, K4, P1, K9, P2, K1, P1, K1

ROW 32: K1, P1, K3, P9, K6, P9, K4, P1, K1

ROW 33: K1, P1, K1, P3, K9, P1, K4, P1, K9, P2, K1, P1, K1

ROW 34: K1, P1, K3, P9, K6, P9, K4, P1, K1

ROW 35: K1, P1, K1, P3, K9, P1, K4, P1, K9, P2, K1, P1, K1

ROW 36: K1, P1, K4, P8, K6, P8, K5, P1, K1

ROW 37: K1, P1, K1, P4, K8, P1, K4, P1, K8, P3, K1, P1, K1

ROW 38: K1, P1, K4, P8, K6, P8, K5, P1, K1

ROW 39: K1, P1, K1, P4, K22, P3, K1, P1, K1

ROW 40: K1, P1, K5, P20, K6, P1, K1

ROW 41: K1, P1, K1, P5, K20, P4, K1, P1, K1

ROW 42: K1, P1, K5, P20, K6, P1, K1

ROW 43: K1, P1, K1, P6, K18, P5, K1, P1, K1

ROW 44: K1, P1, K6, P18, K7, P1, K1

ROW 45: K1, P1, K1, P7, K16, P6, K1, P1, K1

ROW 46: K1, P1, K8, P14, K9, P1, K1

ROW 47: K1, P1, K1, P8, K14, P7, K1, P1, K1

ROW 48: K1, P1, K9, P12, K10, P1, K1

ROW 49: K1, P1, K1, P9, K12, P8, K1, P1, K1

ROW 50: K1, P1, K10, P10, K11, P1, K1

ROW 51: K1, P1, K1, P10, K10, P9, K1, P1, K1

ROW 52: K1, P1, K11, P8, K12, P1, K1

ROW 53: K1, P1, K1, P12, K6, P11, K1, P1, K1

ROW 54: K1, P1, K13, P4, K14, P1, K1

ROW 55: K1, P1, K1, P14, K2, P13, K1, P1, K1

ROW 56: K1, P1, K31, P1, K1

ROW 57: K1, P1, K1, P29, K1, P1, K1

ROW 58: (K1, P1) ACROSS, K1

ROW 59: (K1, P1) ACROSS, K1

ROW 60: (K1, P1) ACROSS, K1

Grandma's Favorite in Pinky Stripes

Yahoo! Finally another dish cloth with no mistakes. This is a really simple pattern to do. I really love this self-striping yarn.

Pink Lemonade Dish Cloth

I found some Peaches & Creme yarn at Walmart and just loved the colors in this one. It's called Pink Lemonade. I made a few mistakes in this dish cloth, but I am definitely getting better. For this one I used the seed stitch (k1, p1) for the entire thing.

I am going to the knitting store tomorrow to learn to knit a purse. I can't wait!

Thanks, Monkey!

My online friend, Monkey, sent me three great items in the mail. She sent two dish cloths in bright colors (my favorite) and a pot scrubber. I love them all! Thanks, Monkey!!! I hope to have stitches that are as even as yours some day.

Monkey graduated with Honors from CS a week before I did. ;) I am so happy to have a friend who knits and also loves MT.



Today I found a knitting store near my home and I went in to check it out. The owner was awesome! I am going to go back on Tuesday to learn to knit a purse. I purchased the most amazing wool yarn, and I can't wait to use it. I will take a picture of the yarn before I use it and post it later.

Red, White, and Blue Dish Cloth

Another dish cloth done with the self-striping yarn. I used Sugar'n Cream Stripes in "American Stripes." I really like this one a lot!!!

First Knitted Bookmark

This picture just does not do this yarn justice. The yarn has a slight shimmer and has beads randomly sewn into it. It's much prettier in real life. I made this to send to my ChemoAngels pal. I hope she likes it!

Lime Stripes Dish Cloth

I think this is my best one yet! I used Lily Sugar'n Cream Stripes in Lime Stripes. I just did simple knitting for this piece, thus lessening my chances for making an error. *grin* I am loving this self-striping yarn.

Functional (ugly?) Mug Rug

There you have it folks, dish cloth #4. It's not beautiful, and I made a few mistakes. But I still love it and will use it proudly to shine my sink. ;)

I used Lily Sugar'n Cream Stripes in "Natural Stripes." This is my first attempt at using self-striping yarn, and I really like it.

This is a great dish cloth for a beginner knitter.

Edited: After hanging around this cloth for a few days, I have decided it would better serve as a mug rug. ;)

Bunny Dish Cloth

I completed my third dish cloth this weekend. It's an adorable bunny! I think I am getting much better at my stitches.

This pattern is from the MonthlyDishcloth Yahoo Group that I just joined.

I am officially addicted to knitting dish cloths. How wacky!

Edited to add: The originator of the pattern has an awesome blog. Check it out at Knit Dishcloth Pattern Corner.

New Knitter - First Two Dish Cloths

A friend of mine taught me to knit recently, and I wanted to show my first two projects. I have created two dish cloths.

This is my very first knitted creation. I really like bright colors, so this makes me smile, even if it is a little lopsided. This was made with Lily Sugar 'n Cream in "over the rainbow." I used size 10 knitting needles.



My second creation was made with size 7 needles and I think the smaller stitches make a better dish cloth. That's my opinion, anyway. ;) This one was made with Lily Sugar 'n Cream in "beach ball blue." (I think that is the color, anyway, since I have misplaced the label and had to look it up online). ;)

I joined a KAL (knit-a-long) group for dish cloths, so there will be more to come soon. I really want to create a dish cloth with a bunny on it.

I Learned to Knit

This weekend one of my friends taught me how to knit! I am very excited!!! I have always wanted to learn, and I even tried to teach myself once. I can't wait to practice this week while I review for my final exam. ;) I will be sure to share my projects with you here.

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