Last of the Dishcloths

I finally used up my dishcloth yarn!  I tried out five different patterns from the  Dishcloth Boutique web site.  I continued to use the size 6 circulars, although I think the difference is marginal.  (Click on the photos for large versions showing pattern detail).

The Details:

	Pattern:  Flying Geese Dishcloth Needles:  Size 6 circulars Yarn:  Sugar 'N' Cream Ecru Notes:  This is a really good pattern.  It is the same on the back as on the front.  It shrinks fairly evenly.  Since there is no lace to catch on things, it will probably last a long time.
	Pattern:  Lacey Squares Dishcloth Needles:  Size 6 Circulars Yarn:  Sugar 'N' Cream Ecru Notes:  This one looks like it had shrinkage problems, but it actually is a few rows short because I ran out of yarn.  It shrinks evenly and is really pretty.  I would definitely do this one again - just with 6 rows of squares instead of 5.
	Pattern:  Grandmother's Favorite Dishcloth Needles:  Size 6 Circulars Yarn:  Sugar 'N' Cream Ecru Notes: This may be the perfect dishcloth.  It's so easy that you can do it with your eyes closed (or glued to the TV).  It utilizes the very practical garter stitch and beautifies it by adding a simple lace edge.  It's also very easy to scale and shrinks evenly.
	Pattern:  Ostrich Plume Dish Cloth Needles:  Size 6 Circulars Yarn:  Sugar 'N' Cream Ecru Notes: This one turned out way better than I thought it would.  Although the pattern was rated "Easy," I found it rather slow-going.  My main difficulty was gathering four stitches together for the K4Tog stitch.  Other than that, it was indeed simple.  I had always wondered how afghans with this sort of pattern were constructed.  I can definitely see doing this again with a softer yarn, perhaps as a baby blanket.
	Pattern:  Shipshape Needles: Size 6 Circulars Book:  Leisure Arts Color-Splash Dishcloths Yarn: Sugar 'N' Cream Ecru Notes:  I have to admit that I was kind of disappointed with this one.  I like the garter stitch patterns in general, since they seem to make good scrubbers.  I was hoping that the pattern would beautify this rather plain cloth.  However, when I ran it through the washer and dryer, the lace became smaller, obscuring the pattern.  It will be fine to use, but I won't make it again.

More Dishcloths

The dishcloth pile is getting pretty high!  Last week, I completed seven more.  I used up the last of the white with some two-color experiments as well as one full size and one half-size cloth.  I had a lot of fun exploring the Dishcloth Boutique web site, which has lots of free patterns for knit and crochet.  I continued to have difficulty with shrinkage in some of the patterns, but also found a few that worked out very well.  Also, I started using smaller needles to see what effect that would have.  The weave might be a little tighter, but it's not very noticable.  (Click on the photos for large versions showing pattern detail).

The Details:

	Pattern:  Wheatfields Needles:  Size 6 circulars Yarn:  Sugar 'N' Cream Ecru Notes:  This is my favorite of this batch.  It shrinks evenly and looks great from either side.  In fact, I can't really tell if the photo is from the front or back.  It was a fairly easy pattern, but you have to pay a little attention to what you are doing to get it to turn out right.
	Pattern:  Textured Slip-Stitch Dishcloth Needles:  Size 6 Circulars Yarn:  Sugar 'N' Cream Ecru and White Notes:  Another bad shrinkage pattern!  These were both square before washing!  Of course, after washing, it's pretty easy to see that you just need to add about 3 more rows of "bricks" to make a square cloth.  I like the way these look.  Time will tell if the slip stitch will hold up to use cleaning dishes.
	Pattern:  Nina's Seed Stitch Surprise Needles:  Size 6 Circulars Yarn:  Sugar 'N' Cream White Notes:  I'm still working on how to get this one to turn out like it is supposed to.  It has pretty severe shrinkage problems (vertically).  The surprise is the optical illusion that the pattern creates.  It is actually just a checkerboard of seed stitch blocks alternated with stockinette (therefore easy to knit).  When finished, the pattern looks more lacey, sort of like snowflakes.  I made two of these, one  regular size and one half-size.
	Pattern:  No Holes Dishcloth(pdf) Needles: Size 6 Circulars Yarn: Sugar 'N' Cream White and Ecru Notes:  These are really, really simple to make.  I caught myself knitting along without looking while watching TV when I made them.  I basically was looking for something easy that I could do with two colors and this fit the bill.  They are really springy and nubbly too, so they will make very useful dishcloths.