Pattern: Sirdar 1501 DK Jacket, Blanket, and Hat | 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. |
 | 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. |
 | I'm still working through the urge for instant gratification in craft projects, so I recently finished several new cotton dishcloths. These are all we use in our kitchen anymore. Since we don't have a dishwasher on the boat, they are wearing out a little faster than they used to. When I saw a clearance sale at Michaels on 400g skeins of Sugar 'n Cream cotton yarn for $2 each, I snapped up two - one in white, one in natural. So far, I have completed five in white with quite a bit still left over. You can't really tell what you are going to get until the cloth has been washed in hot water and dried in the dryer. I found that some of the patterns I tried that looked great before washing looked misshapen after. All of the pictures are after drying. |
The Details: | |
 | Pattern: "Spot Free" Book: Leisure Arts Color-Splash Dishcloths Needles: Size 8 Straights Notes: This one will probably end up being the most useful cloth, if not the most decorative. It has lots of ridges that work well as dish scrubbies. I put it as number three for shrinkage. It improved upon shrinking, tightening up very evenly. The only problem is that the corners have a tendency to turn up. I would definitely make this one again. |
 | Pattern: Weavings Book: American School of Needlework Knit Dishcloth Sampler Needles: Size 8 Straights Notes: This one really changed after it was washed. The center cabling tightened up and is still fairly symmetrical. However, the non-cable background and edges did not shrink as much. As a result, the edges do not lay flat and are kind of rumpled-looking. I still like it, but I think I will leave cables for sweaters in the future. |
| Pattern: Stripes Book: American School of Needlework Knit Dishcloth Sampler Needles: Size 8 Straights Notes: This was another one that changed a lot when it went through the washer. It went from a square to a fairly wide rectangle. It's okay, but I probably will not make it again. |
| Pattern: Basketweave Book: American School of Needlework Knit Dishcloth Sampler Needles: Size 8 Straights Notes: This looked fairly ordinary after knitting, but looked the nicest after washing. It lays perfectly flat and did not deform at all after drying. It may only be a mediocre performer as a dishcloth, since there are very few scrubby ridges. I would definitely make it again, though. |
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Pattern: Knitted Sailboat Cloth Needles: Size 8 Straights Modifications: I added 3 knit rows to both the top and bottom of the cloth. I also added 3 knits to each edge. I wanted the garter stitch border to be consistent with the other ones I just made. Notes: The pattern calls for size 7 needles (which I seem to have misplaced). I think that with a tighter stitch, the sailboat motif would be a little clearer. Of the five dishcloths, this one came in second for even shrinkage. |
Cute. Easy. Warm. Comfortable. What's not to love?
I finally completed the simple coat for a friend's newborn. It's a good thing I made it large enough for a 12 month old. He's 10 months now! 
