Let me ask you a question:

What is your favorite handmade gift to give or to receive?




I think my favorite is to make a dishcloth set for the kitchen in pretty colors that match either the decor or the season.  Sometimes I add a pretty bar of soap.  In this picture, I added a set of coasters.  I think this was a home welcoming gift to one of my good friends.

Blue & Yellow Hanging Towel

Mason Dixon Knitting Outside the Lines describes this pattern as the beauty of simplicity and usefulness.

That is so true and I love giving gifts that are not only beautiful but useful.  I made this particular dish cloth as a part of a new home welcoming gift.  I later visited my friend and there it was hanging on her oven door, which is exactly where mine often hang.  The cotton easily dries wet hands, and it washes and dries well in the machine.  

White Lattice Dishcloth

I've bought so much cotton on sale that I've been trying out various dishcloth patterns.  Here is one of them from a stitch dictionary.  

Tip:  To make the last corner look more even and finished, when you have 2 stitches left to bind off, knit them together and then bind off.  This helps all of your corners to match.

Cabbage Dishcloth

I love knitting and crocheting dishcloths.  They are small and the various patterns give lots of variety. Also, a few handmade dishcloths can really add something special to a gift.  I love functional gifts, and dishcloths can be both pretty and functional. This particular dishcloth is the Cabbage Patch Knitted Dishcloth by Tomato Lady and I made it in a KAL on Ravelry. I have used this cloth in the kitchen and I have washed and dried it several times. It is holding up great, and I love the way it feels. I used Lion Brand Cotton-Ease yarn.

Multidirectional Dishcloth

This is another dishcloth I made for a friend's birthday. It is a great pattern to use up stash. I must say that knitting dishcloths is a great way to learn new stitches and great for summer knitting (light and portable). They also make great gifts because everyone needs them, and they make mundane chores at least a little more aesthetic. Cotton is a hardworking and easy care fiber. You can wash and dry it, and the texture of the dishcloths helps with washing dishes.

I found this pattern on Ravelry here.

Circle Cloth

Here is the next dishcloth that I made for my friend. I found the pattern on Ravelry here. It was a free download, and I just thought the effect was really cool. The blue yarn is cotton, but I'm not sure of the brand. The natural yarn is Peaches & Cream cotton.

Crochet Textured Dishcloth

I put together a birthday gift for a friend of mine, and since she has just moved into a new house, I thought I would make some functional, yet pretty items. The first was this crocheted dishcloth. I am not sure what brand of yarn this, but it is cotton. It is a really, simple pattern, but I liked it so much, I'm thinking of making one in green for my kitchen.

Pattern:

Chain an odd number of stitches the width desired.

Single Crochet in the second chain from the hook, and then in each stitch across row. Chain one and then turn.

Single crochet across row, alternating crocheting through the back loop and then the front loop.

Repeat last row until dishcloth is the size desired.

See it is so simple, functional, and pretty!

Simple Knitting

Lately, I've been drawn to simple, meditative knitting. I was in a bicycle accident in early March. Right now I'm struggling from postconcussive syndrome and weak wrist. I can knit simple things, but crochet makes my wrist ache. I'm getting better, but not as fast as I would like! I have been working on a shawl, but I can't seem to figure out the edging. I hope my brain heals from all of this trauma. I've made dishcloths. The simple pattern soothes my spirit, and this is as close to meditation as I can get.

Here is the age-old simple dishcloth pattern although I've used this same pattern to make shawls and baby blankets:

Cast on 3 stitches.

Knit 1, Yarn Over, Knit remaining stitches.

Continue 2nd line until you reach desired size. (45-50 stitches for dishcloth with worsted weight yarn) (Bind off here for triangle shaped shawl.)

Knit 1, Yarn Over, Knit 2 together, Knit until 3 stitches remain, K2Tog, Knit 1

Continue last line until 3 stitches remain, then bind off.

Such a simple, practical, and even meditative pattern ...

Hanging Dish Towels!!!

I received the new book Mason Dixon Knitting Outside the Lines a couple of weeks ago, and I've made 4 of these Hanging Mitered Towels. This pattern is great for using up your kitchen cotton stash. Each towel only took me a few hours to make, and I must admit that they are a little addictive. As you knit the pattern, each row gets shorter so progress seems to go quicker, and I just wanted to keep going. I have a cone of natural cotton, and I'm thinking this might be a good pattern to use to make a set of towels. I have many kitchen towels that need to be retired or they would be great to add to a gift. Just Lovely ...

Cross Crochet Washcloth

This week I have crocheted small projects to give myself a break from the sweaters that seem to be taking forever. Small Projects provide such wonderful instant gratification. Life has been full of emotional frustrations, and the quick, easy projects have really soothed my soul. I needed some encouragement that I could get something done. This small dishcloth provided me with something easy and yet I had never worked this pattern before so it was new. It provided me with the level of mental challenge that I needed while also providing those repetitions calmed my nerves.