I am now half way through my Summer Knitting project of knitting a dozen dishcloths. Here are the three I have just finished:
Dishcloth #4 – Crocus Buds
Pattern from the Leisure Arts “Knitting Kitchen Brights Dishcloths” brochure. Yarn: Lion Brand Kitchen Cotton, color Banana. This was an interesting openwork pattern. The “crocus buds” are created by pulling a stitch over the next two stitches on the needle. It is a simple 6 stitch pattern over 4 rows with yarn overs creating the open patterning between the “crocus buds”.
Dishcloth #5 – Elfin Lace
Pattern from Leisure Arts “Knitting Kitchen Brights Dishcloths” brochure. Yarn: Lion Brand Kitchen Cotton, color Natural. Easy lace pattern, that knits up into a nice dishcloth. The Elfin Lace pattern is an eight stitch pattern done over 8 rows.
Dishcloth #6 – Trinity Stitch
Pattern from Leisure Arts “Knitting Kitchen Brights Dishcloths” brochure. Yarn: Lion Brand Kitchen Cotton, color Natural. Lovely textured pattern produced by using the “Trinity Stitch”. I loved knitting this one. The “Trinity Stitch” is a neat textured pattern.
3 thoughts on “Summer Knitting: Dishcloths # 4 – 6”
What an awesome dishcloth. I think you did a great job.
I am interested in the pattern on your front page – the turquoise dishcloth that looks lacy around the edge. Thanks.
MaryAnn — Thanks for the comment. All the dishclothes posted in this blog were knit from patterns from the Leisure Arts book cited in the posts, with the exception of the one that was knit using the pattern on the ball band of the Peaches and Cream yarn.
The Zig Zag Eyelet pattern was used in Dishcloth #8. This is an easy eyelet pattern made by using yarn overs in combination with left-slanting and right-slanting decreases to create the “zig zag”.
This pattern is a multiple of 11 stitches plus 2 done over 12 rows.
Row 1: (Wrong Side) and all wrong side rows – Purl.
Row 2: K6, *YO, SSK, K9. Repeat from *, end last repeat K5.
Row 4: K7, *YO, SSK, K9. Repeat from *, end last repeat K4.
Row 6: K3, *K2Tog, YO, K3, YO, SSK, K4. Repeat from *, end last repeat K3.
Row 8: *K2, K2Tog, YO, K5, YO, SSK. Repeat from *, end K2.
Row 10: K1, *K2Tog, YO, K9. Repeat from *, end K1.
Row 12: *K2Tog, YO, K9. Repeat from *, end K2.
Yesterday, I had the role of being supportive of my DH while he underwent some tests at our local hospital. (Nothing serious, just part of routine maintenance for the over 55 crowd.)
Anyway, I decided to take along a pair of socks I am knitting as my “keep occupied” project for the time I would be sitting in the waiting area. I am doing cuff down, two at a time on 2 circular knitting needles. So I pulled out my knitting and started to knit away while I sipped on a cup of coffee. An older woman walked into the group of chairs where I was sitting — and pulled out her knitting!
She was knitting something on dpn’s in a pretty dark green yarn. For a time, we sat and knit without any conversation. Then, she put away her knitting and came over and sat next to me and chatted. (I think she was anxious about whomever she was waiting for, but she never really said.) I learned that she was working on a pair of mittens and she was very curious about the method I was using for knitting socks and my self-striping yarn. We exchanged bits of information about yarns and knitting and then she was called to go back with her family member while he/she recovered.
It’s interesting how knitting forms a link and an introduction for us. I know it made the time in the waiting room go by more quickly for me and I’d like to think it eased my companion’s anxiety a little and helped her time in the waiting room pass more pleasantly.
P.S. Started the socks so that I would have an easy knit project for the knitting guild meet ups. More on the guild in another post. I promise to post a picture of the socks when done.
First, a definition: A Helpful Swatch is a swatch that gives you, the knitter, information that helps you in the planning, preparation and construction of your knitting project. It tells you a number of things that are essential for successful completion, among them:
Your stitch and row gauge with the yarn and needles you have selected for your project
The type of fabric produced with your yarn and your gauge.
What happens when the yarn is washed and dried.
What adjustments are needed to make a garment that fits the way you want it
How a given stitch pattern looks when knitted using your selected yarn.
In addition, you can use your swatch to test out different techniques such as decreases or increases that you might want to use during construction. Full disclosure here: You’ll need to knit more than one swatch to get a helpful swatch. This is why most experienced knitters will tell you that you should buy an extra skein of yarn just for swatching.
One of the first issues new knitters encounter when doing a swatch is not knitting a big enough swatch — they tend to cast on only enough to knit a 4 inch square. In most cases, this isn’t big enough to provide helpful information. So, how big does a swatch need to be? The short answer is: Big enough to get a good sense of how the project will knit up. Elizabeth Zimmerman wrote that “a hat is a good swatch” – which is true if you are planning to knit your sweater in the round. Some knitters use a sleeve as their swatch, others knit a swatch that is at least 6 inches wide by 6 inches high. I would say that the 6 X 6 swatch is a good starting point – but you made need to make one that is even wider.
GAUGE: Here’s one inescapable truth about yarn, needles, and gauge: “Your Mileage May Vary”. Meaning that gauge is a very personal thing – it’s yours and yours alone. It is a measurement of the fabric YOU produce when you knit. So doing a swatch to identify your gauge is important to your success.
Before you start your first swatch you need to decide what size needle works best for the project. Yarn labels usually have a recommended needle size and gauge listed. Some manufacturers state a range on the label, others use a symbol to indicate the recommended gauge. Either way, this is just the starting point. A pattern may also include information about the yarn, needles and gauge the designer used to create the pattern. Both sources provide you with a starting point for selecting the size needle you need to use to obtain the knitted fabric you want to make.
Gauge written on label
Symbol showing gauge
Here are the steps I follow to make a Gauge Swatch:
Select 3 sizes of needles – if the recommended needle size on the yarn label is a US 7, I use a US 6, US 7, and US 8 for this swatch.
Cast on enough stitches on the smallest needle size for a width of at least 6 inches. (To estimate the number of stitches to cast on, I use the recommended gauge on the yarn label. For example, the label states 20 stitches in 4 inches, that’s 5 stitches per inch, so I’d cast on 30 stitches for 6 inches.). Knit in stockinette stitch for at least 3-4 inches ending with a right side (knit) row.
Knit the wrong side row to indicate where the change in needle size occurs.
Change to the US 7 and knit in stockinette stitch for another 3-4 inches.
Repeat steps 3 & 4 with the US 8. Bind off loosely. (You can also just put the live stitches on waste yarn).
Take stitch and row gauge measurements for all needle sizes and make note of these before blocking per step 7.
Block this swatch using the care instructions on the yarn label.
Once the swatch is dry, take stitch and row gauge measurements for each needle size and write them down in your project notes. These are your “finished gauges”.
Select the needle size by looking at the fabric produced by each size needle. Which one gives you the best fabric? Do you like the stitch definition? Do you like the way it drapes and feels? Is one better than the other two? It’s your choice – but this helps you select the needle that works best with you and your choice of yarn.
Measuring the Swatch for Gauge:
Stitch gauge is expressed as “number of stitches in number of inches (or centimeters)”. You may see this as “20 sts/4 in (10cm) or 5 sts/in. To determine your stitch gauge you need to count the number of stitches in a horizontally measured row of stitches. This measurement should be taken using a ruler and marking the starting point and ending point away from the edges.
Row gauge is expressed as “number of rows in number of inches (or centimeters)”. You may see this as “28 rows/4 in( 10cm) or 7 rows/inch. To determine your row gauge you need to count the number of rows in a vertically measured column of stitches. Again, the measurement needs to be taken using a ruler and away from the top and bottom edges of the swatch.
Note that it is not necessary to measure just 4 inches horizontally or vertically. If you measure more than 4 inches, you may get a more accurate gauge because it will give you a better average – yes – gauge is actually the average number of stitches or rows per inch. And, math is required to determine gauge.
There are any number of YouTube videos available on measuring gauge swatches to determine stitch and row gauge. I recommend the following ones for more detailed explanation:
What an awesome dishcloth. I think you did a great job.
I am interested in the pattern on your front page – the turquoise dishcloth that looks lacy around the edge. Thanks.
MaryAnn — Thanks for the comment. All the dishclothes posted in this blog were knit from patterns from the Leisure Arts book cited in the posts, with the exception of the one that was knit using the pattern on the ball band of the Peaches and Cream yarn.