Ta DAH, a Mitered Square for Finished Object Friday

Ok, so this probably doesn't look like much of a TA DAH. Something being knitting in the round? Not really, it's a square. Sure it is, said my hubby when he saw it. It's December's cotton cloth for DD for my Cotton Cloth Calendar Challenge. Well, yeah...I see Christmas colors...but?

Making progress, if fact you might have seen this picture a few days ago for work in progress Wed. This is a mitered square. When I started the pattern, it didn't really make alot of since to me. But, I liked the look when I saw the picture on the pattern and decided to give it a try. I've seen these types of squares and thought they were neat, but looked complicated. At first glance I thought you make a square and knitted or crocheted around 2 sides only to get this effect. You don't. You knit 2 sides at the same time. Look above in picture 1, the green is the cast on. Here I cast on 61 ( you always want an odd number in your cast on). You're knitting one side, making a point which is actually where you decrease, then you knit the 2nd side. Each row get's smaller and smaller on the two sides, bringing the center area closer and closer together.

TA DAH. Visually, the colors in the last picture aren't are as true as it is in real life. And the square is truly square, which in this picture looks a bit off...believe it's a visual because of the color combination and the big to little look of it all. I need to finish tucking in the yarn changes. Normally I do that as I go, but since this was a first for me doing a mitered square...left them...in case I had to frog it. There is 1 mistake, but I didn't frog it.

So even though this is just a little cotton washcloth for my DD, it is a TA DAH for me, because I learned to do something new. After you cast on you knit x amount of stitches, you do a decrease by slipping off 1 stitch, then knit 2 together, the pass the slip stitch over (sl 1, k2tog, psso), then knit the same x amount of stitches. The next row is straight knit.

So....Decease a row
Knit a row
Decrease a row
Knit a row. The trick is to remember, or write down (I use a counter and have it written to see where I am) in order to know how many stitches you're knitting.

Example my first row was a knit 29 on each side of the decrease, my next decrease row was knit 28.
Cast on 61
knit 29, do the decrease, knit 29
knit a row
knit 28, do the decrease, knit 28
knit a row

keep going until you have 3 stitches left and do your bind off.
*determine how many rows you want to do before changing colors and have fun. I liked doing the mitered square, liked the way it ended up and plan to do it again.

Oh, I should add this is Cotton Cloth #9, only 3 to go to finish my Cotton Cloth Calendar Challenge, with the months of Jan, Feb, and March being the last 3 to do.

Memories help a Heavy Heart

Floating in the swimmers cove at Alum "Ocean" with a beer in hand. (Jerry & Kyle)
One of many fall hikes, perhaps this was at Alum, or Hocking Hills Region, but I think maybe it was Highbanks Metro Park. We took so many of these hikes (with wine in a bota and beer in hand), unsure where this particular spot was. (Kyle, Jerry, Ernie and I)
At weeks end at The Beach, one of many. This was Smyrna Beach in Florida. (Ernie and Jerry in back, yours truly, Kyle, and Chelsea in front)
Same trip as above, but with the kids. (Lauren, Chrissy, and Lesley)
A night sail on Alum "Ocean". There were so many. (Kyle & Jerry)

Last night about 5:30 I lost a very dear friend, Kyle. These pictures are but a few of the many memories, the many good times. Think wine think Kyle, think cross stitch think Kyle, think skiing think Kyle, think sailing think Kyle, think camping think Kyle, think fire side chat think Kyle, think hiking think Kyle, think cooking together think Kyle, think sailing think Kyle, think racquet ball think Kyle..........you get the picture. I have memories that connect to so many things in my life both past and present. Memories of 30 years can't be put into one blog post, nor are there enough pictures to share for those 30 years of friendship.

I miss you Dear Friend, rest in peace.

It's never easy to lose someone, even when you know it's best; but remembering the good times, the fun times.........keeps them alive forever in your heart.

Working on Royalty

Half the squares have been edged, and about 1/3 of the squares have been joined. These squares were donated on Bridge and Beyond and when I'm done assembling them will be donated as a house warming gift through Project Welcome Home. Love these colors together. They do look royal to me. Making good headway this wip.

Working on both Dec and Jan cotton washcloths for DD. Here's December's in the works.
Liberty scarf is still in works, though I've not worked on it in a couple of weeks. Awesome Green Scarf (for DD) is coming along; but no progress from last post.

Hope you're all doing well this Wednesday, look forward to seeing all your WIP. See links and badges in sidebar.

Did you see the previous post? Please scroll down, I'm very excited that my charity blog, Bridge and Beyond was featured in the winter issue of Crochet Magazine!!

Monday Monday

Having an ugly and very very dark dreary wet day here in Central Ohio. This however, brought a smile to my face. This is page 17 of Crochet Magazine. I say it's the December issue, but it actually says Winter 2011. Bendy Carter contacted me about a year ago and asked if she could highlight my blog, Bridge and Beyond.

They work well ahead. She wrote a pattern, and an article and has highlighted the charity that helps homeless. I'm thrilled and hope this helps spread the news and obtain more helping hands for the cause. It looks like an awesome pattern too folks. Check it out.

Happy Monday, one and all.

Chipping away at My List of Projects, it's Sunday

Naming this Royalty. I think the purple and gold make it look royal. I think these colors work for men or women and will make a nice family ghan when completed. This is another of the many ghans for Project Welcome Home through Bridge and Beyond. All these squares were donated, I'm edging them in a very dark green and will join them in the same dark green and add a border. Once laundered and blocked it will be donated.
YOP Dec 4-10th

Here's the 8th of 12 cotton cloths for my cotton cloth calendar challenge for my Darling Daughter. This is November's cloth for my Cotton Cloth Calendar Challenge. I've already cast on December's, might have enough to show you a picture in a few days. Those left to do are: January, February, and March. Would be nice if I got them all done and could give them to her when I see her over Christmas....but I doubt that's going to happen. Too many other things going on.

Please folks, save time and eye strain, get rid of your captcha. The blogger filter works very well. I just checked my spam folder and deleted 52 comments that did not make it through to the blog. You do not need the captcha. You really don't need it plus moderating comments. Save frustration, save time, save eyestrain. Change your settings. Skeptical...try it a week and you'll see what I mean. Meme's are fun, but visiting everyone is hampered by everyone using captcha's, it really slows down the process.

Things now DONE:
1. Wedding Ghan pictured HERE
2. Oddball blanket (which turned into 2 where I was the border patrol person, Cinco de Mayo and Mardi Gras). Done and Mailed Pictured HERE
then turned into 3 when I started Baby Pink Petuna, HERE...then turned into 4 counting Fruit Salad which is in the works as we speak.
3. Red Scarf No More DONE (donated to Bridge and Beyond) Pictured HERE
4. Pink Poddle Ghan DONE, and donated also to Bridge and Beyond for Project Welcome Home.
5. Jewels Ghan Done, one of an undermined list for Bridge and Beyond, made from donated squares, pictured HERE. Pink Petuna Afghan also DONE (picture Friday for FOF HERE). Donated to Bridge and Beyond. Rainbow Bright DONE pictured HERE. Currently working on Royalty, pictured above.

WIP:
1. Cotton Cloth Calendar Challenge (8 of 12 cloths done, November Cloth pictured above.
3. Awesome Blue Scarf gave up trying to determine what pattern I had been using, and FROGGED! ........ARGH. Officially DELETING this from the list, and replaced it with the green scarf I'm working on for DD pictured HERE.
4. Buckeye Diagonal Scarf, have found the directions to help me determine where I left off, fingers cross this works. Have been in a holding pattern as I couldn't determine where I left off. Thanks to a blogger's good directions of how to determine, am hopeful! ??45% done
5. Candy Corn Ghan (my longest running work in progress ever 60% done) STILL haven't touched it in months.......sigh
6. Working on Liberty Lace for myself (put way way on the back burner), last pictured HERE

Goals:
Learning to knit cables (watched a video awhile back which is helping me feel more confidant and willing to give it a try)---think I've found an easy one to start with and might use it for January's cloth in the calendar challenge...might be a nice way to ease into making a cable!
Learning to knit socks

**I have HAP ghans to pick up and assemble....sometime.**

A Friday and another Finished Project!

I'm very pleased with the way this project finished up. This is Pink Petuna, started with donated squares from a class mate and left over yarn, thanks to Bridge and Beyond.
The squares had the 1 row of pink after the circles with the exception of maybe a handful. I added purple and or green to the squares based on the opposite of the center circle color, then did 2 more rows of pink, joined 5 doing every other color wise. Each strip was then edged with one row of single crochets before joining the strips together. The whole ghan was then edged with a sc row of pink, a sc row of the bright aqua, and finally a row of pink again for the little scalloped edge. It's donated as a house warming gift through Project "Welcome Home".

Got lots of projects still going, no doubt you all do too. Making my rounds for the linky for FOF, adding another plea here for you all to please, please stop using the captcha. The filter on blogger is very good. I check my spam folder weekly and it catches them all. Our linky's grow weekly and visiting, reading, and posting comments takes time. The captcha's make it more time then necessary. Please try it for a week, you'll be pleasantly surprised at how well it works. Go to your settings area from your dashboard and nix the captcha. Thank you for at least trying it. I want to visit you all.