Cotton Cloth Calendar Challenge

Today's Work in Progress Wednesday (badges with links in the left sidebar) focuses on my Cotton Cloth Calendar Challenge. I've listed it as one of my YOP (year of projects). I want a cloth to represent each month. This stemmed from all the beautiful cotton washcloths that were collected during the month of June's focus on Bridge and Beyond, and my wanting to get some of the awesome colors I saw, and my DD seeing them and stating how much she LOVED cotton washcloths and wanted a mound of them. After making 2 shopping trips, one to JoAnne, and a 2nd one to Hobby Lobby and Michaels, I think I finally have colors that will work for my calendar idea.

January, cold, snowy. Blue and White is my current idea
February, naturally one thinks red; but I may do this combo? Thoughts vs plain red?
March is Easter, so thought this looked like an Easter Basket of pretty eggs and jelly beans.
April tends to be a rainy month, things here in the Midwest start turning green...........unless there's still lots of snow on the ground.

In normal conditions those April Showers bring on May Flowers (though again snow can get in the way of seeing many of them). I used a cast on of 33 and a double eyelet pattern, one of the stitches I used in the wedding ghan you've been seeing...HERE

June makes me think of summer vacation, swimming pools, kids out of school, beach vacations, laying around in the grass getting a sun tan. This is the famous Grandma's favorite washcloth knitted corner to corner. Everyone's go to pattern.

July is 4th of July, the celebration of our Nations Birthday, Patriotic, Red, White and Blue and family picnics. This is using a cast on of 33 and a pattern stitch called Little Blocks that's also one of the stitches being used in the wedding ghan. HERE
August, the dog days of summer......hot scorching sun, bright orange and yellow. Another cast on of 33, with straight knitting side to side.

September...well, not totally sold on it yet; but thus far I'm looking at this. Though it seems like pastels...I'm thinking fading summer? September is still colorful, but less so. Some flowers gone, but too early for pretty leaf color? Thoughts? I also thought of just stripes of primary colors, thinking back to school, crayon colors; but since I'm using all those colors elsewhere...didn't want to be repetitive???

October of course is Halloween, and Candy Corn.
November makes me think of the end of fall leaves, Thanksgiving on the horizon.
And naturally for December we think Christmas and Red, Green and White.

I'm feeling like I'm a bit over 1/3rd done with this project, even though 12 divided by 4 equals 3, and my 4th cloth isn't yet done. After all, the time to shop, to think and plan...that counts right? And now to lock in some patterns for above colors and months. Thoughts, suggestion? Happy to check them out.

For those who've been following my progress on the wedding ghan...it continues, as of the writing of this scheduled post I'm on block 4 (6 in a strip) of the 5th (I think final) strip. Fingers crossed when I get the 5th strip done and attached I'll feel like it's large enough. I know it will grow a bit when blocked, and again a bit more with a nice border. Running out of time to make a 6th strip, and am pretty sure doing so would be very tight on yarn....don't want to run out and not have enough for a nice border. Have you ever knitted a border? Thus far, I've only crocheted them, but...have a few knitted patterns? How hard is it to pick up stitches? I haven't done this before. This is quite a learning process for me, in that, aside from corner to corner's this is my first knitted vs crocheted ghan, and I did learn new stitches in the process.

Knitting up a Storm (Wedding Ghan, Cotton Cloths YOP))

Week #3 for me

Here's the wedding ghan progress, got 4 stripes (4 of 5) done, joined, AND ends tucked in...not final edge as those will get done when the ghan is bordered; but forced myself to tuck in all the ends from changing yarn colors etc so I wouldn't have them all staring at me in need of attention all at the same time.

2 blocks of the 5th strip done, working on the 3rd block (3 of 6), hoping to have this done and joined yet this week, but may not make it given my work schedule and the fact I'll be out of town later in the week.

You've perhaps seen these cloths when they were work in progress, and or separately for a finished object on a Friday post, but here now are 3 which means this project is 1/4th done. May, June and August here in this picture for my Cotton Cloth Calendar Challenge. July has been started and is about 1/3 done.

The remainder of the list:
Oddball
Blue Scarf
Edging and joining ghans for Bridge and Beyond
Poodle Ghan
Candy Corn Ghan
Buckeye Scarf
*Learn to knit socks
*Learn to knit a cable
have no progress.

In my previous post I added a fun video, please treat yourself and scroll down.

Hope you've noticed my blog log for those who visit, and comment that are part of the yop. I like to keep working blog logs, and have removed a few folks from my regular blog log who never return visits, don't blog anymore etc.

It's Friday!

FO (finished object Friday) is here again. You saw the pink (May Flowers) on Wed as a WIP; I'm happy to say it's now finished, as is August's Hot Sun Cloth (which was a WIP last week). August is straight knitting, orange and yellow for the hot hot dog days of August is knitted with casting on 33 and knitting til it measures just under 9 inches square. May Flowers also is a cast on of 33 using a double eyelet pattern and a single crocheted edge as it curled just a bit.

Did you know Julia Roberts is an avid Knitter? I didn't. Did you know Tom Hanks likes to play pranks while on the set of his movies? I didn't know that either; but since these two fabulous actors/actresses are a couple of my favorites, I wanted to share this video with you. It certainly proves, yet again Knitting is not just for old ladies! Not just for Grandma's.

Turn on your sound and enjoy.

Wedding Ghan, and May Flowers

Work in Progress Wednesday (see sidebar for links)

Almost done with the last block on the 4th strip of the wedding ghan. One more strip to go. I have managed to assemble the 3 previous strips HERE in case you didn't already see them. To finish I need to complete strip 4, knit strip 5, attach the 4th and 5th strip (using mattress stitch), tuck in all the tails (worst part of any project), and do a border...probably will crochet the border. I was rushed and didn't lay this strip out nicely so it looks very uneven here, but thankfully isn't in reality, so I don't think the wedding ghan will require more then gentle blocking when completed.
Pretty pink, this makes me think of May Flowers and so is the 3rd cotton washcloth in the Cotton Cloth Calendar Challenge. Hopefully this will be appear again Friday for FO Friday along with August. June's complete cloth is HERE, August in the works is HERE.

Year Long Challenge, Week #2

It all began HERE. A post about the challenge itself and my working list.

I had a decent cotton stash that needed to be turned into cotton washcloths for my DD and for my homeless in need through my charity, Bridge and Beyond. I got the idea of a cloth to represent each month, after I purchased the above stash. Not good, as much of above stash doesn't lend itself that way. I've mention Cotton Challenge, then Calendar Cloth, and have now "officially" named this part of my list as Cotton Cloth Calendar Challenge. Part 1 of this challenge is the monthly cloth for my DD, (June is Done, August on the needlesand yesterday while out I picked up an additional color suitable to mix with something from the stash for October. So 1 down and 11 to go. All those made beyond DD's will go to The Bridge and Beyond. Though I still need more manly colors.

No work on Candy Corn Ghan, Buckeye Scarf, Awesome Blue Wool Scarf, Poddle Ghan, or Give a Square Ghans (listing still forthcoming on Give a Square Ghans).

I've continued to work on wedding ghan, working on 4th strip currently and tucked some ends in on the 3 stripes already joined.

Made selection of yarn for border patrol for The Oddball Blanket, this one titled Mardi Gras.
Will be using a bright pink variegated for a row or two, followed by a solid pink which to me is the color you first see...it's almost in the middle of the ghan, probably will make the final edge a dark purple, but that remains to be seen. The staring stage is complete. Next will select the border and hope to start crocheting on it this week.

**edited to to add this after several comments, these aren't dishcloths, these are washcloths for people to use on their bodies, larger then I would make it I were making them for doing dishes. When we make them for homeless and those in shelters it's a wonderful comfort for them to get a shower or bath with a special made washcloth. I'm making both some for the charity (Bridge and Beyond mentioned above) and some for my daughter. Using what I have in the stash, so cloths are not being made in chronological order.**

Grandma's Favorite is not just for Grandma's anymore

While I've done lots of knitting this week on multiple projects, this is the only item that moved from a wip to a FO. A cotton corner to corner washcloth. I used size 7 needles even though the label on the Sugar'n Cream calls for a 6 cause it's a nice needle and it's metal. I don't like using my Denise needles (which would have been a 6) with cotton, it simply doesn't slid easily. This is cloth 1 of 12 in my Calendar Cloth Project. My thinking is a cloth to represent each month, this is June. June to me is summer, the kids are out of school with summer excitement in their heads, families have summer vacations ahead of them, the pools are open, the grass is growing and needs mowed...thus the green and blue. Using Grandma's Favorite pattern I cast on 4 and increased with my yarn overs until I hit 44 stitches, then started the decreases. The cotton was self striping so no need to change yarn which helps to make it an even quicker little project.

Everyone loves cotton washcloths, and with such pretty colors, truly they aren't just for Grandma's anymore. See my pretty Cotton Stash HERE