August 2008 Archives

Will diet cream soda do when one doesn't have the traditional drink on hand?  Actually, I think I only have diet root beer...I'll go check...Yep, only diet root beer (I put cream soda on the shopping list for later).  So I poured me up a foamy glass and if anyone else out there has a beverage nearby, please raise your container and we'll pretend to clink and toast the first post on my new blog.

If you've come to this blog by following the link from my other blog, I suppose I have some explaining to do.  Here goes...

When I wrote that post over there I was going through some tough situations with my teenage son (17 yr old).  Things have since gotten better but are still a little strained.  I love the days when he's in a rascally mood and jokingly picks on me.  He's a senior in High School and I'm so (SO!!!) looking forward to when he graduates.  I think he is too.

The other news is that I'm separated from my husband.  I've moved into an apartment with my son.  We're learning to deal with each other's quirks in a different manner since we are in a tighter amount of square footage.  Plus there is not enough of a buffer zone between his music (its a rule that all teens listen to their music loudly when parents are around) and my quiet space.  He thinks there is something wrong with me since I like to sit and knit so much of my spare time.  He is sooo wrong on that one (can you detect my defensiveness here?)!

Anyway, this is a knitting blog and there will be no ranting about my marital problems.  It's my new life kicking in and I want to dwell on the positive stuff.  Like this:

I wanted to make my first project in my new home for my new home.  This is a rug.  I know, it looks like a blanket.  Most folks I show it to snuggle up with it.  My son wants me to make a bigger version for his bed (wow, finally something he actually wants me to make him!).  It's made using 3 strands of solid color kitchen cotton at once (any brand will do).  Colors are gradually changed one strand at a time to give an ombre effect between solid stripes.  Here are some skimpy directions that use can use to make up your own version:

Materials:
*Approximately 9 colors (3 skeins each color=27 skeins total) of dishcloth cotton yarn
     (2.5oz./125 yd skeins)
*US #15 32" circular needles

Gauge: approx. 8 1/2 sts = 4 inches

Finished size:  30 inches wide by 34 inches long (the rug is very stretchy so I tried to keep it very relaxed when I measured it).  The rug will be about 1/2 inch thick but if stretched, the thickness with thin out.  I'm thinking about wetting it down, pulling it out to larger dimensions and hanging it to dry.

Notes:
   -Always work with 3 strands of yarn at a time.
   -Change colors at the beginning of a RS (right side) row and leave enough of a tail to weave in later.
   -You may want to mark the front of the rug with a safety pin since both sides will look almost the same.  Or you can use the yarn tails on the right edge of the piece to distinguish the front from the back.
   -There was enough yarn left over that the width of the rug can be larger.  Do this by adding sts to the cast on row--approx. 10-15 sts (maybe more).  You may want to have a backup skein available just in case since this is a rough estimate. 
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Holding 3 strands of the first color together, cast on 64 sts.  (WS) K one row.
Row 1: (RS) K one row
Row 2: (WS) K one row
Repeat rows 1 & 2 one more time.
*[Row 3: (RS) Change from one strand of the first color to a second color (keep working with 2 strands of the first color also).  K one row.
Row 4: (WS) K one row
Repeat rows 3 & 4 one more time.
Row 5: (RS) Change another strand of the first color to the color added on Row 3.  K one row.
Row 6: (WS) K one row
Repeat rows 5 & 6 one more time.]
Row 7: (RS) Change from another strand of the first color with the color added on Row 3 (you will now have 3 strands of the same color).  K one row.
Row 8: (WS) K one row.
Knit 4 more rows (using 3 strands of the same color).*
Repeat between *, six more times, making sure to change to different colors from the one used before.
Repeat between [ ]'s, one more time.
Repeat rows 7 & 8.  Knit 2 more rows.
(RS) Bind off all sts purlwise.  Break all strands of yarn.  Weave in all yarn tails to underside of rug.  I like to leave approx. 1" unwoven to keep strand from popping through to the right side but this will give the underside of the rug a "shag" effect.
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I also made another dishcloth for my new apartment:

I used one skein of Creme de la Creme by Coats & Clark in color: 0945 Orangetones (the photo below is closet to the actual colors.  I think I used a #6 needle.  I just worked a border of garter st and worked the interior part in a linen type stitch.  No instructions since I didn't make any notes.

I feel I've been long winded.  I guess I'm overcompensating for my lack of posts.  Hope to see you back on this blog soon--if you not bored snot-less already!