Snowflake Dishcloth

I've found that knitting dishcloths is a great way to pass time during my evening commute when I need a break from reading/thinking. It's a quick project that can easily fit into my bag and there are many interesting free patterns available on the internet. Above is a snowflake dishcloth done in lavendar cotton yarn.

One of the best stories from my public knitting escapades came out of a recent evening ride on the el. I had mostly memorized the pattern, but occasionally needed to refer to it to be sure I wasn't making any errors. After I had pulled out the pattern a couple times, a fellow traveler leaned over and asked me if I was teaching myself how to knit at that time. I replied that I already knew how to knit and was just referring to the pattern to confirm next steps. He then said that he could relax now . . . he was worried that I was trying to figure out the project as we were riding the train and that apparently stressed him out.

Keychain and knitting needle holder

Although the two items are color-coordinated, I can't imagine a time when both would be used simultaneously. Here are two quick plastic canvas projects. The keychain is based on a pattern I found in a plastic canvas pattern book from the '70s that I picked up in a garage sale in northern Minnesota this summer. The book has a lot of projects that are so '70s and so tempting. If I had the time, I'd probably end up making quite a few of them.

The knitting needle holder is not from a design . . . just something I came up with using some different bargello stitches. The light colored thread is silver, not white. I wish it showed up better in the picture because it really pops in person.

Both items are going into a "magic yarn ball". I love this concept. Little trinkets are wrapped into a skein of yarn, making a large ball of yarn. As the recipient unrolls the yarn, little goodies are throughout the ball. I've also seen this done with crepe paper as a party favor.

Iris Painting

In an effort to diversify these posts, I am posting a picture of an Iris I painted earlier this summer. I am not an artist, I'm more of a crafter; however, I was working on a project for someone who really wanted wall art, so I bought a canvas and some cheap paint. This is the result. I like the way it turned out and realized that I could approach a painting in a similar way that I approach embroidery. I started out thinking that the flower would not have too many colors and it would be very straightforward. As I continued painting, I saw areas that needed highlights and adjustments. For the background, I had originally intended to paint everything yellow and call it a day. After I did that, it was much to bright/harsh when set against the flower, so I went back over the painted areas to add bits of green and soften the yellow using water.

I say that this is similar to my approach in embroidery because I also usually end up embellishing a picture or opting to use different color combinations or stitches as I work through the design.

Boston Red Sox Pincushion

I'm not much of a baseball fan (I attend the obligatory Chicago Cubs game each year when offered a ticket by friends or associated with work), but I recently had a need to make something that had to do with the Boston Red Sox. After investigating their logo (red sock!) and colors, plus finding a fairly clear picture of said logo, I decided that it would be possible to turn the logo into a pincushion. I bet there aren't too many pincushions available at Red Sox home games!

I used what was labeled as craft floss for the yarn/thread (thicker than embroidery floss and very easy to use - doesn't get tangled or knotted) and fairly small gauge plastic canvas. On the sides and back, I created a geometric design of cross and half cross stitches. After putting the pieces together and stuffing with regular pillow stuffing, the pincushion is very sturdy and should hold up to many years of service.

This project highlights my mild fascination with plastic canvas. I love all of the crazy things people decide to make with plastic canvas and find myself turning to it to make items like boxes, bookmarks, coasters, and knitting needle or chopstick holders. One of my favorite plastic canvas finds is a portable wine carrier, so you can carry a bottle of wine to your next dinner party in a nifty plastic canvas holder. Genius!

Art deco tree of swirls

I embroidered this art deco tree onto a corner of a pillow top and am very pleased with the way the swirls with their different textures and colors represent leaves. This was the first design placed on a pillow top that is now sweeping the nation in a tea towel/pillow top swap. Sadly, the tree doesn't get to come back to me. After 5 more designs are added to the pillow top, the tree is traveling to California.

I must take some pics of some of my knitted projects soon or else this entire blog is going to be of embroidery! I usually knit a few rows on something every night, but am less likely to take a picture because the finished products (scarves, dishcloths, pillows, etc) don't seem as special or time-intensive as my embroidery projects. Right now, I can think of at least 2 dishcloths and a pretty ribbon scarf that were completed at the same time as the tea towels.

Rosemary Tea Towel - third in a series of seven

This is the Rosemary tea towel. I had a potted rosemary plant for a Christmas tree last winter, so can vouch for the leaf design. Sadly, the plant didn't live long enough for me to see it blossom -- I'm not a very good plant owner. In this picture, the pot looks kind of wonky. I think there must have been a wrinkle in the cloth when I took the picture. I promise that my straight lines aren't that crooked!

I hope to post the rest of the tea towels pictures as soon as I figure out a mysterious glitch with my picture uploads. For some reason, some of my horizontal pics are uploading vertically, so the images are standing on their side. I don't think I could be comfortable with the entry if the pictures weren't upright.

Oregano Tea Towel - second in a series of seven

The second of the herbal tea towels - oregano. While stitching this one, I learned something new. I didn't know that oregano flowers were a combination of purple and pink. My version uses purple as the outline with pink french knots in the center. That seemed to be the most appealing option, even though it may not be herbally correct. I really like how the bow turned out on the pot.