Category: Christmas

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Lace-edged dish cloth: Sunday on the Needles

I’ve been knitting a bit lately. Like most knitters, the urge seems to strike with the first snowfall. Most of the time I gravitate toward the quick and easy finishes…I’m a bit of a knitting junkie, I guess. When I need a fix, I need it right now!

Wash cloths fit the bill just fine.

041If you need a last-minute Christmas or birthday gift, or hostess gift, or maybe even a “just because” gift, a set of knitted dish cloths is easy and quick.

Make them a bit bigger and they become lovely for the bath. I love to use these little cotton cloths on my face. They’re so soft, and yet have just enough texture to make them nice when you want to give yourself a good scrub .

043I recently ran across an old gem of a pattern and thought I’d share it with you. A little Christmas present. 🙂 and it’s easy peasy, even for a beginner. (I’m looking at you, Shannon!)

Enjoy!

040Lace Edge Dish Cloth:
(this cloth is knit on the diagonal. You start with a corner. Sometimes I used a 4.5 mm needle and sometimes a 5mm needle. I used unbleached cotton dish cloth yarn. You can get it just about everywhere.)

Cast on 4 stitches and knit them.
Next row: Knit 2 stitches. Yarn over (bring the yarn to the front and then knit the next stitch as usual. You just made a little hole! that’s lace!)
Knit to the end of the row. REPEAT. (do this every single row until you have 44 stitches on your needle, or more if you want a larger cloth – make sure you end with an even number of stitches on your needle.
When your cloth is as wide as you want it to be (44 stitches or more), you will start the decrease as follows:
Knit 1 stitch, K2Tog (knit 2 stitches together at the same time as though they were one single stitch – in other words, put your needle through the next two stitches instead of just one and then knit as usual), Yarn Over (to make the hole), K2Tog (knit 2 stitches together) again. Knit to end of row. REPEAT until you have 4 stitches on your needle. Knit one row. Cast off.

038Merry Christmas and happy knitting in the New Year!

(linking up with Janine for Wool on Sunday)

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Merry Christmas from my sewing room to yours

‘Twas the night before Christmas,
And the quilts were not made.
The threads were all tangled, the cookies delayed.
The stocking weren’t hung, the pantry was bare.
The poor weary Quilter, was tearing her hair.
Stacks of fat quarters, tipped over in streams.
Visions of Log Cabins, had turned into dreams.

When what to her wondering eyes should appear,
But a bus full of quilters with all of their gear.
They went straight to work with just a few mutters,
Sorting and stitching and brandishing cutters.
The patterns emerged from all of the clutter,
Like magic the fabrics arranged in a flutter.
Log Cabins, Lone Stars, Flying Geese & Bear Tracks
Each quilt was a beauty-even the backs.

Her house how it twinkled, her quilts how they glowed.
The cookies were baking, the stockings were sewed.
Their work was all done, so they folded their frames,
And packed up their needles, without giving their names.
They boarded the bus, and checked the next address.
More quilts to be made, another quilter in distress.

She heard one voice echo, as they drove out of sight,
Happy quilting to all and to all a good night!

~Anonymous

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Christmas wine tours and some sewing

This has been a busy weekend for us! Last night was the Salmon Arm Community Concert Band Christmas concert, and Mr. C’s big debut as co-conductor. I am very proud to report that he stood up on the podium in his suit and waved his baton around and didn’t fall off once! More importantly, the audience loved him. I don’t have a single photo for you, though, I am so sorry to say. 🙁

Here…I’ll take a quick two-selfie for you (is that a word?)

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Today was Date Day and we spent the afternoon visiting every single winery that Salmon  Arm has to offer. Because today was also Christmas Open House day! (At the wineries that, is. Not at my house, though you are welcome to drop in anytime…which makes everyday open house day at my house, actually…)

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We came home with 8 bottles of wine, two from each winery:

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Sam loves Open House Day at the wineries, too, because I sneak out pieces of sausage and cheese from the party trays for him. (oh, um….yes, that is a quilt you see on the back seat, covered in muddy paw prints. And yes, you are correct…it is hand quilted. But before you get your knickers in a knot over my mistreatment of such a precious heirloom, I quilted it myself and so I can do whatever I want to with it. Get out! get out! No quilting police allowed at my house, lol!)

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After we got home and I made myself a nice cup of tea, I finished the last row of the Trifle Dish Quilt. The quilt-along was so long ago that the directions for the last row weren’t on the website anymore, so I had to write to them and ask for the directions to be sent.

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It’s called a Trifle Dish quilt because it’s built up in layers (rows). I made it because I love (L.O.V.E.) trifle. Next comes the borders and then finishing and then off it will go to its new home.

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This is the flimsy (that means just the plain top, before it has been put together with the stuffing and backing and then quilted). Please excuse the bad lighting. Indoors, flashbulb, too much wine….you know.

Here is something cute…Michael’s girlfriend had a birthday last month, and as I was too busy with Nanowrimo to think about much else, I whipped up a couple of little coasters to put in her birthday card.

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And I also made another book mark. Just because.

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Oh! And today I am celebrating an anniversary! One year ago Today exactly, I pulled into my driveway in Salmon Arm for the very first time as a new early retiree. 🙂

How’s your Sunday shaping up?

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Boxing Day: Walking in a Winter Wonderland

We went for a lovely walk this afternoon up to Margaret Falls in Harold Park. I put a few bits and pieces of film together to create my first One Shuswap Minute for you.

(If you’re viewing on your phone or other device you’ll need to visit the actual website to see the video.)

I started making these a year or so ago, calling them “One Yukon Minute.” They are meant to give you one minute to breathe and relax as you watch. Just one minute. What a gift to give to yourself during a hectic day. Plus, you also get to see a bit of what surrounds me. ♥

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The Christmas songs you love to hate

A thread I’ve been following on Facebook prompts me to write this post. You may not thank me, but I humbly offer up what I consider to be the worst Christmas song ever.

EVER.

It is about a cat that freezes to death on Christmas eve saving the life of a mouse. And Santa arrives too late. Do you believe it? It makes me cry and I hate that because it is such a stupid song.

So tell me…what tops your list for worst Christmas song ever? I’ll make a post dedicated to them.