Fun With Tie-Dyed Yarn

I could only pass by the cotton yarn I tie-dyed (you can read all about that multi-step process here) for so long, before I couldn’t resist winding it up into a ball any longer. There had been plenty of time for me to pick out a pattern or two while I waited on this yarn to dry. Over the many years that I’ve been knitting washcloths and kitchen towels, I’ve definitely figured out what I like. Washcloths can be most any shape, lacey, or textured so long as they are just the right size. That sweet spot is about 7” (about 18cm) square. Kitchen towels I like long and narrow (around 8-9” [20-23cm]wide) so I can easily throw them over my shoulder or hang over the oven door handle. Even better if garter stitch is involved. Sounds boring to make, but hear me out. Garter stitch doesn’t curl, makes a thick fabric, and won’t have any annoying gaps in it (assuming you knit it at a tight-ish gauge). Plus, there’s so many ways to make a garter stitch kitchen towel look cool. It doesn’t have to be knit stitch across every row. Try mosaic knitting, entrelac, a log cabin motif, stripes, chevrons, or knitting on the bias. Throw solid and variegated yarns into the mix, and you’ve got a lot of possibilities to make a really great, functional kitchen towel. Didn’t expect to find my soap box just then, but there you go.

A hand holding up a skein of tie-dyed yarn and a ball of ecru cotton yarn.

My plan for this particular skein was to knit the Slip Stitch Dishcloth with this Lisa Frank-inspired skein and the ecru yarn. I’d get to see all the awesome colors, knit something fun from my queue, and use up some stash yarn. That’s all good stuff in my book.

The skein of tie-dyed yarn wound into an equally pretty ball.

I wound the yarn by hand, a rarity for me, and am super happy I did. Even the ball is pretty, which made me even more excited to knit with it.

The first repeat of the Slip Stitch Dishcloth on the needle and sitting next to the balls of yarn.

So I cast on for the kitchen towel and knit the first repeat. And…meh. I usually like pairing a solid color with an over the top variegated yarn, but this just didn’t work. Knitting another repeat seemed like a waste of time which meant it was time to rip out the whole thing. Not even a little sad about it because I had another pattern in mind, The Garterlac Dishcloth(here’s a not Ravelry link). This will be the third time I’ve knit this pattern, and it’s great for showing off variegated yarn. Cast on when I had time to parse the directions and my previous mods. This time around, I’m completely smitten. The yarn gets to shine and I get to knit something really fun.

The first few repeats of the Garterlac Dishcloth on the knitting needles.

Just a few repeats in here and you can already see the ombre start with a deep purple and start fading to a more recognizable tie-die aesthetic.

The almost finished Garterlac cloth with a noticeably curving shape.

I was happy to be knitting this (and I finally got the chance to watch The Bob’s Burgers Movie) that I kept on knitting through the weekend. I had a really hard time putting this WIP down. It wasn’t until I was working the top edge that I noticed something was a little off. Okay, way off. I know knitting can look a little wonky until it gets a good wash, but a trip through the washing machine isn’t going to fix this very skewed kitchen towel. That’s when I noticed this:

A close up of the towel with an outline around the messed up area with an extra square.

See this spot with the star? I added an extra square to one of the rows without realizing which threw off every row above it. Ugh. Explains that weird gap that was bothering me too. The Bearded One votes to leave it the way it is, but I just know that I’m going to go “ugh” every time I see it. I can’t not rip it out. Plus, I’m pretty sure I didn’t quite follow the instructions correctly for the first few rows anyway. And that wobbly side edge is bothering me too. This kitchen towel’s fate is sealed. On the upside, I get to knit this pretty yarn again. Can’t be angry about that. Still irritated about ripping it out though.

Excited About Knitting Again

I have not touched my spinning wheel since Tour de Fleece. Well, that's not entirely true. I did move it to a different spot where I wouldn't trip over it all the time. After spinning everyday for more than 100 days, it's weird to realize that I haven't spun anything for weeks. Making yarn was such a big part of my routine, and now it's not. I'm sure I'll get back to my wheel soon, but all my creative mojo has gone towards using yarn instead of making it. I have been knitting so much recently. And planning a bunch of future knitting. I even started writing up my Christmas and holiday knit list. And we're only halfway through August!

I’ve finished and blocked both the Regina hat and the Feeling Groovy shawl. More on those later. 

I bought a sweater's worth of Cascade 220 Superwash Effects and the Ease sweater pattern! The package arrived this morning and I am positively smitten with the yarn. Can’t wait to get swatching.

I finished a swatch for a new design, but I haven’t figured out all the details. I'm not sure where to take the pattern next because I have many questions and ideas about what to try next. 

The Bearded One has been patiently waiting for a new pair of socks so I pulled out some yarn to make that happen. This is a long term purse project right here. I tried knitting him a pair of socks with this yarn before, but ripped them out for some reason. Hopefully, I’ll have better luck with the yarn this time around.

On the holiday knit list is a scarf for the Red Scarf Project. Probably going to knit another Melded Scarf and mix up the color scheme a bit. Red and blue, maybe? Or 2 different shades of red?

The most recent project on the needles is a new kitchen towel. Dug into the stash, pulled a couple balls of cotton out, and cast on for the Lizard Ridge Dishcloth. It's been a really fun knit, and now I really want to make the Lizard Ridge blanket. 

The Tour de Fleece yarn has been calling my name too. Pretty sure I’ll be casting on for a Boneyard Shawl soon, because why not?

I haven’t forgotten about my big spinning projects. There’s the 4 alpaca singles waiting on the bobbins, and writing up my notes so I can move to the next step of the Epic Green Spin. I’m really enjoying and excited about my knitting right now so I’m not rushing back to my wheel just yet. 

What about you? Is there a project you’re really excited about?

Very Green Garterlac

The last lingering work in progress* is finished! I cast on for this kitchen towel way back in April, knit a good chunk of it, and put it down to work on other things. Part of the reason I stopped working on it was because I wasn’t sure if I liked the extra square and width I’d added. Turns out, yes. The other reason was that I had other things I wanted to knit and do over the summer. So garterlac, as addicting as it is to knit, went on the back burner for awhile. 

When I eventually did start knitting the towel again, I was hooked. I was sneaking in squares any time I could, and keeping my hands busy during tv shows and movies. Now that the Very Green Garterlac is finished, it’s become one of my favorites. From cast on to bind off, it's 17" and 9" wide. The yarn and the pattern are the perfect pair. The fabric is thick and textured which makes it excellent for drying hands and picking up hot pans. Plus, I really like the colors.

I’ve got plenty more cotton stashed away in a lot more colors. At least a few yards are going to turn into more garterlac. Probably going to stick with washcloth sized versions though. But don’t hold me to that. In the mean time, I’m enjoying knitting scarves, shawls, and socks for colder weather. 

Pattern: Garterlac Dishcloth by Criminy Jickets

Yarn: 191 yds Peaches & Creme Ombres - Ivy League

Needles: US 6 - 4mm straights

Dates: April 8 - September 2, 2016

Full Mods @Ravelry

*Well, there are other lingering WIPs, but they’ve been hanging around for years. 

WIP Parade

Finishing the Turtle Purl socks a couple of weeks ago has put me in the mood to finish the rest of my lingering works in progress. Add on plenty of nights spent watching movies and catching up on tv, and I’ve been a very busy knitter. 

I picked up the Vertigo scarf again thinking that it’d be nice to have a new scarf/cowl thing for the winter. Temps are still in the 80’s, but there’s going to be snow on the ground soon enough. And I will be ready. I’d probably still be working on this thing and working lots of “p2togtbl” if this weren’t knit in bulky weight yarn. I mostly work with worsted weight yarn and finer, so it’s always a pleasant surprise how fast bulky yarn knits up. 

The stitches are bound off and the ends are woven in. Blocking the scarf will be simple (and entirely necessary) which means there’s just one more difficult step before I get to wear it. Which buttons do I choose? Do I go with the earthy, neutral buttons that will blend in or the bright blue buttons that will stand out? I cannot make up my mind. 

Now that Vertigo is bound off, I’m back to adding squares to my Garterlac kitchen towel. It’s not growing as quickly as the scarf, but entrelac is addicting to knit anyway. I can’t knit just one square at a time. Plus, it’s a simple project that I can pick up and put down without loosing my place so the towel is great for keeping my hands busy. I haven’t decide how long it’s going to be yet, but I don’t think that I’m far from binding off. 

Here’s another pair of socks for purse knitting. I pulled the yarn out of deep stash, #coldsheep, and started a toe. I wanted to knit a slightly more involved pattern since the last two pairs were basic ribbed socks. The stitch pattern for the Escalator Socks caught my eye so I gave it a try. While I liked the pattern, it didn’t mesh well with the yarn. Plus, I like how the colors knit up in stockinette much better. Ripped back to the toe, and going with a 3x1 rib this time. I’m will knit a complicated pair of socks eventually. I hope.

A video posted by April Klich (@aprilklich) on Aug 30, 2016 at 11:23am PDT

Knit All The Things!

There was a terrible, no good, absolutely rotten time when I could not knit or spin because of stitches and doctor’s orders. Thankfully that time is now over! To make up the two weeks when all I do was longingly pet yarn and plan what to do with it, I’ve been finishing and casting on for all the things.

My almost finished Fructose Hat was the first thing I picked up after my stitches came out. I was working my way through the crown decreases when I had to put it down. Knowing that I was so close to a finished hat that I could’ve been wearing was incredibly annoying. All that was standing between me and a finished hat was a few rows of decreases. It was so tempting to finish the hat during my knitting hiatus - doctor’s orders be damned - but I didn’t. Thought about it though. 

Anyway, the hat and I went out to lunch Friday. I was 4 rows away from cutting the yarn and pulling it through the last stitches when my food arrived. Hunger and tasty Indian food won out so the hat had to wait until I got back home. Worth it. I still need to wash and block the hat but at least the knitting is done. 

With the hat off the needles, I pulled out a cone of cotton and cast on for the Garterlac Dishcloth that I’m modifying to make a kitchen towel. I’ve knit this pattern before and it does great things to variegated yarn. The last cloths were a gift and it’s past time to make some for my own kitchen. 

This is only the second or third time that I’ve knit entrelac and it’s still addicting to make square after square. I don’t even mind picking up stitches to do it. Shocking, I know. Plus, each square has been pretty good bribery. Whenever I cross something of my to-do list, I get to knit a square. Makes for slower knitting, but a completed list at the end of the day.  

This time around I cast on using the increasing base triangle method which starts with just one stitch. It’s not any easier than casting on all the stitches for the bottom edge in one go, but it is a lot more flexible. 

These socks have been hanging out in my purse for way too long. They’re still purse knitting for the time being because there’s still a few inches to put on the second cuff. If I can put in a few rows between garterlac squares, this pair should be on my feet soon enough. 

And the most recent cast on. I’m swatching for a secret project so this is all I can show you for a bit. I can say that it involves some fun cables.

I might be going overboard with the knitting to make up for the two week hiatus, but I regret nothing. I had a winding party Monday night and wound these three skeins of Malabrigo Chunky in Frank Ochre. The plan for them is to knit the Vertigo Cowl; I feel in love with the shop sample years ago but didn’t get the yarn until last week. Once I finish that green swatch, casting on for Vertigo will be my reward. Sounds like good bribery to swatch right?

Pattern: Mosaic Sisters

I am thrilled to finally share the Mosaic Sisters! Why sisters? Because each mosaic design, though unique, shares several traits. They all have wide stripes, are knit in garter stitch, and have geometric designs. The pattern is a set 3 three different designs that can be turned into kitchen towels, washcloths, and coasters. Or anything else your needles desire. Mosaic knitting makes the cloths the perfect thickness and texture to be useful in both the kitchen and the bathroom. Since the basis of the patterns is garter stitch, the cloths won't twist or curl. Since they're all sister designs, you can make them in as many or as few colors as you want. Make a whole set in 2 colors or mix and match for maximum rainbow. 

If you're nervous about working mosaic knitting for the first time, I wrote a few tutorials to help. Mosaic Knitting 101 will show you the basics, and the next tutorial shows how to carry yarn up the side of the work. To cast on, I recommend the long-tail cast on - it's great with cotton.

I had the idea for the Mosaic Sisters years ago. At the time there was only one cloth, the oldest sister of course, and it had a different name. I knit the first sample, wrote the pattern, and made the chart. For one reason or another I never published it. Years later I saw a call to submit designs for home related patterns. The oldest sister came to mind, but I knew I couldn't just submit one - that's when the middle sister came along. Spoilers - the submission wasn't accepted. Now two designs were hanging out on my hard drive. Once the sting of disappointment wore off, I looked at them again and decided to add a third pattern to the set, the youngest sister. I've been swatching, charting, knitting, and putting the pattern together ever since. It's been a long road, but I'm glad that the sisters are finally getting their debut. 

To celebrate the Mosaic Sisters release, the pattern is free until Sunday, December 6 11:59 PM PST. Afterwards, it'll go to it's regular price of $5. No coupon or Ravelry account required. Happy knitting! 

Mosaic Sisters

Sizes: Kitchen Towel - 8.5" x 14"; Washcloth - 8.5" x 8"; Coaster - 4.25" x 4"

Gauge: 5 sts = 1" in pattern

Needles: US 6 (4mm) straight or circular needles 

Yarn:  Worsted Weight Cotton Yarn in 4 colors

Shown in Knit Picks Dishie - Swan, Azure, Crème Brulee, and Tranquil

For the kitchen towels: 37g / 70 yds each color

For the washcloths: 20g / 39 yds each color

For the coasters: 7g / 14 yds each color