Knitted Dishcloths

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At the last guild getaway I picked up a little Leisure Arts book called "Nifty Knit Dishcloths" at The Fabric Stash. They looked easy and I though it would be a good way to practice my knitting without having to worry about shaping. I went over to Classic Yarns of Grafton, only to find out that they were closing (so sad)! They had some great all-cotton yarns that are so soft. At the library I picked up "The Knitting Answer Book" by Margaret Radcliffe. It was so helpful and I think it would help all levels of knitters with some of their tough situations. I learned I was wrapping some of my stitches the wrong way which was causing them to be too loose and that I had been twisting my stitches. I corrected both and it helped immensely.

Bali Bag

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This is another fabric covered clothesline project inspired by my bali bowl. I decided I needed a summery bag and my friend Elizabeth had given me this fabric, so away I went. I modified the technique from the pattern so instead of doing a pre-sew on the strip, I overlapped as I went. The only issues I had with the construction were that the bag was somewhat small so it was a bit difficult to manipulate on the machine at some points, and attaching the handles got very bulky to cram under the presser foot - but I managed. Love how it turned out and that it can stand up on its own. Couldn't resist adding the starfish pin.

Puddin's Catnap Bowl

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This is a fabric covered clothesline basket that I made from the Bali Bowls pattern by Aunties Two. It was easy to make and followed a similar construction style to Susan Breier's book. However instead of the raw-edge wrapping, it used a binding style which gives a neater appearance, but makes things a bit more bulky. Love the look of the batik fabrics. I put some catnip in it and put it in a sunny window and within moments Puddin had found it and settled in.