Dish Cloth swap for Mum

If  you have been reading my blog, you will know that I have recently been involved in a Dish-cloth Swap...I received a lovely set of dishcloths from Becci....thanks once again Becci for the lovely swap.
I also included my mum (who lives with us) in the swap too...She ended up with two swap partners, which is very exciting....

Mum has received her first swap in the mail on Friday....and I am ashamed to say that hers has not reached the post office yet....I have just been really busy....Sorry

Here is the lovely swap mum received from ellimay (Lisa)....

Thank-you so much Lisa, how lovely they are.
I would love that soap recipe.

 Once Lisa receives her swap in the mail...I will post a photo of it, like I did with my swap.
So come back soon and check out what Lisa received as her swap from Mum.

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Using recycled cottons for my dishcloths

Here are the cotton rolls I have used up so far.....
I sent these off to Victoria with me
to give my niece for her youngest for Kinder....

I love that I am able to use up all Mum's leftover cottons.

I have also been looking in the op-shops for cottons lately.

Here is what I have reclaimed from op-shops so far....a stash I have  found so far....

You won't find any 100% cotton near the wool in your op-shop,

but you may find some in the craft area.

100% cotton, Aida cloth, Frames & Timber knitting needles

Some balls have been very cheaply priced, as the larger green ball $1...and the smaller dark green ball behind it $.35cents. Sometimes I have found a bag with a few balls in it for as little as $1.50

I hope I have inspired you to use up all your leftover cottons, or maybe next time your in the op-shop, you will look for some cottons that need to be claimed and up-cycled into a lovely dishcloth.

Dish Cloth swap - update

It's official.....I can now post a photo of the dishcloth that I sent Becci. Becci received her dishcloth in the mail while I was away and posted a photo and reply on the forum.....
Becci wrote.........I just love my parcel that you sent me. The fridge magnet is hilarious and I LURVE the soap! Your tension is fantastic for someone who has just learnt to knit.

I replied back to Becci by saying......I am so glad you like my dishcloth becci...The soap is excellent for my hair and I don't need to condition it afterwards.....it makes my hair lovely and soft....and the magnet is just one of my quirky crafty things I make.....I am so pleased that everyone likes my knitting....I keep making them, but I keep giving them away...lol....so now I will have to make some more..


I encourage anyone to be involved in a swap, if given the opportunity.....it is such an exciting thing to be a part of....get involved next time you see one...you won't be disappointed. 

Have a go, why not!

Anything is easy once you know how................How true is that statement? Yep, very true....

So if your about to try something new, a new challenge that you haven't done before....like me and knitting.....I encourage you to have a go.... Do some research.....You have the biggest library in the world, right at your fingertips......not sure how to do something.....just google it.....That's how I learn't to cast on...knit, then cast off.....I will make another dishcloth, then have a go at purl, and stocking stitch....I learn't today that stocking stitch is when you knit one row like I have been doing; then the next row you knit purl....it looks really nice....but I won't push my newly learn't skill yet...and get a bit more practice knitting.

Here is my dishcloth....knitted on size 8 needles, cast on 43 stitches....knit 70 rows. 

When I got to the suggested 50 rows it looked pretty short, more like an envelope, so that's why I kept going on to do the 70 rows...checking every 5 or 10 rows.

Well I finally finished the dishcloth....I even made a pot scrubber to go with it on the round loom.....I found the string at the op-shop for .50c so I thought why not try it...then if it works, I will investigate better thread for the pot scrubbers......

I still think those knitting needles are slippery little suckers...the cotton loves to fly off the end any chance it gets.....but I am getting used to it....and am becoming more aware of what can happen, with each stitch.

I must say, I used my dishcloth tonight to do the dishes after tea, and wipe down the bench.....It is the absolute best dishcloth I have ever used.....I know now what all the hype has been for......I better get knitting, so I have another one....

Hope you like my dishcloth and pot scrubber....

if you have any suggestions as to what better 'thread' to use for the pot scrubber, please let me know.

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Here is another lovely gift I got from freecycle today.....they must be nearly 2 litres in size...

Straight into the dishwasher, then in to my stockpile as lovely canisters.

7 great canisters from freecycle. Thanks Alicia, I hope you enjoy the jam & pickles.

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apple cider & dishcloth nearly done

It's absolutely pouring buckets and buckets of rain today. There was no point going to the local markets today. The 3 water tanks are over flowing. In the midst of the heavier downpours the tanks cannot cope and the overflow is pouring and going everywhere. While I like the thought of the tanks being full to the brim, I also wonder about the younger seedlings in the garden....so today the rain is bittersweet. 

MEGA QUICK APPLE CIDER

On a plus, because of the rain, I am staying indoors, and because of my aches and pains today has been one of those slow days. However, I did make an apple cider ..not starting from scratch, but one from a 2 litre bottle of Apple Juice......

It is so simple.....

Take a 2 litre Apple Juice, pour yourself a glass of juice to drink.....leaving space in the top of the container. With a soda bottle lid, carefully just cover the base of the lid with bakers yeast. 

I poured mine into the teaspoon to show you, just how little amount you need....

Now pour that yeast into the apple juice.

Put the lid on the container, give it a shake to dissolve the yeast, 

and store on the cupboard for a day or two...If it is a warm day, I would check the cider the following day...Yes, it can be that quick. If the weather is a bit cooler, you may need to wait another day or so, 

but do check it daily.

 Remember, yeast ferments and eats away at the sugars......the longer you wait, the dryer the cider. 

If you prefer a sweet cider....only leave it a day or two to ferment.

 If you prefer a dryer cider, wait a week or so, but I warn you, It will be dry dry dry!!! 

The family all love this sweet cider drink....if you leave it to ferment, it will turn alcoholic, but we like it as a young brew...You will not know the difference from the shop Sparkling Apple Cider or Sparkling Apple Juice...In the shops its name is something like that.

I challenge you to make you own

Quick Sparkling Apple Cider....

and come back and tell me all about it. 

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A day of not achieving much, but sitting watching an earlier recorded program called The Victorian Farm. I love this documentary. If you get a chance, you should look it up. It's an excellent program based on living the life of a Victorian farmer in the Victorian period.

I bet your wondering, when is she going to show us that dishcloth she is making? Well the time has come......it's not finished, as I pre-warned....it's not perfect, but I wasn't aiming for perfect. I think it's going to be a good dishcloth, especially for a first knitting project.

38 rows finished

Mum also took up the challenge

and is inspired  making her want her own dishcloths

for her little unit behind our home.

Below is the one she has knitted.

Dishcloth completed by my mother

Cotton dishcloth/s continued

First of all, I want to welcome my new followers, I hope that you enjoy reading my blog. If you have any ideas to share, feel free to comment on anything I have been up to. Its late Friday here, I hope everyone has a productive and comfortable weekend. Hubby has a tooth to be extracted in the morning, but we will go to the markets before hand to see what bargains can be had. I will go with him, and even hold his hand if he wishes. He would do the same for me.

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BACK TO THE DISHCLOTHS...................

Well, I am still knitting this dishcloth, I have had a few glitches..and hiccups....I have fixed a few on my own and hailed mum to help with the others. There is only one mistake in my dishcloth so far, and I am ok with that. It is my first dishcloth, only knitting when I was a child....I can't recall actually making anything when I was a child, but I do remember learning on 4 inch hardware nails. Imagine that...lol  At this time, I am up to row 18. How many more rows do I need to finish this first dishcloth?  .....Only 32 rows to go...Oh My!!!!!!!!

I think I may have to knit one for every day of the week before I use any, because if I stop for a while after I finish this first one, I may not have the nerve to continue. Sure, while the knitting is running smoothly, and there are no problems, I am enjoying the act. Unfortunately, when I notice I have either made a mistake or are beginning to make a mistake, my nerves shoot through the roof, my fingers get tingly or go into spasm, what ever that is, I don't like it. If I was in the kitchen, and something went wrong, I would just use my experience to know how to fix it....

I have no experience in this field of knitting. None, Zero, Zip!!! I can't fall back on what I did last time I stuffed it up....I can't fall back on anything. On top of learning how to knit, I also have to learn to recognise what a correct stitch looks like, and then to top it off, I have to learn how to fix an incorrect stitch....Ahhhhh!!!!

I would much rather be in the kitchen, doing what I know....but I always tell me children to stick it out, try something new, at least have a go. I hated knots in Brownies, Girl Guides and even in Venturers........Out fishing, any rope on the boat is my enemy, although I can re-rig my own rod.  I have to work this out. I have to come to grips with this. If I give up now, or even once I have finished this cloth, what message would I be sending my children?

I want to use cotton dishcloths, there are plenty of resources here at home, to make them, so really.......it would be senseless to NOT make them. It would be senseless to keep buying dishcloths....Chux and the like are so not needed, and certainly not wanted in my kitchen, nor in my house.

Maybe tomorrow, I will post a photo of my achievements with my first dishcloth. But know this! It will not be finished tomorrow, but it will be a huge achievement for me. Remember, I am only upto about row 18, so it's not very big yet.