Playing with Colour Pooling

I bought a big ball of Bernat Handicrafter cotton yarn in Holidays Ombres to make cork hot pad covers for Christmas. I wrote about those here if you missed it. 

There was quite a bit of yarn leftover after making only four hot pad covers. I had read about "colour pooling" using variegated yarn and the linen stitch or moss stitch as it is also called. I was intrigued by the idea of letting yarn create a colour pattern. I thought it might be fun to make a few dishcloths and try my hand at colour pooling using this yarn. 

Successful colour pooling patterns vary depending on the yarn, hook size and tension. It requires experimentation to find a starting chain that magically works.

I tried a starting chain of 34 ... no pooling just small patches.

I tried a starting chain of 30 ... still no pooling just bigger patches.

Then I tried a starting chain of 32 ... finally a pooling pattern XX

It really is very cool to create little dishcloths with a cross pattern. For me the magical number was 32, but for you it might be different. Experiment ... it's all part of the fun. 

I made four dishcloths with clear XX patterns, two with random colour patches and one more smaller cloth to use up the rest of my yarn. I made another dishcloth in red (also from my stash) to make four gift bundles. These have been put away for next Christmas - handy hostess gifts.

Starting chain 30 = colour patches, 32 = XX, 34 = smaller colour patches
Hook size 5.0 mm
Red cotton yarn starting chain = 34
Border = linen stitch

32 was my magical number ... experiment as results may vary.

I thoroughly enjoyed playing with Colour Pooling. Get some variegated yarn and give it a go. You won't be disappointed if you do. 

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More Crochet Dishcloths

In December I bought three large balls of Handicrafter cotton yarn in white, off white and fruit punch (mix of purple, blue, green and white) to make More Crochet Dishcloths. After spending several months practicing floor sitting at home, my supply of hand-made gifts was running low. Floor sitting helps increase functional strength, but I was never comfortable enough on the floor to feel like crocheting. 

It took me four weeks to crochet my way through all three balls from the comfort of my comfy cozy couch. Two folded dishcloths tied together with twine make a pretty little hand-made gift. 

I made 17 dishcloths from each of the larger 14 oz (710 yd) balls and 14 dishcloths from the smaller 12 oz (608 yd) variegated ball for a total of 42 dishcloths or 21 gifts. Sometimes people ask if I intend to sell things I make. It is difficult to place a value on hand-made items. In this case, the yarn cost $33 total, so only $1.55 plus two hours of my time for each bundle. If I were to sell these, my time would be worth very little.  

I read this quote by Pablo Picasso recently: "The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away." No wonder I enjoy crocheting things to give away. 

A few of these dishcloths were given away over Christmas. I took photos of the rest to show you. I am happy to have topped up my supply. I am truly happy to be crocheting again, even if it means less floor sitting.

A pattern is provided at the bottom of my post titled Back to Crochet if you would like to make some dishcloths too.

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Back to Crochet

I stopped crocheting in May when I started sitting on the floor to improve functional strength and flexibility. I wrote more about my reasons here if you're interested. I still believe more natural movement and floor sitting are important for longterm health and mobility. Unfortunately, I cannot crochet properly while sitting on the floor.

I also cannot read books or watch TV for any length of time from the floor. It is way too uncomfortable for me even after months of practice. A couple months ago, I relaxed my rules around floor sitting to read books and watch TV in the evenings. Reading and TV are pleasant pasttimes, but do not satisfy my creativity. 

A week ago I finally felt like buying new yarn. I wanted to make simple cotton dishcloths to build up my supply of hand-made gifts. I bought three large balls of Bernat Handicrafter cotton yarn in white, off white and fruit punch (mix of purple, blue, green and white). I decided to crochet despite the risks associated with sitting for extended periods. 

It took me a week to work through one ball of white yarn. I made seventeen dishcloths with very little yarn left over. Twine wrapped around two folded dishcloths makes a practical little gift for Christmas or any other occasion. They look pretty with our whimsical Christmas elf.

It takes me about an hour to make just one dishcloth including weaving in the ends. That's 17 hours of crochet in a week and a lot of extra sitting.

I plan to carry on making dishcloths with these two remaining balls of yarn before completing this little crochet doll I started months ago. Progress has been slow because of my self-imposed floor-sitting rule. 

I am happy to be Back to Crochet on my comfy cozy couch despite the hazards and associated risks.

My favourite easy-to-make dishcloth pattern is provided below in case you might like to make some too. Word of warning though, crochet can be addictive and possibly hazardous to your health.

DISHCLOTH

Supplies Used:

Bernat Handicrafter Cotton Yarn

5.5 mm crochet hook

yarn needle

scissors

Stitches used:

ch (chain)

sc (single crochet)

flsc (front loop single crochet)

blsc (back loop single crochet)

Starting chain - 25

R1 - sc in 2nd ch from hook (24) 

Note: I like to crochet in back bump of starting chain as shown here.

R2 - ch1 turn, sc in 1st sc, flsc, blsc (repeat across), sc in last sc

R2 - ch1 turn, sc in 1st sc, flsc, blsc (repeat across), sc in last sc

Continue until dish cloth is square (fold diagonally to check)

Border: sc around, 3 sc in corners, finish off and weave in ends

Finished size: 7" x 7"

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I did it!

Today is World Wide Knit (and Crochet) in Public (WWKiP) Day. I wrote all about it in a post yesterday. Here is the link in case you missed it. 

Unfortunately our ambitious plans to bike today did not happen. We woke up late plus my husband is still congested and worn out from catching a cold earlier this week so we decided to take it easy. I suppose we can always bike tomorrow. 

Happily I managed to get out and crochet in public this afternoon while enjoying a cappuccino breve at Starbucks. My husband was a good sport and agreed to join me if I shared my chocolate fudge oat square. He snapped this photo as proof. 

I am working on another dishcloth, a simple pattern I have memorized. I packed the wrong size hook but it doesn't really matter with dishcloths. Although I enjoyed crocheting in public, I got about four rows completed before recognizing somebody and spending the rest of my time chatting. It seems public crochet is much less productive for me. Perhaps I would get better at working through distractions eventually.  

While we were running errands I was watching for other yarn crafters but didn't notice any. Oh well, I am still happy I did it. How about you? Did you see anybody knitting or crocheting in public today? I would love to hear if you did.

We're going to my brother-in-law's place for dinner tonight to celebrate Fathers' Day. I must hurry and finish prepping a salad - tossed salad with avocado and banana chips and a lemon and olive oil dressing. I got the idea from a recipe posted by blogger The Paleo Mom here. I'm looking forward to our evening. It's always lots of fun getting together with family.