hex-a-cloth

A brand new cloth - simple by design - hexagon by shape.


Materials: 1 ball worsted weight cotton yarn, size 4mm needles. I used Sugar'n Cream - Key Lime Pie for this cloth. I was given the yarn in the Spring Fling swap, thanks so much Andrea.

Instructions:
Cast on 18 stitches.
This cloth is made up of 6 wedges, all exactly the same. Basically when you come to the end of a wedge, knit another wedge using the stitches on the needle. Each wedge should start with 18 stitches. Then the edge is sewn together, the threads are sewn in and the cloth is complete. :)

Every wedge:
Row 1 and all odd rows: K across to last 3 stitches, P3.
Row 2: K to last st (17), turn.
Row 4: K to last 2 sts (16), turn.
Row 6: K to last 3 sts (15), turn.
Row 8: K to last 4 sts (14), turn.
Row 10: K to last 5 sts (13), turn.
Row 12: K to last 6 sts (12), turn.
Row 14: K to last 7 sts (11), turn.
Row 16: K to last 8 sts (10), turn.
Row 18: K to last 9 sts (9), turn.
Row 20: K to last 10 sts (8), turn.
Row 22: K to last 11 sts (7), turn.
Row 24: K to last 12 sts (6), turn.
Row 26: K to last 13 sts (5), turn.
Row 28: K to last 14 sts (4), turn.
Row 30: K across the row.

You can find a printable version of this pattern here: Free Dishcloth Patterns from sew-funky.blogspot.com.

© SewFunky 2008
http://sew-funky.blogspot.com
etsy store: sewfunkynz.etsy.com

Cutting Edge Cloth

Materials: 1 ball worsted weight cotton yarn, size 4mm needles. I used Sugar'n Cream - Landscape for this cloth. I was given the yarn in the Spring Fling swap, thanks so much Andrea. I think this cloth would look great in bright colours, which I may try later...

Instructions:
Cast on 22 stitches.
This cloth is made up of 8 wedges, all exactly the same. Then the edge is sewn together, the threads are sewn in and the cloth is complete. :)

Every wedge:
Row 1 and all odd rows: K across to last 8 stitches, P8.
Row 2: K1, YO, K to last st, turn.
Row 4: K2, YO, K to last 2 sts, turn.
Row 6: K3, YO, K to last 3 sts, turn.
Row 8: K4, YO, K to last 4 sts, turn.
Row 10: K5, YO, K to last 5 sts, turn.
Row 12: K6, YO, K to last 6 sts, turn.
Row 14: Cast off 6 sts, YO, K to last 7 sts, turn.
Row 16: K2, YO, K to last 8 sts, turn.
Row 18: K3, YO, K to last 9 sts, turn.
Row 20: K4, YO, K to last 10 sts, turn.
Row 22: K5, YO, K to last 11 sts, turn.
Row 24: K6, YO, K to last 12 sts, turn.
Row 26: Cast off 6 sts, K to end of row.

You can find a printable version of this pattern here: Free Dishcloth Patterns from sew-funky.blogspot.com.

© SewFunky 2008
http://sew-funky.blogspot.com
etsy store: sewfunkynz.etsy.com

Spring Fling Coffee and Yarn Swap; package received

Some of you may have noticed this little picture on my blog over the past couple of months and wondered about it. Well, I LOVE swaps. I love getting packages ready for others and of course receiving something special in the post, though I'm sure my postie doesn't appreciate that as much as me...

Well, this one was all about SPRING, which if you know where I live (New Zealand), you'd know we're heading not for spring but for winter. It was extra fun thinking of spring when it was getting colder outside!

Actually, it turned out both my swapee and swaper partners are Canadian, and I received my parcel TODAY! YAY!

Wanna see what I got? Thanks so much for your generosity Andrea!


I am so excited about the yarn, she put in 4 balls of sugar 'n cream cotton and some really nice merino sock yarn she must've been reading my blog ;). A bag of super nice flavoured coffee beans, a little yarn holder bag thingee, some spring tissues and a cute little lamb magnet which has already been commandeered by my 8 year old!

I'm not sure if my swap partner has received my parcel yet so I won't post about it until I know she received it!

I'm off to try out the new coffee!

Spring Fling Coffee and Yarn Swap; The Questionnaire

Here it is, my completed questionnaire for the Spring Fling Coffee/Yarn Swap:

Coffee

1. What is your preference? Whole beans or ground? Beans, for sure – I have my own coffee grinding machine!

2. What kind of coffees do you enjoy? A rich, bold roast; a light, fresh one, or something in between? Leaded or non? Gee, I dunno – I just like good coffee, so if you think it’s good I’ll probably like it! I do have a great Italian espresso pot.

3. If you were headed out right now to buy some coffee for the house, what would you be picking up? Coffee for the house would be instant Moconna Coffee – yummy freeze-dried! But if it were beans, I would ask what the recommended coffee bean was at Starbucks or something like that.

4. Do you drink for caffeine, pleasure, or both? Uhm, both I think! Caffeine in the morning, pleasure any other time!

5. Do you enjoy flavoured coffees? How about add-ins or flavoured creamers? Not particularly, though I have been known to like a touch of caramel in my coffee.

6. A large, lovely mug or a small, dainty cup? Both, it’s funny but I like my morning coffee in a large cup, and I like espresso in a little dainty cup. So it depends on what I’m drinking.

7. Describe your perfect cup - not JUST the coffee, but how you'd enjoy it! My perfect cup, hmmm, let me go there! I love sitting with a great book, no interruptions (means no kids – lol), sunny day, comfy chair, hot coffee with cream and cinnamon! Peace and luxury! Yummy slice of chocolate cake too! ;)

8. You're sitting down to enjoy a nice cup in the local coffee shop, knitting bag in hand, iPod all tuned up - or maybe you're there with a few friends for knit night! What treat do you pick up to enjoy with your coffee? A sweet, rich brownie, or something more healthy? How about a salty treat? What goes best with that great cup and company? I like the idea of a brownie – yum! I usually go for something chocolate, to me, salty just doesn’t go with coffee. Chocolate and coffee sit well together!

Yarn

1. Do you knit or crochet? A week ago I would say I am a knitter, but I just taught myself how to crochet – so I am both now, I think!

2. What are your favourite types of yarns to work with? I am addicted to pure cotton!

3. What do you have on the needles (or hook!) right now? I have just finished a couple of dishcloths, and some crocheted coasters. I don’t have anything half done at the moment. (except for that shrug that’s been hanging around half done since last year!) ;)

4. What are your favourite colours in yarns? What about those that you'd never find in your stash? I love green, brown, orange, yellow, grey… lots of colours! But, I think the one colour I don’t much like is pink, still I have that in my stash, too, so I don’t know!

5. What sort of needles or hooks do you enjoy using? Any you just detest? I like anything aluminium, both needles and hooks. I like all kinds of needles, I don’t mind. I just learnt how to use double pointed needles and they are cool to use! I really just HATE plastic needles of any kind – eeeew! Keep them away from me and you’re fine!

6. Are there any particular notions you absolute do NOT need? Some of us swap a lot - are you sure that you have enough tape measures to last your lifetime? Enough stitch markers to mark every stitch of a 10 foot wide afghan? Uhm, I will never turn down a notion… ;)

7. You walk into the yarn shop and have exactly and only enough money to purchase 2 skeins of yarn in their 2 for 20 special they have going… The choices are a soft, thick cotton/viscose blend in your favourite colours, slightly variegated… a beautiful sock yarn that's just squishy and sproingy in your hands… a soft, worsted weight wool like malabrigo… and a lovely bamboo blend with colours to just die for. Which do you walk out the door with? The sock yarn, I love things that feel nice!

Spring

1. We're starting sign-ups on the first day of Spring - is it already truly Spring-like where you are? No, not here, we are going into Autumn, but I love to think about spring being elsewhere in the world.

2. What's your favourite spring flower? Do you have one? Daisies – I love seeing the fields full of them in spring!

3. What do you most look forward to about springtime? Fine, not to hot, days – lot’s of new animals and a freshness in the air that you don’t get at any other time of the year.

4. They've predicted a gorgeous day tomorrow - Sunny and about 65 with a nice breeze - how do you spend your day? At the moment, probably inside knitting – but I would prefer to be out at the beach, combing the sand for cool shells and reading a great book under some shade. :)

5. The day after, it's going to be cooler and pouring down rain - does that impact your mood? How do you spend that day? what helps cheer you up? Boy, that does impact my day, especially if I wasted the day before inside! A good visit with a friend will always cheer up my day!

Odds n Ends

1. Do you collect anything BESIDES yarn and needles? I collect teapots (I know, I know, this is a coffee swap, but…) and anything coffee and tea related.

2. Are you allergic to anything? Just mushrooms, but I don’t think that they make mushroom coffee, so I should be okay with this swap!

3. Do you have pets? Yup, 3 cats and a Golden Retriever named Lucky.

4. Is this your first swap, or are you an old pro? What are the last 2 swaps you participated in? this is my second swap – that one was the “Defeat the winter doldrums” Dishcloth Swap

5. List 3 of your favourite blog’s - craft related or not - and tell us why you love them.

CurlyPops - Australian Blogger who likes craft and thrift shopping!

Jelly Wares - Australian Blogger who is inspirational in her sewing and thrifty finds!
RicRac - Inspirational creativity from yet another australian!

Funny that, in cutting down the hundred or more blogs I read on Bloglines that all three are aussie ones! Us kiwi's are supposed to have a friendly rivalry with them, but I suppose with one niece, a sister and a little (nephew/niece) who have "chosen" to be australian too I guess I've softened to y'all over there!

Spring Fling Coffee and Yarn Swap

So, I've just finished with one swap and I think I'm ready to begin another. If you, like me, love a good swap - check out this one! :D

I find it funny, being in the southern hemisphere, the idea of doing a spring swap when I am going into autumn, but a swap is a swap and I love to swap!!! :D

Sign ups begin March 20th!