Stage One Complete

A New Look for Dishcloth Diaries! I was getting quite bored with the "blah" look (sorry blogger) of the blog so I went looking and found this stylish daisy theme. It's probably a little darker than I would have liked, but most of the more colorful themes were just too bright and hard on the eyes. And besides... Daisies are my favorite flower!

One unfortunate side effect of replacing the Blogger template with one from an outside source however, is that all my widgets were removed! YIKES! So that means the table of contents with all the pattern names and direct links is no longer there. I will be working on getting that back in place, but it is a time consuming process as each link must be added one at a time. (If anyone knows of a quicker way PLEASE let me know. I will be forever grateful!) So for now I've added the "Archive" widget so you can look through that for the post titles/pattern names you are looking for. I have managed to get everything else back in place with relative ease so hopefuly you will be able to find what you are looking for. :)

There will be some other changes coming in the next few days. I've decided to merge Dishcloth Diaries with my other blog The Madness Behind the Method. You will start to see posts about my ongoing projects, as well as pics of finished items, things I want to make, swaps I've sent and received, yarn purchases, and lots of other fun crochet, and otherwise crafty, stuff.

I hope you all won't mind hearing more about what's going on behind the scenes! But if you do, I've added labels to all my patterns. If you scroll down on the right hand column until you come to "Labels" you can click on the "free pattern" link and it will display the patterns without all the chatter.

Well, that's it for now... talk to you soon!

ETA: I had changed the date on this post so it would stay at the top for a while to give everyone a chance to read it and know what's going on, but decided instead to let it reside in its rightful place and just tack a link at the top for easy locating.

ETA: Also wanted to say the Table of Contents is now in place. It went surprisingly quick! So everything is where it belongs. :)

3-D Butterfly

Materials: (US) size 7 steel hook, size 10 cotton thread for main color, 6 inch piece of contrasting color size 10 cotton thread for body (or use main color), 2 stitch markers, fabric stiffener (optional)

Finished Size: 2.5 inches x 1.5 inches at widest points

Special Stitches:
Picot: ch 3, sl st in 3rd ch from hook
Double Treble (dtr): yo 3 times, insert hook in designated st, yo, draw up loop, (yo, draw through 2 loops on hook) 4 times

ch 5, join with sl st in 5th ch from hook to form loop

Round 1: ch 3, 2 dc in loop, ch 2, [3 dc in loop (shell made), ch 2] 7 times, join with sl st in top of beg ch 3. (8 shells)

Round 2: sl st in each of next 2 sts, sl st into ch sp, ch 3, (2 dc, ch 3, 3 dc) in same sp, [(3 dc, ch 3, 3 dc) in next ch sp], 7 times, join with sl st in top of beg ch 3. (16 shells)

Round 3: sl st in each of next 2 sts, sl st into ch sp, ch 4, (6 tr, picot, 7 tr) in same sp, sc in sp between next 2 shells from prev row, (7 tr, picot, 7 tr) in next ch sp, sc in sp between next 2 shells from prev row, * [(2 dc, 2 tr, 3 dtr, picot, 3 dtr, 2 tr, 2 dc) in next ch sp, sc in sp between next 2 shells from prev row], place marker in sc just made (see Fig. 1), repeat between [ and ] once, ** [(7 tr, picot, 7 tr) in next ch sp, sc in sp between next 2 shells from prev row] twice, repeat between * and ** once, join with sl st in top of beg ch 4. Fasten off, weave in ends.

Finishing:

1. Fold the piece in half making sure the fold is between the 2 sets of upper wings. (see Fig. 1)

2. Fold 6 inch piece of thread in half and tie a knot approximately 5/8 inch from the fold. (see Fig. 2)

3. Making sure not to twist the loop, place the folded piece around the center of the body and pull knot through the loop. (see Fig. 3)

4. Stiffen as desired. *Butterfly will stand as shown in Fig. 4 without stiffening.

Fig. 1


Fig. 2

Fig. 3

Fig. 4

Finished 3-D Butterfly

Pattern designed and written by April Moreland
© 2010 All rights reserved

My little get-a-way

Our shopping options are somewhat limited here in town. We have to travel to Springfield to do any "real" shopping. Even the Walmart there has a WAY better selection of pretty much everything than the one we have here. Plus there's also a much better selection of restaurants.

We ended up eating at the local chinese buffet (can't remember the name). The food was mediocre. We have finally accepted the fact that people in the midwest simply can't make good chinese food. I wonder what someone from Missouri would think about the awesome food at China Buffet or Hunan LaRose in Maryland?

Not so awesome food aside, I love our shopping trips. Even though I can't spend much money, it's still nice to get away from the house for a day. I usually spend the ride to and from crocheting. I made 3 preemie hats today for a charity challenge in one of my groups. Crocheting in the car just makes the time go so much faster. It's an hour ride each way, but it felt more like 20 minutes with my fingers kept busy!

Most of what you see in the pic below is DD's things, but I did still manage to spend almost a hundred dollars! I can't talk much about what I bought as most of it is for various swaps and holiday gifts. But needless to say... I did buy a LOT of yarn! :D

Hobby Lobby took the most of my money. They had some awesome new colors of ILTY so I had to buy some of that, and I of course bought some ILTC (my favorite). I also got some Sinfonia to try out, and some bright colored size 10 Aunt Lydia's. The thread is going to be a project for me. I saw this Basket of Butterflies a while back over on Crochetville and knew I just had to have one for myself!! So I'm going to attempt it. :)

We also went to Game Stop (for my son) and Michaels. I found this cool book in there. We had wanted to go to Dollar Tree but we were just too worn out! So we grabbed a drink from Sonic and headed home...

Yes Marie, that's the bag you made for me!
I love it and use it a lot! :) And looking at the
pile of bags here, I really regret not bringing
my Shopoholic Shopper bag that Jo made for
me! Rest assured though, on the next trip we
plan to go to the mall, and that bag WILL be
on the check list of what to bring that day!!! :)

The hats I made in the car. The blue one still

needs the last row. I like to border the boys

with a different color to add a little flair since the

scalloped edge is probably not very "boyish".

Skein of Lo Mein

What do chopsticks and crochet have in common? Everything if you are Jimbo from Jimbo's Front Porch! He is a wiz at creating some of the most unique, and highly coveted, hand-carved crochet hooks.

Jimbo carved the chophook that was the incentive prize for the August charity challenge on Crochet Swaps Galore. I made and donated 21 scarves for the challenge. I was very proud of myself! I crocheted like a madwoman to get them finished in time! But I wasn't the only one crocheting. Several other members of the group made very generous contributions as well and should be equally proud!

The scarves were sent to Compassionate Creations, a very worthy cause. One that kind of hits home for me. I would have made just as many scarves even if there were no prize involved, but I'll admit, it is a pretty cool addition to my collection of wooden hooks.

I can't go without saying thank you to Sissie and Cyndi for hosting the challenge on CSG, and a very special thank you to Ann who heads up the charity. Ann, I too hope for the day that these scarves are not needed, but until then I thank you for your caring and generosity in providing comfort to those who find themselves in this unfortunate situation.

My Awesome New Chophook

My hook collection is growing!

Pictured below are Some of the scarves I made for

Compassionate Creations

The first 3 I made with Simply Soft. They are all 3 new patterns that you will see from me sometime in the near future. :) A special thanks to Carole for the yarn!

These were made with Italia yarn in just a simple double crochet pattern.

I actually made 14 of these! I came across some Bright & Lofty in the dollar store one day and bought all they had knowing I would use it all for the scarf challenge. It's just a simple single crochet pattern.

And this one is made from Bernat's Softee Chunky, also a simple single crochet pattern.

Not pictured: I forgot to take a picture of the last one I made. It was a plain double crochet scarf made from Red Heart Symphony in Persimmon. Very soft & pretty. :)

Birthdays & Butterflies

My 44th birthday was last month. I honestly don't know how I feel about getting older. On the plus side, I'm finally comfortable with where I am and who I am... But at the same time, I'm really starting to feel my mortality. I realize 44 is still relatively young in the grand scheme of things. But so many family members have died early. I guess I worry a little too much that I'll follow suit...

Mickey needles, my b-day present to myself.
(I didn't make the pretty cloth. I received it in a Round Robin swap :)

Gorgeous B-day Cake from Cyndi

I love the bright colors, and especially love the butterfly!

And just for fun... Here's a recent picture of our little "ham"

He loves posing for the camera!

Pineapple Blossom

Pineapple Blossom

Finished size: 12 inches square

MATERIALS: Approx. 4 ounces worsted weight yarn (light blue used for example), US size "I" hook, Tapestry needle for weaving in ends.

Gauge: Rnds 1-2 = 3 inches

NOTE: v-st = (dc, ch 1, dc) in designated sp

Ch 4

Round 1: 15 dc in 4th ch from hook, join with sl st it top of beg ch 3. (16 dc)

Round 2: ch 3, dc in next st, ch 1, dc in each of next 2 sts, ch 2, * dc in each of next 2 sts, ch 1, dc in each of next 2 sts, ch 2, rep from * twice more, join with sl st in top of beg ch 3. (16 dc)

Round 3: sl st in next st, sl st into next ch 1 sp, ch 3, (dc, ch 2, 2 dc) in same sp, skip next 2 sts, 6 tr in next ch 2 sp, skip next 2 sts, * (2 dc, ch 2, 2 dc) in next ch 1 sp, skip next 2 sts, 6 tr in next ch 2 sp, skip next 2 dc, rep from * twice more, join with sl st in top of beg ch 3. (16 dc, 24 tr)

Round 4: sl st in next st, ch 3, (2 dc, ch 2, 2 dc) in next ch 2 sp, dc in next st, skip next st, (dc, ch 1) in each of next 5 sts, dc in next st, skip next st, * dc in next st, (2 dc, ch 2, 2 dc) in next ch 2 sp, dc in next st, skip next st, (dc, ch 1) in each of next 5 sts, dc in next st, skip next st, rep from * twice more, join with sl st in beg ch 3. (48 dc)

Round 5: sl st in next st, ch 3, dc in same st, dc in next st, (2 dc, ch 2, 2 dc) in next ch 2 sp, dc in next st, 2 dc in next st, ch 1, skip next 2 sts, sc in next ch 1 sp, (ch 3, sc in next ch 1 sp) 4 times, ch 1, skip next 2 sts * 2 dc in next st, dc in next st, (2 dc, ch 2, 2 dc) in next ch 2 sp, dc in next st, 2 dc in next st, ch 1, skip next 2 sts, sc in next ch 1 sp, (ch 3, sc in next ch 1 sp) 4 times, ch 1, skip next 2 sts, rep from * twice more, join with sl st in top of beg ch 3. (16 ch 3 sp, 40 dc)

Round 6: sl st in next st, ch 3, dc in same st, dc in each of next 3 sts, (2 dc, ch 2, 2 dc) in next ch 2 sp, dc in each of next 3 sts, 2 dc in next st, ch 1, skip next st, skip next ch 1 sp, sc in next ch 3 sp, (ch 3, sc in next ch 3 sp) 3 times, ch 1, skip next ch 1 sp, skip next dc, * 2 dc in next st, dc in each of next 3 sts, (2 dc, ch 2, 2 dc) in next ch 2 sp, dc in each of next 3 sts, 2 dc in next st, ch 1, skip next st, skip next ch 1 sp, sc in next ch 3 sp, (ch 3, sc in next ch 3 sp) 3 times, ch 1, skip next ch 1 sp, skip next st, rep from * twice more, join with sl st in top of beg ch 3. (12 ch 3 sp, 56 dc)

Round 7: ch 3, dc in same st, dc in each of next 6 sts, (2 dc, ch 2, 2 dc) in next ch 2 sp, dc in each of next 6 sts, 2 dc in next st, ch 1, skip next ch 1 sp, sc in next ch 3 sp, (ch 3, sc in next ch 3 sp) twice, ch 1, skip next ch 1 sp, * 2 dc in next st, dc in each of next 6 sts, (2 dc, ch 2, 2 dc) in next ch 2 sp, dc in each of next 6 sts, 2 dc in next st, ch 1, skip next ch 1 sp, sc in next ch 3 sp, (ch 3, sc in next ch 3 sp) twice, ch 1, skip next ch 1 sp, rep from * twice more, join with sl st in top of beg ch 3. (8 ch 3 sp, 80 dc)

Round 8: ch 3, dc in same st, dc in each of next 9 sts, (2 dc, ch 2, 2 dc) in next ch 2 sp, dc in each of next 9 sts, 2 dc in next st, ch 1, skip next ch 1 sp, sc in next ch 3 sp, ch 3, sc in next ch 3 sp, ch 1, skip next ch 1 sp, * 2 dc in next st, dc in each of next 9 sts, (2 dc, ch 2, 2 dc) in next ch 2 sp, dc in each of next 9 sts, 2 dc in next st, ch 1, skip next ch 1 sp, sc in next ch 3 sp, ch 3, sc in next ch 3 sp, ch 1, skip next ch 1 sp, rep from * twice more, join with sl st in top of beg ch 3. (104 dc)

Round 9: ch 3, dc in same st, dc in each of next 12 sts, (2 dc, ch 2, 2 dc) in next ch 2 sp, dc in each of next 12 sts, 2 dc in next st, ch 1, skip next ch 1 sp, sc in next ch 3 sp, ch 1, skip next ch 1 sp, * 2 dc in next st, dc in each of next 12 sts, (2 dc, ch 2, 2 dc) in next ch 2 sp, dc in each of next 12 sts, 2 dc in next st, ch 1, skip next ch 1 sp, sc in next ch 3 sp, ch 1, skip next ch 1 sp, rep from * twice more, join with sl st in top of beg ch 3. (128 dc)

Round 10: ch 1, sc in same st, sc in each of next 15 sts, (sc, ch 2, sc) in next ch 2 sp, sc in each of next 16 sts, sc in next ch 1 sp, sc in next st, sc in next ch 1 sp, * sc in each of next 16 sts, (sc, ch 2, sc) in next ch 2 sp, sc in each of next 16 sts, sc in next ch 1 sp, sc in next st, sc in next ch 1 sp, rep from * twice more, join with sl st in beg sc. (132 sc)

Back to CAL Main Page

Pattern designed and written by April Moreland
Copyright © 2009 All rights reserved

A Bug

I had such high hopes for my Labor Day weekend. With the long weekend I was hoping to get LOTS of crocheting done. But I ended up in bed all day Saturday, and lounging most of the day Sunday. It actually started friday night, I was unusually tired, I thought it was just from getting up so early all week with Ben so I went to bed early. Then in the morning I still felt tired and a little nauseus, and it just got worse throughout the day. Ugg. So I ended up sleeping all day Saturday and all night Saturday night. And was still a little queasy Sunday, although I did feel better.

Amazingly I did actually get some crocheting done yesterday (Sunday). I actually worked on something for myself! I didn't want to infect anyone with my germs if I was contagious! So I started my Pineapple Regency afghan that I've had on my WIM list forever. I'm going to love it. I'm using I Love This Yarn in Light Sage. The first square is finished. Oh boy is that square big! I think it's about 23 or 24 inches and takes pretty much one entire skein of yarn. I only have to make six squares for a twin size bed. But it did work up kind of quick so it won't take any time at all to finish. Now I just need to buy a bed! LOL

And I just realized, I forgot to post the CAL on Dishcloth Diaries this past Wednesday! ARGGH! The pattern has been written for over a week. Oh well... I will start it this Wed...

Here's the RR I finished this week. This thing took me FOREVER! It's somewhere in the neighborhood of 50-55 inches. I couldn't find my tape measure when I had it laid out. Need to do that before I wash it.

I found out one thing... I don't really care for making round ripples. LOL BTW... I did finish it off and weave in the ends! I wanted to get a pic of it to decide if it needed more of the cherry chip. I guess I probably should have added a few more rows. The raspberry seems to be jumping off the edge. It's only 5 rounds, as is the cherry chip on the border, but as with RH, the raspberry worked up much wider.