Crocheted and Knitted Dishcloths

Hello readers!

I know it has been a while since I posted in this blog. In case you do not know already, my friend Em and I are currently writing a blog about knitting all the patterns from 60 Quick Knits. You can read and check out our blog here.

Though I have stayed busy knitting all the beautiful patterns from Cascade Yarns: 60 Quick Knits. I still have taken a few breaks in the last few months to express my creativity in different ways. Some of these include, decorating my music classroom with bulletin boards, scrapbooking, and a few knitting and crocheting projects not from the book. I would like to catch you all up in the next few weeks with my many projects.

Today, I am going to share the dishcloths I made a few months ago. In May, I had a friend from high school get married. For a bridal shower gift, I decided to make something rather practical that I know anyone can use. I decided to knit and crochet several dishcloths.



The ones pictured above are knit out of soft cotton. The colors were so vibrant and my friend, Rachel, said they were so pretty she was almost afraid to wash dishes with them. You can find the pattern for these dishcloths here. The blue dishcloth is the basketweave pattern. The green dishcloth is the bramble pattern, and the pink dishcloth is a creation of my own.



When you take a closer look at the dishcloths you will notice I added the letters different ways. I experimented with chain stitching and back-stitching. Personally, I prefer to just knit the letters in. If I were to redo these that is what I would do.

Along with the knitted dishcloths, I also took the time to make three crocheted dishcloths:






All three of these patterns are free patterns that you can check out too! Pattern #1 - Simple Dishcloth, Pattern #2 - Basketweave Dishcloth, and Pattern #3 - Granny Square Dishcloth. For these I used left over Sugar and Cream yarn.

Altogether, I was VERY happy with the results. I hope you enjoy them too. If you have any questions about the patterns just let me know! :) You can also check out more pictures of this project and others at my Flickr Account.

Happy Knitting and Crocheting,
Brittany

Completed 60-Quick Knits

As of February 7, 2011 all updates will be talked about on our specific blog for our 60 Quick Knits projects.
--->Here<---
Thanks for your continued interest.


60 Quick Knits by EMBellished Knits and Britter's Little Critters

This post will be edited over the course of the year to show EMBellished Knits and Britter's Little Critters progress on their New Years Resolution. Next to each one it will say in progress, complete, or waiting. Purple font stands for Britter's Little Critters and green font stands for EMBellished Knits. When the project is completed I will also have a link on the completed so you can see what it looks like.

13/60 Projects - Completed
10/60 Projects - In Progess
37/60 Projects - Waiting to be Started

Christmas 2010 Presents Post

I made all of the Christmas presents I gave this year. Because of that I decided to make one massive post with all of the Christmas gifts I gave out this year. Below are pictures and descriptions of each project and who it was given to.

Starting with my family, I made my sister a Noro scarf. These scarves are made by many many people and there are a lot of different styles and shapes. I picked a brown Noro that is very neutral colors and then I chose a skein that is full of all of the rainbow colors. The actually knitting is also simple as it is starting with an odd number of stitches, then every row you knit 2 then purl 2 across. Because of the odd number of stitches it creates the nice zigzag look of the scarf. Here a few photos to see what it looks like:

Click the picture for a picture of my sister wearing the scarf

For my brother I knit a hat. I was very inspired by the rather new 60 Quick Knits book. I was so inspired that about 6 of the winter projects I created were from the 60 Quick Knits book. This particular hat is called the Tweed Watch Cap. I chose Cascade 220 yarn in the following colors: #9458 - Bainbrige Island Heather (brown), #2424 - Heather Summer Night (blue), and #2452 - Turtle (green). Here is a picture of my brother wearing his Christmas present as well as a few close-ups of the hat:

Click the picture for a picture of my brother wearing his hat

My sister-in-law was gifted some beautiful mittens. These mittens are the Tweed mittens from the 60 Quick Knits book. The colors I used for her mittens are the following: #2419 - Heather Aster (purplish-pink) and #9921 - Caribbean Blue.


I made my adorable niece a soft sweater for Christmas. I used a pattern from Lion Brand called the Little Princess Cardi. I used Plymouth Yarn Dreambaby DK in a purple, blue, and green. Here is a picture of my niece's sweater.

Click the picture to see my niece wearing her sweater

My mom received a pair of mittens from the 60 Quick Knits called Checkered Mittens. I don't know the exact Cascade 220 colors I used for her mittens as I have no documentation for them at this particular moment. However, I do know I used a light blue for the cuff while I used a dark blue and magenta variegated yarn for the checkers. They were finished already over the summer and my mom finally received them on Christmas Eve. She really liked them and said her hands will probably stay very warm. Here is a picture of them:


My dad was the final family member I made something for. He also had a gift made from the 60 Quick Knits book. His gift was the slip-stitched hat. I made it in a burgundy and gold color. The specific colorways are Cascade 220: #4008 - Heather Ruby and #2415 - Sunflower. Here is a picture of the finished product:


Hope you enjoyed, Comments and Critiques are of course welcome!

First Knitted Sweater = Complete

I know it has been a while since my last update. I have so many projects to share with all of you. For tonight, I'm only going to let you all know that a few days ago I finished my first knitted sweater. My roommate from college, Em, convinced me to make it back in October. I doubted that I would be able to knit it as I have only been knitting a little over a year now. It is amazing that I have now completed it less than a year later. I would post pictures, as I am very proud of the results (even though I am sure I made lots of mistakes), but they must wait. You see, my mom borrowed my camera for her vacation back in May. Her and my dad went on a vacation to Texas, Arkansas, Illinois, and back to Wisconsin while I stayed here student teaching. Anyways, when I finally got my camera back the batteries were completely dead on it :(... so I cannot take pictures currently. Hopefully next week I will fix that and you can all see the finished product.

Edit: 29 Dec 2010 - Below is a picture of the completed project:

One Birthday Gift Completed

Yesterday, I spent a lot of the day watching tv and knitting. I managed to finish knitting Katie's birthday gift and then started making an i-cord handle. Finally, I threw it in the wash to be felted. It turned out really nice. After felting, I took out my needle and thread, yet again, to attach the handles. I also decided to add a button hole and button. I thought this added the perfect finishing touch :). Here is a picture of the finished product and a picture of Katie with the purse. She really liked it :)!



I love the colors and I like how cute and small it is. It is perfect for just throwing your wallet, cellphone, and keys into. I liked the pattern too. If you are on ravelry you can find information about the pattern here.

Kara's Bag + Knitting While Camping

A few days ago I finished knitting and felting the bag for Kara (Katie's cousin):

This is a picture right after the felting. The ends haven't been cut out yet. I also plan on adding some felted flowers and sewing them on with some random buttons as the centers. It should turn out pretty cute. I'll upload a picture of the finished product hopefully sometime this week... I just have to finish it :P

Today, I went camping and worked a bit on a gift for a friend. Since it is a gift for a friend... a friend who reads this blog, you will have to wait to see the finished product until I give it to her.

Barnes and Noble = Completed Bunny

Yesterday, Em invited me to go to Barnes and Noble for some knitting time. Zoe and Charles met us there too. Zoe, Em, and I knit for about four hours straight and in that time I was able to finally accomplish completing some projects that I have been working on for a while. I finished knitting the handle on the purse I'm making for Kara. I needed to felt the purse, which I did today. I was really excited to see that when I felted it, it turned out to be the perfect size. I was afraid it was going to be too big, but it turned out to be a good size for a little girl. Now that it is felted, I just need to add some fun flowers to the front and then I'll post some great pictures.

The other project I finished was a little brown bunny. I bought the pattern from Bonami on Etsy. I wanted to make this bunny for a quite a while and I decided that it would be the perfect addition to Kara's birthday present. I enjoyed making the Flopsie Bunny, however, there were a few errors in the pattern. The ear directions were not the most clear and so I ended up free-handing them. Also I think there were a few errors in the body and leg numbers. However, as you will see it still turned out pretty adorable. The first crocheted amigurumi I have completed for the summer!




As always let me know what you think and look forward to more projects coming your way! :)

First Update of the Summer Months :)

The last time I wrote here, I was working on a project I called the Fruity Booga Bag. Since then I have obviously finished and sold the bag, here is a picture of the completed project:


Now, here are pictures of other projects I have completed since my last update:

Crocheted Slipper Socks for my Sister


The Sunset Tote Bag for my brother's future Sister-in-law

I have also been working on a lot of random projects here and there. Here is a list of projects I have started and am currently working on:
Birthday Present for Mallory (can't say what it is in case she is reading this)
Birthday Present for Katie (again can't say what it is)
Some dishcloths
A small purse and bunny for Katie's cousin

I'll update with some pictures of these projects as I finish them.

It's been a while

It has been a while since I last updated my blog. I thought I would update you all on what I have been up to. Obviously, school ;) hence the lack of updates. However, I have managed to work here and there on a number of different knitting projects. As you will note I said knitting projects not crocheting projects. I have put down my hook for the time being and have become rather attached to my knitting needles. Why? Because of Em of course she is a knitting queen (actually knitterqueen1953 on ravelry) she has been helping me learn all types of things.

Lets see my last update was about my booga bag and I showed you pictures of it. Well since then I have made yet another booga bag. Someone asked me to make them one and so I am getting paid for making what I have entitled the Fruity Booga Bag. I entitled it this because it is full of bold colors that really seem to be fruity in nature. It is yellow, a dark blue/purple, pink, and a beautiful lime green. All of the yarn is cascade 220 and I had to double up in order to make it the right size. It turned all great and looking like a colorful basket of fruit. When I showed it to my sister-in-law she gave me yet another paid knitting job. I am now in the process of making a tote bag. This tote bag has no exciting name yet... maybe the Watermelon bag or something... I'll think of something. I am a little over half way done with the bottom of this bag. Pictures of both of the bags will hopefully be up soon. Probably in about four weeks when I'm done with classes. :)

Other knitting projects I am working on:
a pair of socks
a scarf
a pair of flip-top mittens (I am already done with the first one)

I am going crazy with all these projects going on. I'm normally a one project type of girl but Em has slowly been changing me ;)... Anyways I hope all of you are doing well, I love what you all have been doing and I have still be reading some of your blogs! Keep of the great work!

Making Myself Some Mittens

Now that my booga bag is all finished it is time to start on my second knitting project. Em was making some really cute mittens with the flip-tops. I really wanted some for myself, so Em is teaching me how to make them. It is getting kind of warm so I won't need to wear them... however, I'm alright with packing them away. I showed you in the last post what the yarn looks like. Here is a picture of the first mitten so far:




I now have learned how to purl. :) After working on my mittens a little bit, Zoe gave me some yarn that she didn't want! I'm so excited.


Now to end this... My mom brought my bag to work with her... and someone really really wants me to make another one, for her daughter. Her request was some bright colors. So, I headed over to Loops and Links and picked out some more yarn. My mom was bringing it into work, telling her how much it would cost, and then she can decide if she really wants it. The best part is, if the woman decides she doesn't want it... my mom said she will pay me to make her a bag :)!!! Well that is all, pictures of the colors for the next booga bag, coming soon...

Spring Break At Last

It is finally Spring Break. That means I actually have time to knit and crochet and update this blog :)... First, I want to show you my booga bag! I finally finished the i-cord today when Em came over. (She actually did the finishing steps on it... because I was really really slow :( )... Below is a picture of my booga bag before the wash:


And here is what it looks like now!:


...

Now that I'm finished with my booga bag, it is time for a new project. So Em is going to teach me to make this awesome flip-top mittens :)... I already have the yarn picked out for it!


The best part is. I got the yarn for it as part of my birthday present. My amazing boyfriend gave me a gift certificate to Loops and Links for my birthday... :)

Spring Break is oh so close........And YET SO FAR!!!

I cannot wait until Spring Break. Spring Break = One FULL week of crocheting, knitting, and practicing... It is going to be one sweet week. I cannot wait... Then I'll be able to share with you some pictures... and some projects. Oh I wish I had time all the time for knitting and crocheting. It is just so darn relaxing and makes me so happy. Over spring break I plan on finishing my booga bag and then Em is going to help me make some sweet mittens :)... YAY!!!

How's that Booga Bag

So, college... ugh! Takes over my life. This semester is kind of a killer one. Note to anyone thinking about going back to college or already in college or planning on attending college: DO NOT take a Philosophy course (or any other humanities course, for that matter) while taking a History class. It is pretty much social suicide. Why? Because you end up having to read approximately 2,582,435 pages of reading every night (ok a bit of an exaggeration) and you end up having to do all sorts of frivolous writing projects. Because of this I normally have one night a week to sit at Loops and Links (our area yarn shop) and just knit/crochet for two hours. I love that two hours because it really helps me relax from a hard week. Wednesdays are such a beautiful day because of it. Plus Wednesdays continue with just a few hours of homework after Loop Group followed by an hour long mass (it is a Catholic college thing) and finish it off with the newest episode of LOST!

So for the past two or so weeks I have been continuously working on my i-cord for my booga bag. I probably have about 2 or 3 feet of i-cord done so far. Unfortunately, this week I couldn't go to Loop Group :'( because I had a terrible paper to write. So, instead hopefully I can find a little time this weekend to work on my booga bag i-cord. Just for a bit of a stress reliever and therapy ;)... I also found out that there is a knitting/crocheting circle that meets on campus every Tuesday and Friday. I was very excited about that and may join at least their Tuesday part of the group. Well I think that was enough complaining for one day. Off to do some more homework :) (Though now it is homework due for Monday... nothing like getting a head start!!!)

The Booga Bag Update

A day or two ago, I finished the booga bag... well not completely, I just have the i-cord handles to make.

Here are some pictures:


(The above picture is the inside of the bag)


Let me know what you think! More pictures once I have the i-cord finished... plus pictures once the bag is felted!

My Bold Booga Bag

I have been wanting to learn how to knit for a while. Now that I met Em it seems like more of a possibility. We are working together to create a Booga Bag. Em let me pick out some colors from her stash and I picked a rose colored Lion Brand Wool along with a yellow colored Cascade 220. To create the booga bag I started with the rose colored Lion Brand Wool to make the bottom. I then decided to switch to some of my leftover Caribbean Sea colored Cascade 220, which I used for Katie's scarf. Now I'm using the yellow colored Cascade 220, which is kind of more gold. I really love the colors because they are just so bright and make me really happy :). The pattern calls for 64 rows tall and so far I have about 22 rows, so I am not quite half way. I have about 26 more rows of gold, then I'm going to switch to the Caribbean Sea for 4 rows, then finish with the rose color for 4 rows.

Here is a picture of what it looked like about 10 rows ago:

Pot Holders and Purses

So I realized that I never posted pictures of the pot holders I made for my mom. My mom asked me to make her some new pot holders. In order to do this, I took scraps of yarn around the house to make some pretty pot holders. Behold the crazy pot holders!


Blueberries!

Watermelon

And Finally a Ravenclaw Pot Holder



Tomorrow, I'm getting together with Em again. She is going to teach me how to knit and then felt a purse! I'm really excited about that. I'll tell you some more details tomorrow after my get together!

Loops and Links Knitting/Crochet Circle

Haven't updated for a while. Still need to get my butt into gear and upload some pictures :P... A couple of days ago I worked on several new pot holders. My mom wanted to get rid of some of her old ones because they were getting really ratty and gross. So I made about four new pot holders. All of them are just made in some really random colors I chose. Mostly colors I don't use that much, which was nice because really I need to use some of my old yarn. I just keep accumulating it :P My mom is probably annoyed with all the stacks of yarn I have everywhere. She can't wait for me to go back to school and have all this yarn out of the house.

Other than the pot holders, I started a scarf for a friend. I started that at the Knitting/Crochet Circle at Loops and Links tonight. It was the first time I went and I really enjoyed myself. Em helped me check out once I picked out the two colors I wanted to use for the scarf. I picked a purple and then a variegated yarn that is kind of blue and purple and magenta. I'm making a really pretty wave scarf that can be found here. I'm not exactly sure if she will like it... I know she said any colors and any design... I'm just hoping it isn't too girly. The worst that can happen though is she doesn't like it and then I told her if she doesn't like it I'll just take it and make her something else... I mean I l LOVE the colors... and I think they would go well with her lime green jacket. We'll see... Benjamin thinks it is very fancy looking :P

Well pictures soon... Hopefully Taylor Ann (my new niece) loves the baby bibs I made her... which I'm sure she will since she is only hours old and doesn't know the difference ;) *heart*heart*heart* I love babies... and I love my new niece even though I haven't seen her *heart*heart*heart*