Wow! It’s been a while since I have had a chance to sit at this computer and type anything for my blog. I have missed my journaling journey! Time to get back to it! I hope to be able to stick to this a little more regularly in this new year. I won’t say that I’m making a new years resolution for it or anything, but it is a goal of mine for 2021 to get a lot of my stitching history logged and posted on the blog. For anyone new to this blog or anyone who joined after I had posted my intentions early on, I am trying to compile all of my past stitching projects in one location….this site. I have been a member of Ravelry for a long time and that is a great resource, but I also include Cross-stitching in my stitching creations and that website doesn’t support that craft along with the yarn crafts. I wanted to branch out and create my own space to look back on and have all my stitching projects in one location. So, to put it simply, this blog is my stitching journal. Unfortunately, I didn’t start it until 2020 and I’ve been stitching for many years, so it’s taking a little bit of time to backtrack and log all my past projects. The fun part of it is rediscovering things I haven’t made for a long time, researching where the patterns can be found now and sharing all that information here. I hope you enjoy following my journey as much as I have been enjoying sharing it.
This brings me to the project of the day. This is another Air Force Dishcloth. For anyone following up to this point, you will know I made a few of these with various stitching techniques. After trying a few different methods, I did land on my favorite which would be straight up knitting the dishcloth in stockinette stitch (with the added border around as you go), and then adding the Air Force symbol with duplicate stitch as the last step. This seemed to create the nicest finish for the front and the back of the project. I can’t find any pics of the back of this project, so I must not have taken one. Another downfall of doing this so many years after actually making the project…I only have the pictures that I took at that time. Little did I know I would need pics for this purpose so many years later. If I can encourage you in one thing, as I have stated many times before, take pictures of all your projects. Keep an album, whether it be digital or printed, of all the things you have made. You will enjoy being able to look back and see your stitching journey as well.
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If I can encourage you in another thing from my stitching experiences it’s this…don’t ever be afraid to try something new! Don’t let fear of failure keep you from attempting something that you don’t think you’re quite ready for. Take the leap!! Try it out! What’s the worse that can happen? You may have to rip it out, but I’m sure you will have learned something new in the process. I say this time and time again, dishcloths are the BEST projects to try and learn a new stitch and/or technique on because #1 they are small and you haven’t invested a lot of time in them, and #2 you are going to be using them for cleaning purposes so the final result doesn’t need to be perfect!
The pattern that I used to base this project off of was:
Air Force Dishcloth by RaAnn Clegg. Even though this project is stitched considerably different than that pattern instructs, I was inspired by this pattern to start with, so I want to give credit to where the idea was originally sourced from.
I never actually created a pattern for this particular project, but you can check out some of my other patterns if you like. I have two that are available for free on this website: Simple Seed Stitch Dishcloth Pattern and my Moss Stitch Dishcloth pattern. If you scroll to the end of either of those links you will see an option to download the PDF file.
Small projects are the best kind to tackle when wanting to learn a new stitch and/or new technique. And what better project to practice on than one that people will be using to clean things up and perfect stitches and gauge aren’t really essential to a wonderful finished project.
There are a number of different kinds of yarn you could use to stitch these up…all of them great choices. I am going to include a few links so that you can find my recommendations a little easier, and for some great prices. I am only sharing all of the cotton yarns that I would choose to use, as this is my preferred yarn type for dishcloths. Substitute to your own preferences, though. You need to love your finished work.
First off from Knit Picks….one of my all time favorite places to shop. My Wishlist is always full of all the things I’d like to purchase or have gifted to me at some point. LOL They have 4 variations of their Dishie yarn pictured below…click on the link in the picture to check each one out.
This would also be where I would purchase my favorite needles. I started knitting in 2012 and researched extensively at the time which were the best needles to buy. Knit Picks topped the chart in so many categories that I decided to give them a try. I haven’t regretted it yet and I would buy them again today if given the choice. If you are unsure of what you should purchase, I definitely recommend you do your own research and read the reviews. You will be making an investment in your craft so you want to be sure you’ll be happy with them for a long time to come. Check out the link below to see what the Knit Picks needles are all about. I highly recommend them being included in your research. I’m also including a few links on Amazon for some interchangeable sets that come with excellent reviews. Interchangeable is the one of the most economical ways to get started in knitting since they are versatile and can be used for just about any knitting project…even with knitting in the round if you learn the magic loop!!
Another kind of cotton yarn that would be good to try is the 24/7 Cotton yarn by the very reputable Lion Brand company. You know them for all the other wonderful yarns they sell, they are worth checking out for their cotton yarn as well.
And last, but certainly not least, if you want to stick to the age old Lily’s Sugar N’ Cream, which is what I used to originally design this pattern, then check out the link below for Create For Less. It’s not a direct link to the Sugar N’ Cream yarn, that site is GINORMOUS, but it’s very easy to find. Just type in Sugar N Cream or even just cotton yarn into the search bar and it will bring it right up. Check that link out below:
That should be about all you need if you want to try this one out. If you feel like you might need a little extra assistance and want online classes to help you, check out the link below for Annie’s. I take online classes often to improve and advance my skills. You can always learn something new! I taught myself to knit and crochet through “Teach myself” kits. I’m sharing a link for something very similar to what I purchased for myself below as well. One of the best resources I have found for online classes is through Craftsy. Check out the banners at the end of this post for links to that awesome website. 🙂
If you have any questions about the information in this post please just leave me a comment.
Happy Stitching!
🧶💖
~Mindy~
