Dianne's No Iron Tablecloth

Dianne's masterpiece, a cotton and sock yarn circular table cover (crochet, of course).  She brought this in to show a customer how to make a crochet table cloth that does not EVER need to be ironed. Clever!

Sybille's Labour Of Love

Imagine this piece of exquisite, so fine, crochet (and this is only the centre of what will be a tablecloth) stretched under a piece of glass....breathlessly beautiful.  Sybille spends hours and hours creating these masterpieces.

Elly's Cushion Covers

Elly's special cushion covers knit for her granddaughter with Hayfield Aran, 70% Acrylic and 30% Wool.  Of course, everything Elly does is amazing.  The covers took 2 - 100 gr balls of each colour.

And, leftover yarn from the Hayfield cushions are being knit into another of Elly's special cushion covers.  The cable stitch stretches out when pulled but Roisin decided she likes it bunched up like this.

July Cable Spa Cloth Class

Here it is!  Your opportunity to try out and experience knitting a cable without the commitment of a huge project.  Honestly, it's not as difficult as it may look!  This will let you know whether or not you'd like to incorporate cables into a larger project.  Can't you see this design down the fronts of a cardigan?  Or, what's your inspiration?

When & Where: July 17th, 1-3pm in the Loopy Lounge

Instructor: Marlaine

Cost: $25.00 + yarn purchased at the store.

Phone, e-mail or drop in to register.

Next "Spa Cloth" Class

Marlaine's next "Spa Cloth" class will be Tuesday, June 12th, 1 -pm in the Loopy Lounge. Participants will learn how to make the circular cloth using "Shorts Rows"--and if you don't know what this means...take the class!
$25.00 for the afternoon, plus 1 ball of yarn.

Linen "Spa" Cloth

This is a very simple, garter stitch cloth, knit from Katia Lino 100% linen. This was a bit of an experiment, to see how the linen knitted up for a cloth. It was (for this not expert knitter) a tad fiddly--very thin, no stretch--and needed to be blocked. But it is a lovely texture, scrubby when dryish, and soft when wet. It dries very quickly. This, and the 100% hemp yarn Roisin has, would make very elegant and useful cloths.

Dish Cloth of the Month Classes!

Do you find the thought of starting a big knitting project a bit daunting? Do you have a lot of unfinished sweaters/shawls/scarves? Well, boost your knitting confidence by taking one or more of the upcoming, brand new Monthly Dish Cloth Class.
When: starting in May, probably Monday afternoons for 2 hours (details provided in April)
Where: Loopy Lounge.
Cost: $25.00/class + materials (one ball will be enough)
Instructor: Marlaine
Please be at least a confident beginner knitter who knows how to cast on, cast off, knit and purl.

Class #1 - Lacy, "Spa" Cloth
You will learn to make an approximately 8" x 8" cloth that is too pretty to call a dish cloth and if you knit it in a colour that coordinates with your 'Spa' bathroom, then it's a Spa Cloth!  Why would you want to come to this class? 1) You'll learn some new techniques that you can carry over into your larger knitting projects.  2) It's a chance to explore and experience a pattern that you might be afraid to tackle otherwise and you'll take the pattern home with you.  3) Start with the Spa Cloth and turn it into a scarf, sweater or what have you!  4) You'll spend two hours having fun with a group of knitters who share your passion to create.

Monika's Felted Bowls

Aren't these clever? Monika's "Tam o' Shanter" felted bowls are her own creation. She took Lynda's felted handbag class, and then went to felting heaven! The shapes and colours are great.

And even functional, fitting lids!

In Praise of Dishcloths

Perhaps you come here and read about and see pictures of the projects completed by GBOW's amazing customers, and think, cripes, I don't knit (or crochet) anything half as good/big/complicated. No hanging out at the Loopy Lounge for me... I'd just be embarrassed. And maybe GBOW is meant for experts. I'll just stick to my purchased-elsewhere yarn and the scarf I've been working on for three years.

Well, I, as your blog curator, am here to tell you why GBOW and the Loopy Lounge are for any level of yarn person, and why easy, small projects are excellent for anyone, expert or not. One word--dishcloths.

I knitted these while I waited for planes to arrive, on ferries, while on hold on the telephone, when I wanted to read and knit, and yes, at many Thursday afternoons in the Loopy Lounge. I can and do knit more complex things (I can follow a lace pattern, have done simple intarsia and cables) but I cannot count stitches or keep track of a pattern when I am with other people, chatting and enjoying the company, or if I want something simple and soothing to pass the time without having to pay a lot of attention. It's a project small enough to stick in my purse or pocket, and provides almost-instant gratification.

The pattern I use is dead simple but more expert knitters can get very creative with stitches and patterns. I am planning on knitting some slightly fancier wash/facecloths with leftover Sublime soya/cotton I have as well as the gorgeous hemp yarn Roisin has in, because Susan got one from her sister and reports that it is great--scrubby and dries fast.  And you will be able to see one of my hemp cloths at the store, thereby proving yarn people of all skill levels are appreciated at our LYS (I had to look that up...saw the initials on many blogs and had NO idea what it stood for..."Local Yarn Store").

You can make small squares out of any natural yarn that can be pot holders, facecloths, dishcloths, pieces for a throw or a dog bed, hot pads...so many useful things.

I thought I didn't like handmade dishcloths. But I discovered I do (and so does my husband--he asked for two for our boat), and so do other people. Try googling "knitted dishcloth" and see how many people love using and knitting (or crocheting) them, regardless of their skill level.

Some points in their favour:
- they last for ages and can be composted (make sure you chop them up)
- they use up scrap or recycled yarn
- they make great gifts and will be appreciated
- they can be made for very little $$$ (mine cost less than $1 each because the yarns were on sale)
- they are an excellent way to learn new stitches and patterns (they are really just large test swatches)
- there are *hundreds* of patterns available for free on the Web (Ravelry is a great source)
- they can be made while you're camping, on a boat, or waiting for the kids' swimming lessons to end--they're meant to get dirty!
- you can try one ball of a pricier yarn and end up with something you can use
- you can work on one in the Loopy Lounge any afternoon and not make mistakes while you chat or listen.

Yay for dishcloths!