Last minute crafting emergencies?
I've got an answer! For Thanksgiving every year, my mother in law hosts Thanksgiving and always invites my family over too (only child- we don't take up much space!). I love making something little for her and my mom for Thanksgiving, and this year, they each got tests of my holiday hex- er, "star snack mat" pattern...
These are super fast, a great way to use up scraps from the rest of your Christmas crafting, and the pattern is available in my shop (half off- you can get it for a dollar until the 23rd!).
If you're going, I'd just like to include a little more with this last-minute Christmas gift... Or maybe you think that the week before Christmas is a great time to pick up a new craft and whip something out in no time, I paired my Thanksgiving snack mats with a super, super easy knit dishcloth.
Seriously, I knit these up in a weekend, and the colorblock one came together on a four-hour drive home from a cabin trip a couple weeks before Thanksgiving. People always say you should start knitting with a scarf, but can I let you in on a little secret? I've been knitting for over 15 years (AKA more than half my life) and I STILL hate knitting scarves. They get unwieldy, take forever, and are just mentally draining, especially the long, skinny, simple ones you start with. Plus, you finish with them, and who really wants a weird, skinny, uneven scarf made of the cheap stuff? Dishcloths, on the other hand, don't take forever, use a staple knitting needle size, and you can get two dishcloths out of a ball of Sugar and Cream or Knitpicks Dishy for under five bucks. I was too lazy to look up a pattern for these, so I made up literally the simplest one I could:
Krystina's Super Simple (seriously), Super Fast, Beginner-Friendly Dishcloths
(KSSsSFBFD, for short)
What you need: One ball of worsted-weight, 100% cotton yarn; one set of straight size 7 needles (that's all!)
- Cast on 35 stitches (look up "longtail cast on" if you don't know how)
- Knit every row ("garter stitch"), slipping the first stitch purlwise, until you have a rough square (approximately 60-70 rows, or around 32-34 garter stitch bumps)
- Slipping the first stitch will give you a nice, flat edge that I think looks a little more professional than knitting the first stitch.
- Bind off all stitches and weave in ends
And that's it! I've found through loose polling that people really like using handknit dishcloths, so this would be a welcome stocking stuffer for anybody (warning- your 3 year old nephew might not think it's that cool). When I gifted these at Thanksgiving, I rolled the dishcloths up inside the snack mats and tied a little yarn bow around it. Super cute! Post pictures of your last minute #procraftination and tag me @khquilts if you whip a few of these up- I'd love to see them! Pattern links below - and remember, only $1 until Saturday!
