Yarn Fish

A couple of things happened this weekend that made me realize fishing has become an obsession with me.

Palacios Pier

After an evening of pier fishing on Friday, I slept soundly and dreamed of...you guessed it...fishing. I casted, reeled and caught fish all night in my sleep. When fishing invades your subconscious, that's a sure sign you're hooked.

And not that I needed any more convincing, but Saturday on our way home from an afternoon of fishing, I saw a grouping of clouds that looked exactly like a trout to me.

Trout Cloud

If you can't see the trout in the sky, don't feel bad, it just means you haven't been afflicted with the fishing sickness yet. I blame John for infecting me. He's had it for years.

I already "suffer" with a little obsession called knitting and now I have this one too. Evidently both were working on me Sunday afternoon because I had the need to knit something fishy. I searched Ravelry and came up with this cute little project.

Yarn Fish

Pattern: Fishy Twashi
Yarn: Lily Sugar 'n Cream
Colors: Robins Egg Blue & White
Needles: US 7 (smaller size than the pattern called for)
Size: Approx. 4" x 6"
Changes: Embroidered the eye instead of knitting or crocheting.

This little fish is designed as dish scrubber. It's the size of a regular kitchen sponge. Twashi, I learned, is a Japanese word meaning scrubber or brush. Though intended originally for kitchen use, it can also be used in the bath. Acrylic yarn is recommended for scrubbing dishes, but cotton is the best choice for a washcloth.

There are lots of cute tawashi patterns on Ravelry and even a group called Tawashi Town for fans of these Japanese inspired scrubbies. I had never heard of a tawashi before yesterday. It's funny where an obsession (or two) can take you.

My Go-To Gift

When I first saw these dishcloths on Renna's blog, I knew I wanted to knit a set for the next wedding shower I was invited to. I got a chance to try the pattern this week.


Pattern: Waffle Knit Dishcloth
Yarn: Lion Brand Kitchen Cotton
Colors: Khaki and Cinnamon
Needles: US 7 (one size larger than recommended)
Size: Aproximately 9" x 9"


I give the pattern and the cloth a big thumbs up! It's a quick knit, has lots of texture (good for scrubbing) and looks great on both the right and wrong side.

A gift card from the couple's choice of stores completes this shower gift. I'll wrap them up together and include a note something like this:
Tracy's Hand Knit Dishcloths
Making Dish Washing Fun For Newlyweds Since 2003

Beat the Heat at the Beach

The weatherman calls this time of year July Fry. It's hot. Temperatures are in the upper 90s and the humidity is high, but there is relief at the beach...just be sure to bring your own shade.


Matagorda Beach is our favorite year-round escape destination. You'll find us there every Saturday we have free. Now that summer has arrived, it's also a favorite destination of lots of other folks too. It's only crowded on the first couple of miles of beach though. With four-wheel drive, it's easy to find a spot to yourself if you drive a little farther.

This Saturday we staked our claim just past 3 Mile, marking it with our new Texas flag umbrella and a couple of chairs. Then we settled down to enjoy the afternoon. John pulled out the fishing gear and I took a walk along the shore searching for shells and cooling my heels in the surf along the way.


When I returned, John was catching fish, but only hardhead catfish, so I decided to get out the knitting I brought along.


The shade of the umbrella and the steady breeze blowing across the water kept me cool as I worked on a cotton dishcloth.


I'm knitting up a few of these to have on hand for wedding gifts. A couple of hand-knit dishcloths along with a gift card from the store where the couple is registered is my standard go-to gift.

I was a few rows into my knitting when John began to catch whiting. He encouraged me to join him, so I set down my knitting sticks and picked up my fishing stick. He showed me where to find the fish and gave me a few pointers. A couple of casts later, I caught a fish--not a whiting, but even better, a redfish! And to prove it wasn't beginner's luck, I caught another one. They were too small to keep, but they earned me bragging rights for this trip.


I never did get back to my knitting.


Pattern: Ballband Dishcloth
Yarn: Peaches and Cream (Red, Black, Licorice),
Yarn: Lily Sugar 'n Cream (Light Blue, White, Sea Mist)
Needles: US 7 (4.5 mm)

Moss Grid Hand Towel

Did you ever start a project as a quick knit only to have it linger on the needles for months? That's what happened with this hand towel. I started it in March and now in June, it's finally finished. Yay! I feel like I should celebrate. I like the yarn, I like the finished product, but I did not enjoy the process. It seems I have a mental block when it comes to this stitch pattern. It's simple, but for some reason I could never get through a knitting session without making a mistake--not one time. And I found myself messing up in the same way over and over again. Too much tinking back to fix errors that should never have happened in the first place took the fun out of the process. But, I stuck with it and now I have a lovely towel to use and enjoy.

Pattern Book: Mason-Dixon Knitting
Yarn: 2nd Time Cotton, 75% recycled cotton, 25% acrylic
Color: #557 Atlantis
Needles: US 6
Size: 15" x 24"

Eye Opener

These are sure to brighten your day.



Who said washing dishes has to be boring?

I'm perhaps the last one out there to knit the Ballband Dishcloth recently made popular by Mason-Dixon, but I'm no stranger to knitting dishcloths. I cut my teeth (knitting-wise) on dishcloths back when I was a new knitter. I never counted how many I knitted, but it was a bunch. I used many of them myself, gave others to family members and the rest became my gift stash. Every so often I would dip into that stash and pull out a couple to include in a gift for a new bride. Well, this weekend I have a shower to attend and the stash has run dry, so I worked up these in the brightest colors I could find. The green actually matches something on the bride's gift registry, so it's a good bet she'll like them.

Just when I thought my dishcloth days were behind me, I now find myself wanting to make more of these. There will be opportunities. I know someone that will soon be in need of a housewarming gift and my own kitchen could benefit from a bright bit of hand knitted happiness.



Pattern: Ballband Dishcloth
Yarn: Lily Sugar 'n Cream, 100% cotton
Colors: Hot Green & Summer Prints, Lazy Daisy & Hot Pink
Needles: US 6

Texas Square

This square is on it way to Christine for a blanket she will make for her brother Jef and his wife. It will be joined together with other knitted 8" x 8" squares in many shades of blue, all kinds of yarn and various stitch patterns. No doubt some of the squares will be intricate in design while others will be simple. Some will be knitted by experienced hands and some will be first attempts by beginners. Together this hodgepodge of designs will become a blanket of comfort--a way to say that we know that what you are experiencing is exceedingly difficult and we care. One thing I know for sure, this blanket will be beautiful! How can it not be with all the love behind it!

Pattern: Knitted Texas Cloth
Yarn: Lion Brand Cotton-Ease
Needles: US 5
Thoughts: I chose this square for Jef's blanket because it represents my home, a place of comfort to me.

Knitted Gift

Last week my husband came home from work and handed me a manila envelope. "What's this?", I wondered. "Open it", he said. Inside was this apple cloth, knitted for me by one of his co-workers. She made it to go with my new mac laptop. Isn't it great? A special gift from one knitter to another. Even more special because it's the first thing anyone has ever knit for me. Thanks!

Time To Knit

You may have noticed I haven't talked about knitting lately. That's because I haven't knit a stitch in a week--not one stitch. And, that's just not right. Time to knit! Hopefully the "hairy shawl" will get some attention later today. That's the plan anyway. Before the non-knitting week began, I finished this:

It joined the Texas dishcloth (see the April 4 post for a picture) as part of a Texas-themed gift basket for a friend who will be moving to Colorado soon. The free patterns for these cloths and others are here. I think I'll try the sheep cloth next.

Texas Knitters

I made this dishcloth in honor of being added to the Texas Knitters webring. You can find the free pattern here. And, for all of you non-Texans there is a free pattern for your state too.