Some months ago I wrote about working on gifts for my cousins new baby girl.

Carry bag, washcloths, blanket, bib, soft little hat, booties and Pink Lambie!



Ok I admit it... I was so taken with Pink Lambie... I nearly kept her.

My cousin was thrilled with her gifts for the baby!

Special thanks to Capricia for Pink Lambie's photo shoot!

Mary's Party Cake. (by Diane Pearson from an old book in my mothers stack of cookbooks bought from schools, teams and hospitals for fundraising- Now long out of print.)

1 1/2 cups fine wafer crumbs
1 tbsp. flour
1/3 cup lightly packed brown sugar
1/3 cup melted butter

Butter 8" square pan. Preheat over to 350 F. Combine crumbs, flour and brown sugar. Drizzle with melted butter. Mix well. Press into pan and bake 10 minutes.

Next:

1 15oz can sweetened condensed milk
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1 cup chopped candied pineapple(red, green, yellow)
2 1/4 cups flaked coconut

Combine milk, lemon juice, pineapple and coconut. Mix well. Pour over baked crust, and spread evenly. Bake 20 to 25 mins. Cool.

Last:

1/4 cup soft butter
1 1/2 cups sifted icing sugar
1 tsp warm cream
1/2 tsp vanilla

Cream thoroughly, tint with a pastel green or pink and spread on cooled cake.

Karen's notes:
Candied cherries work in it too. I prefer the icing to be pastel blue.
Oh yes, this is not a diet recipe!

... Well, I must confess I did double up the yarn at top and did a few extra rows, and made the handles and extra five stitches longer.

I'm very pleased with how it turned out!

Now for some pics!


Special thanks to Capricia yet again for the pics of my creations! What would I do without her.

I love them! They are fast to knit and look pretty! Plus they use up cotton yarn from my stash freeing me up to buy more yarn!

Now for some pics!
Introducing Red Market Bag!


Red Market bag's inspiration came from a couple of free patterns on the web that I modified as I went along.


Special thanks to my dearest friend Capricia for taking these pics for me!
One last one...

Bernat melody yarn on size 17 needles. (12mm) Baby blanket. Granny dishcloth. lol. Its a granny dishcloth turned into a blanket month! Must find camera. Must take pics.

Arguably full sentences should be added as a must too. Definitely morning humour. I need coffee!

Anyhow its working up fast and is nubbly, warm and soft. I'm pleased with it.

The other set I was working on for my cousin is on hold for a brief moment while I do some mindless blanket knitting. Just what my brain is up for!

This is not my pattern, I am just saving it here for posterity, lest I lose it or my hard drive. Links are at the bottom where Miss Wooly's wonderful pictures are. Although she uses size six needles, I prefer the original patterns size 7 and have even done them in a size 8. My personal preference is to make dishcloths slightly bigger with the size 8 needle. I suspect I am a tight knitter and that is likely why.

Feather and Fan Dishcloth
designed by Linda Smith and Marie Anne of Miss Woolly knits
(Links at bottom)
Rating: : easy

Materials: 1 ball of cotton yarn, Size 4.5 MM knitting needles. (Us 7)

Instructions:Cast on 42 stitches (or a multiple of 18 plus 6)

Knit 3 rows of garter stitch for the border.

Row 4: Knit

Row 5: K 3, P to last 3 stitches K3

Row 6: K3, *(K2 tog) 3 times, (yo, K1) 6 times, (K2 tog) 3 times, rep from * to last 3 sts K3

Row 7: K 3, P to last 3 stitches K3

Repeat Rows 4 - 7, keeping first and last 3 stitches in garter stitch, until piece measures desired length.

Knit 3 more rows of garter stitch to make the bottom border.

Cast off and darn in ends

Blocking suggestion: (Miss Woolly describes the best way to block them I have ever read.)
I block my finished cloths by lightly pressing with the steam iron on the wrong side, swooshing over the pattern until it lies flat - swoosh, swoosh, swoosh. The gentle steaming smoothes the wrinkles and stops the tendency to curl.

http://knittingbunny.blogspot.com/2007_08_03_archive.html
http://www.groupepp.com/dishbout/kpatterns/feather.html

Grandmother's Favorite Dishcloth
Designer: Unknown
Rating: Easy
Materials: Sugar and Cream yarn; Size 6 or 7 needles (US)

Instructions:
Cast on 4 stitches
Row 1: Knit 4
Row 2: Knit 2, yarn over, knit across the row. Repeat Row 2 until you have 44 stitches on the needle.

Row 3: Knit 1, Knit 2 together, yarn over, knit 2 together, knit to the end of the row.

Repeat Row 3 until you have 4 stitches on the needle. You can now either bind off or do a round of single crochet and make a little loop of chain stitches in one corner so you can hang the cloth to dry when you are finished using it.

Karen's note: I find size 6 needles to tight and prefer a US 7 or even a US 8.
I have also crochet all the way around the cloth (started at the Bind off point) to give it a different finished edge. Pretty but rather a pain. lol.

Designer: Me, Karen Lee
Rating: Easy
Yarn: Lion cotton or Handicrafter cotton.

Size 7 needle, Cast on 45 stitches.

Row 1 K
Row 2 K
Row 3 K
Row 4 K
Row 5 K
Row 6 K

Row 7 K
Row 8 K3, Purl to last stitch, K3
Row 9 K
Row 10 K3, *K1, K2tog, YO, repeat from * to last three Stitches, K3
Row 11 K
Row 12 K3, Purl to last stitch, K3
Row 13 K
Row 14 K3, *K1, YO, K2tog, repeat from * to last three Stitches, K3

Row 15 K3, Purl to last stitch, K3
Row 16 K
Row 17 K3, *K1, K2tog, YO, repeat from * to last three Stitches, K3
Row 18 K
Row 19 K3, Purl to last stitch, K3
Row 20 K
Row 21 K3, *K1, YO, K2tog, repeat from * last three Stitches, K3

Row 22 K
Row 23 K3, Purl to last stitch, K3
Row 24 K
Row 25 K
Row 26 K
Row 27 K
Row 28 K
Row 29 K

Row 30 K
Row 31 K3, Purl to last stitch, K3
Row 32 K
Row 33 K3, *K1, K2tog, YO, repeat from * to last three Stitches, K3
Row 34 K
Row 35 K3, Purl to last stitch, K3
Row 36 K
Row 37 K3, *K1, YO, K2tog, repeat from * to last three Stitches, K3

Row 38 K3, Purl to last stitch, K3
Row 39 K
Row 40 K3, *K1, K2tog, YO, repeat from * to last three Stitches, K3
Row 41 K
Row 42 K3, Purl to last stitch, K3
Row 43 K
Row 44 K3, *K1, YO, K2tog, repeat from * last three Stitches, K3

Row 45 K
Row 46 K3, Purl to last stitch, K3

Row 47 K
Row 48 K
Row 49 K
Row 50 K
Row 51 K
Row 52 K

Cast off.

K's note:
I am going to do it on Size 8 needles next and then possible revise pattern.