Sunday, January 28, 2018

Swatch! Swatch! Swatch! What to do with them all

I have swatches.  No big surprise there.  Most of mine go into a binder to be used for teaching purposes.  Again, not a big surprise to anyone, I hope.  However, I do remember back 20 years or more when I got my first knitting machine.  It was a Singer LK-150.  I liked that machine.  I took lessons to learn how to use it.  Most of the issues I had were not addressed in the training video.  I didn't oil it nearly enough.  Now back to the reason for this little side story.  I had swatches of all kinds of things I learned.  At first I kept them in the box.  Then I decided that I \would keep them for learning when I did those techniques.  Fast forward a few years, I didn't need the swatches.  The lessons had stuck.  I had all these swatches that were 7"x9" give or take.  I made an afghan.

But it got me thinking about granny squares and swatches.  What can we do with them all?  What ideas can you come up with??  I found quite a few ideas online over the years and come up with a bunch on my own too.  So let's start with 1, 2 or 3 squares. 

1 block.

  1. Pincushion:  Stuff and sew into a rectangle or triangle.  Use wool with the lanolin still in to prevent rusting.
  2. Coaster:  Use cotton.  No stuffing.  No sewing.
  3. Sachet:  Fold and stuff just like the pincushion.  Saturate the stuffing with essential oils to either smell nice or keep moths at bay.  You can also stuff with dried flowers of the scent you want.  
  4. Sleep pillow:  This uses a large swatch, usually 8x8 in a soft yarn.  Fold it in a triangle and stuff with cotton.  Add some essential oil.  A drop or two of lavender promotes sleep.  Too much and you end up with the jitters.  Add to your bed at bedtime keeping it near your head.  
  5. Eye glasses case:  This also uses a large swatch, 6 - 7 inches. Fold in half, seam on 1 short and the long side.  Again use soft yarn that won't scratch the lenses.
2 Blocks

  1. Potholder/Hot pad:  2 squares in wool or cotton.  No holes in the pattern.  Add some layers of felt the same size  (wool is nice for this since it doesn't burn or melt).  Crochet or sew around all the edges.  Add a hanging loop or not.  
  2. Tote bag:  2 very large squares.  12 inches is a good size.  Seam on 3 sides or crochet.  Add a strap of whatever sort.  A braid can be used and can be custom fit to you.  You can also use a strap from a worn out purse.  Line it if you don't want to lose things.
  3. Halloween treat bag:  Choose 2 Halloween charts, using either a fair isle or knit/purl pattern, that are the same size and work up at about 8 - 10 inches square.  Seam on 3 sides.  Add handles to the open end.  Trick or treat at will.
  4. Vest:  This can be deceptively easy.  Choose the recipient.  I suggest a doll for starters.  Use a ribbon and across the top, tie together the front and back 1/4 of the way in from each edge continuing out to the corner.  Neck hole made.  To make the armholes, work down those sides to the bottom edge.  This can work until the child is about 4 years old or so.  They are usually not curvy.
  5. Soap Sack:  Use cotton for this.  Hold wrong sides together.  Seam on 3 sides.  Weave a tie around the open side.  Insert soap slivers and scrub the dirt away.
  6. Fingerless mitts:  Measure around the hand at the knuckles of the recipient.  The swatches used should be a square that meets this measurement and coordinate in pattern and color.  1 swatch.  Fold in half.  Seam from one end up 1 - 2 inches.  This is the part that is above the thumb.  Leave the next inch or two open for the thumb.  If the hand is very small, leave less.  Seam from that point to the other open end.  Repeat.
3 blocks

  1. Bookmark:  Perfect for the reader in the family or your circle of friends.  Use crochet thread to make these not too thick so as to not break the spine of the book.  Seam together into a long rectangle.  Gift with a favorite book.
  2. Hot mat or small place mat:  Use heavy wool yarn or cotton yarn for this in a larger size.  Seam 2 together, then add the 3rd centered over the seam to form a triangle.  Cheery colors look great in a kitchen.  Adding glass beads can bring an extra touch to these.

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