The Devil Finds Work for Idle Hands

My last big project was the Sanctuary Beanie, and whenever I had a spare moment to knit, I was working on it. I knit so much in a matter of days that I think I got a little bit addicted to the feeling of having a project in my hands and being productive in those moments of the day when I would otherwise feel helplessly unproductive (like when I’m waiting at a bus stop or watching my kids play at the park).

See, this is why I love to knit. I like to be doing things, being creative and productive. Knitting allows me to do this wherever I am, and when I have a few (rare) moments to myself. People often say to me “Oh I couldn’t knit, I’m not a patient person”. This makes me laugh, because it is exactly because I am not a patient person, that knitting is a good for me. It keeps me occupied when I would otherwise feel restless and impatient. It helps me feel like I am doing something useful with my time.

So, when I finished the Sanctuary Beanies, I found myself empty handed all of a sudden, and didn’t have anything else to work on! I felt incredibly antsy. I needed to knit something! But as you may know, starting a new project can take time, because you need to choose a pattern/design a pattern, buy the right yarn, knit a swatch to ensure you have the correct gauge (a step that I’m sure nobody in their right might would knowingly skip), and if all is good, you can cast on.

So, from that day forward, I vowed that I would always have something to work on in between the bigger projects. These “in-between-er” projects need to meet the following criteria:

1. Small – good for taking wherever I go.
2. Easy – the kind of knitting that I can do while at the bus stop, at the park with the kids, or chatting with friends.
3. Stash busting – something that allows me to use up left over yarn, or just use whatever I have available NOW!.
4. Practical/Useful – It has to be something I actually want or would use. 
5. Quick to cast-on and get started – for those times when I need to knit NOW!

Recently, I have been knitting cotton dish cloths and it is the perfect in-between-er project. I started with this one: Double Bump Dish Cloth. Then, I began to experiment with other stitch patterns, developing my own dishcloth pattern along the way.

For months, we’ve been using old, ripped pajamas (cut into squares), as dishcloths, so I am actually pretty excited to start using these beautiful, and vibrant hand knit ones instead.

I picked up several balls of Bernat Handicrafter Cotton while shopping at Michaels, so I will continue to experiment with other stitch patterns and whip up a few more handy-dandy dishcloths, while also keeping the devil away from my idle hands.