Starstruck Dish, Wash cloth incl. Hotpad, Makeup Scrubbie & Coaster options

Dishcloth with coaster and makeup scrubbie

© 2012 Lokipan Crochet Designs

Dishcloth with coaster and makeup scrubbie

© 2012 Lokipan Crochet Designs

Yes I know, that's quite a mouthful for a pattern. But I believe in giving all the options up front so you know exactly what you are getting in this pattern!

© 2012 Lokipan Crochet Designs

Who doesn't love stars! So many gorgeous stars and they whip up in a jiffy! I've made several in an evening while watching a DVD. Once you are familiar with this pattern, they just seem to fly out of your hands.

I found this pattern scribbled on a piece of scrap paper tucked between the pages of my grandmother's sewing pattern book. It was done in size 10 crochet thread for which I have very little patience. So I cleaned it up, switched it up by using worsted weight cotton yarn, a bigger hook, less rounds and Voila! A cloth for many uses.

Yes, you have read it right. These cloths depending on where you stop will make super cute coasters, makeup scrubby pads, dishcloth, washcloth and hotpads! There probably are a lot more uses for these such as turning this into a super cute baby blanket by just continuing to add rounds.

© 2012 Lokipan Crochet Designs

This is a fairly simple pattern and I would recommend it to beginner crocheters. The instructions are fully written out with abbreviations explained. The only crochet stitch you need to know is the single crochet. And by listing it for only 1$ it's affordable for everyone!

The yarn used is Bernat Handicrafter worsted weight (#4) cotton for dishcloths, scrubbies, and coasters. The Samband Lopi in worsted weight pure wool was used for the hot pads as wool is more resistant to heat than cotton and will not scorch. I used dark grey, light grey and cream.

© 2012 Lokipan Crochet Designs

As for the approximate amounts used for each type:

• coaster and makeup scrubbie 15 grams
• medium dishcloth/washcloth 35 grams
• large hot pad (2 layers) using wool 130 grams total for both
• large hot pad (2 layers) using cotton 75 grams total for both

The finished sizes are approximate, as everyone crochets tight or loose, are measured from star tip to opposite valley.

© 2012 Lokipan Crochet Designs

• Coaster & Face (makeup) Scrubbie 12cm / 5 inches
• Medium dishcloth/washcloth 19 cm / 7.5 inches
• Large washcloth/dishcloth 21.6 cm / 8.5 inches
• Hot pad (2 layers) 23 cm / 9 inches 

A starry teaser!

Starstruck teaser

I've been working on these little lovelies all week. I had a fellow crocheter ask me for the pattern and then someone else messaged me asking if I was going to publish the pattern.

Well, I've been working on writing out the pattern diligently. I have taken photos, checked and double checked my figures and all that's left is testing the final piece.

Everyone who's received these this Christmas have fallen in love with them. I hope you will like them too. So bear with me one more day so I can finish testing the final piece and a brand new pattern will be available!

You will need worsted weight cotton yarn, crochet hook, wool yarn in as many colours as you want. So get ready because once you see these, you will want to make some right away!

When a husband requests....

Stop the presses!!!

A husband has made a request for a pair of arm warmers, customized to fit his arms, that run from the wrists all the way up to just about the shoulder. They have to fit snuggly but not tightly, they must be made with a dark colored yarn, preferably black, must not sag or bag and heaven forbids that they might not stay up! OH, and they must be soft on his tender skin!!

Now there's a challenge! But is it one that most fiber users dread to receive from the last person they expect to get a request from? This dear friends is exactly the case. My husband recognises the hard work that goes into designing a pattern, add to that the custom fitting of said pattern; custom fitting that requires many try-ons for fitting purposes. Noting comments such as it's a bit tight or it's a bit loose at *insert arm part*. These will be worn for the most part when he's sleeping. He cannot stand to have his arms under the blankets and since the bedroom gets a tad on the cold side in winter, he could not leave his arms above the blankets, at least not without a good pair of arm warmers. But I also have to keep in mind that he will wear them while at the computer on those particularly cold days.

In the past, I knit more than a couple of pairs of arm warmers for him. They were ok, but not exactly what he wanted. The one pair was too short, but works great when he's at the computer and his hands are freezing. The next pair went up to the elbow, included a thumb gusset, stayed up fairly well but weren't quite long enough. Those have now been repurposed for keeping my extremities warm (more on that pair later). The next set went up past the elbow, but were too wide for the upper arm section and sagged when worn.

So I went the crochet way since I feel more comfortable doing crochet designs over knitted ones. Don't take me wrong, I have designed knit patterns in the past, and have found that for me,,crochet is better. It translates much better from my sewing patterns (which I used extensively when designing clothing for my son who is disabled) to crochet patterns. After much measuring, I remembered that I had not asked the hubster what kind of yarn he wanted. The answer came back quick, acrylic please. So acrylic it is in black please.

I went through my stash and discovered that black yarn is a rare bird in my collection. I found a ball of camo with black, dark green and beige and hoping against hope presented it to the hubster for approval. He frowned at it until I told him that was the total sum of the black yarn I own. And he finally agreed, that ok, he would try the camo but if he didn't like it, I'd have to make a 2nd pair after I'd found black yarn.

The first arm warmer is completed, and I'm 1/3 of the way into the next one. So far the hubster is satisfied. I will have photos and the pattern available over the next few days! 

PS. I haven't forgotten about the new hat design I'm working on! Should be finished testing mid week!