2014 Dishcloth Swap

We were VERY busy this past weekend.  So busy, that I just don't know where to begin!  I need a little zen-like calm before I take on the weekend's festivities here on my blog.  

Time to crochet some dishcloths for the 2014 Annual Dishcloth Swap! Crocheting always calms me down. With all the crocheting and knitting I do, I should be comatose by now!  Five cotton dishcloths, same pattern (different colors) are due at the end of August.  I will receive five different dishcloths in return.

I looked through the dishcloth patterns on Ravelry.  Nothing piqued my interest. Then I decided to look at my various Japanese crochet books.  I do not read Japanese, but the charts in these beautifully photographed books are easy to understand.  I chose #36 from a book entitled "Handmade Crochet Book: Making Motifs & Braids" (モチーフ & ブレードでつくる) by Sachiyo Fukao (深尾幸世). 

My cloths are all going to be crocheted in the natural color.  This first cloth ended up being 8" across.  Perfect.  Dishcloth size requirements for this swap are 6-9 inches.  I will use a different color pastel cotton for the edging of each cloth.  Instead of the lacy edge in the pattern chart, I've decided to crochet a simple picot along the edge of each cloth. 

One down, four to go!