Knit Girl Scout dish cloth

I have been a Girl Scout Leader for several years now.  I have done internet searches before for crochet and knit patterns for Girl Scouts and I never find much. This of course inspired me to create a dishcloth with the Girl Scout logo. My husband didn't realize what it was upon first glance, but if your brain thinks Girl Scout Green like mine does, then I'm sure you recognized it right away!
So here it is, the first knit patterned to be shared on my blog. (the first of many, I hope!

Knit Girl Scout Dish Cloth

I used size 7 or 4.5mm knitting needles (but I knit really tight)
size isn't really an issue in a dish cloth, Mine turned out to be 7 inches x 7 1/2 inches. If you prefer your to be bigger or smaller than that, then just use a bigger or smaller needle sizes.
 I used Sugar 'N Cream cotton yarn in Mod Green, but any cotton yarn would do just fine

Cast on 35 stitches
row 1: Knit across
row 2: Knit across
row 3: Knit across
row 4: Knit across
row 5: K5, P25, K5
row 6: Knit across
row 7: K5, P25, K5
row 8: K15, P4, K16
row 9: K5, P11, K4, P10, K5
row 10: K13, P7, K15
row 11: K5, P10, K7, P8, K5
row 12: K12, P9, K14
row 13: K5, P9, K9, P7, K5
row 14: K11, P10, K14
row 15: K5, P9, K10, P6, K5
row 16: K11, P13, K11
row 17: K5, P6, K13, P6, K5
row 18: K11, P15, K9
row 19: K5, P4, K15, P6, K5
row 20: K8, P2, K2, P15, K8
row 21: K5, P3, K15, P2, K2, P3, K5
row 22: K8, P3, K4, P13, K7
row 23: K5, P2, K13, P4, K3, P3, K5
row 24: K6, P1, K3, P4, K4, P10, K7
row 25: K5, P2, K10, P4, K4, P3, K1, P1, K5
row 26: K6, P3, K3, P5, K4, P7, K7
row 27: K5, P2, K7, P4, K5, P3, K3, P1, K5
row 28: K6, P4, K5, P3, K4, P6, K7
row 29: K5, P2, K6, P4, K3, P5, K4, P1, K5
row 30: K8, P4, K4, P11, K8
row 31: K5, P3, K11, P4, K4, P3, K5
row 32: K10, P4, K3, P9, K9
row 33: K5, P4, K9, P3, K4, P5, K5
row 34: K11, P4, K5, P4, K11
row 35: K5, P6, K4, P5, K4, P6, K5
row 36: K11, P6, K18
row 37: K5, P13, K6, P6, K5
row 38: K12, P8, K15
row 39: K5, P10, K8, P7, K5
row 40: K13, P7, K15
row 41: K5, P10, K7, P8, K5
row 42: K15, P4, K16
row 43: K5, P11, K4, P10, K5
row 44: knit across
row 45: K5, P25, K5
row 46: knit across
row 47: knit across
row 48: knit across
row 49: knit across
row 50: knit across
cast off
weave in loose ends and you are finished!

Sigma - Sigma - Sigma Rug

I designed this rug as a present for my baby sister. She is no longer a baby, she will be 19 next month (gasp). She is turning into an awesome lady. This fall she starts her second year in college and will be living in a sorority house. Last year she became a proud member of the Sigma Sigma Sigma, or Tri-Sigs as they are called.
So here it is:

I originally thought I would make it all hot pink with purple letters, but I quickly realized that I didn't have enough hot pink material and didn't want to go buy more, so I went with hot pink, light pink, and white.
The entire rug is made up of double crochets. I drew a graph of the sigmas before I started.
It looked like this:

I started at the left side of the graph and worked my way across.  The rug was 36 double crochets across, I started by chaining 38 and double crocheting in 4th chain from the hook. (chain 3 counts as a double crochet. Double crochet across and chain 3 and turn for each row.

 For the first Sigma, I carried some of the colors across, but I realized that didn't look quite as neat as it should. Carrying colors with yarn works out pretty well, but carrying colors with material does not.  So for the next two Sigmas, I changed colors each time. I didn't link all my material into a roll before I started like I usually do, I just worked from a bag of strips, that way I could cut off and link in a new color whenever I needed one, which I realize is a lot of work when you get to the middle and you have to switch after one single stitch, but it looks so much smoother.

 After finishing all 32 rows, my finished rug measured 19 inches across and 27 inches long (not including fringe).
I tied some purple fringe on the ends of mine (per my sister's request), and that really made it adorable.
So since this project worked out so well, I am now wondering what other designs I could crochet into a rug. The possibilities are endless!

Watermelon Rag Rug

Watermelon Rag Rug

Sorry for the terrible picture. My husband got a new camera to take on a mission trip to guatemala, so I thought I would use it. I now know that my phone takes better pictures than that crappy little thing.

While my husband was in Guatemala, setting up and working in a free medical clinic for a week, I took our little girls and went to visit my sister in southern Indiana.  My sister and her husband have 9 beautiful, healthy, happy children (and one on the way).  That is pretty unheard of these days, but it works for them, and we love spending time there.
I have been working on a lot of rag rugs lately, mainly because my mother keeps giving me bags of fabric that she has already cut into strips for me.  She made A TON of little pillow case dresses to send with the group going to Guatemala, and so all of the scraps of fabric she had left over she would send my way.
While in Indiana, I found inspiration everywhere. I came home with so many ideas. The following pattern is the first one I finished.

NOTE: when working with rag strips, sometimes you will need to add or decrease a stitch or two here and there to get your rug to lay flat properly. It all depends on how wide you cut your fabric and what type of fabric you are using. also it may depend on how tight or loose you crochet.

Watermelon Rag Rug

Hook size N/10mm

dc = double crochet
rnd = round
ch = chain
st = stitch
I wrote this pattern in rounds, but since it is only a half circle rug, you will be turning, each (round) as I have referred to them is actually just a half round or row.

with bright pink fabric
chain 4, join with a slip stitch to form a ring
round 1: chain 3, 7 double crochets in the ring
rnd 2: chain 3, turn, (working in front loops only) 2 double crochets in each space (your chain 3 will count as your first double crochet)
rnd 3: chain 3, turn, (working in back loops only) , dc in first st, 2 dc in the next st, 1 dc in next st,
with black fabric 2 dc in next st
with pink 1 dc in st, 2 dc in st, 1 dc in st
with black fabric 2 dc in next st
with pink 1 dc in st, 2 dc in st, 1 dc in st
with black 2 dc in next st
with pink, 1 dc in st, 2 dc in st, 1 dc in st, 1 dc in st
rnd 4: with pink, ch 3, turn, (working in front loops only) *dc in each of first 3 stitches, 2 dc in next st*, repeat from * around
rnd 5: with pink, ch 3, turn (working in back loops only) 1 dc in each of next 3 st
with black 2 dc in next st
with pink 1 dc in each of next 4 st, 2 dc in next st,
with black 1 dc in each of next 2 st
with pink 1 dc in each of next 2 st, 2 dc in next st
with black 1 dc in each of next 2 st
with pink 1 dc in each of next 2 st, 2 dc in next st, 1 dc in each of next 2 st
with black 1 dc in each of next 2 st
with pink 2 dc in each of last 2 spaces
rnd 6: with pink, chain 3, turn (working in front loops only) dc in each st around
rnd 7: with pink, chain 3, turn (working in back loops only) 1 dc in each of next 6 st, 2 dc in next st, 1 dc in next st
with black 1 dc in each of next 2 st
with pink 1 dc in each of next 2 st, 2 dc in next st, 1 dc in each of next 2 st,
with black 1 dc in each of next 2 st
with pink 1 dc in next st, 2 dc in next st, 1 dc in each of next 4 st,
with black 1dc in each of next 2 st
with pink 1dc in same st as last black dc, 1 dc in each of next 5 st, 2 dc in next st, 1 dc in each of last 2 st
rnd 8: with pink chain 3, turn (working in front loops only)
dc in first 7 st, 2 dc in next st, *dc in each of next 6 st, 2 dc in next st* repeat from the * around
rnd 9: with pink chain 3, turn (working in back loops only)
*1 dc in each of 7 st, 2 dc in next st* repeat from * around
rnd 10:with pink chain 3, turn, (working in front loops only)
*1 dc in each of 8 st, 2 dc in next st* repeat from * around
rnd 11: with a lighter shade of pink, ch 3, turn, (working in back loops only)
*1 dc in each of 5 st, 2 dc in next st* repeat from * around
rnd 12: with ligher pink, ch 3, turn (working in front loops only)
* 1dc in each of 6 st, 2 dc in next st * repeat from the * around
rnd 13: with a light green, chain 3, turn (working in back loops only)
*1 dc in each of 7 st, 2 dc in next st* repeat from the * around
rnd 14: with a darker green, ch 3, turn (working in front loops only)
*1 dc in each of 8 st, 2 dc in next st* repeat from the * around
rnd 15: with dark green, ch 3, turn, (working in back loops only)
*1 dc in each of 9 st, 2 dc in next st* repeat from the * around

weave in any loose fabric strips and you are finished!