I spent some time this summer on a couple of small projects. The first was to make a cotton dishcloth. Certainly not an original idea, I read about handmade dishcloths somewhere on the web and decided it would be a quick, fun item to explore.
Of course, it seems that nothing is as simple as it appears when you read about it. First, I had to find the right yarn to have that wonderful soft absorbent feeling when you are actually using the dishcloth. I learned that Lion Brand Yarns makes just the right product - Kitchen Cotton. It comes in 2 oz balls and is 100% cotton.
I chose a fairly traditional pattern - the ball band pattern - which required two colors. As soon as I started knitting I realized that dishcloths are much larger than I ever appreciated. It turned into more than an overnight project and in the end, I opted to not have a very large dishcloth.
I thought I had resolved to not make any more dishcloths. But, I've noticed that I actually prefer my little dishcloth to the sponges that I usually use. And, in looking on the web for the name of the pattern I used, I found this really neat site called Dish and Wash Cloth Mania with a page that listed variations of another pattern, Grandma's Favorite Dishcloth. They are darling. I think I am going to have to make another!
Of course, it seems that nothing is as simple as it appears when you read about it. First, I had to find the right yarn to have that wonderful soft absorbent feeling when you are actually using the dishcloth. I learned that Lion Brand Yarns makes just the right product - Kitchen Cotton. It comes in 2 oz balls and is 100% cotton.
I chose a fairly traditional pattern - the ball band pattern - which required two colors. As soon as I started knitting I realized that dishcloths are much larger than I ever appreciated. It turned into more than an overnight project and in the end, I opted to not have a very large dishcloth.
I thought I had resolved to not make any more dishcloths. But, I've noticed that I actually prefer my little dishcloth to the sponges that I usually use. And, in looking on the web for the name of the pattern I used, I found this really neat site called Dish and Wash Cloth Mania with a page that listed variations of another pattern, Grandma's Favorite Dishcloth. They are darling. I think I am going to have to make another!
I too have a wee stack of dishcloths that I've made from "Sugar 'n' Cream" cotton (Bernat, I think). I confess that Grandmother's Favourite is mine too, because it's so simple! However, I am delighted to see the variations on the link you shared. As the cloths get grungy (even after washing) after much use, it's always great to have some cotton yarn and a variety of patterns on hand to knit fresh ones. When they get too raggy for kitchen use, mine get recycled for polishing silver and mopping up studio mess!
ReplyDeleteI would not have thought to make dishcloths. Hmmm...I have some of that sugar n cream yarn that has been sitting...perhaps it is time to put it to use.
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