· Aghast kitchen cotton. Owww… (Yes, I know your hands are crying…be assured mine are too!)
· Palm size for good mess cleaning action.
· Not too big not too small. Too big- you’re flinging stuff all over; too small-you are rubbing your palm, not the cloth, on the table.
· Ridges -used for scrubbing the likes of lodge cast iron, without abusing that hard won finish
· Cheap yarn, so you won’t cry about using it that way later
· If you like bleach- white yarn.
· If you are earth friendly- a color that matches your most frequent kitchen stains.
· Or if you are like me- whatever, since it is all going in the kitchen laundry anyway and stains on my dish cloths won’t make me cry.
· Remember kitchen cotton can fade! Keep this in mind or you will be crying later. If it does and you start crying even after I told you, remember it now looks vintage. Vintage is cool.
Friday, August 29, 2008
The Humble Cotton Dishcloth
All Hail the almighty dish cloth!
There is not a day that I don’t use them…or abuse them. OH! I could NEVER treat my alpaca that way. It is almost too horrible to think about. I could almost imagine myself, sitting aghast in a corner, too horrified to speak-shaking uncontrollably, if my sweet boys were to use my crocheted baby alpaca granny squares the way I use my mom’s dish cloths. I would be in therapy for a long time…months, years. No… there is no replacement for my mom’s crocheted dish cloths. They are near immortal and never die. They are stand-outs in a field, a Clydesdale amongst the Arabians- my workhorses. And for that reason and almost that reason alone, I love them.
Mine are not that pretty. They are basic little squares that teach beginning math and stacking skills to my kids while folding laundry, which works for me… since I have so many of them. (When they never die and your mom is always giving you more…you have a lot.) Ruthless, grueling sc (single crochet) on sc, row over row- concludes the makeup of a tight packed food blasting dish washing friend. They are not lacey little ditties like the ones that once adorned my Grandma G’s kitchen-useless, pretty to look at things from the fifties. (Not to say that there is anything wrong with that.) No, these are scrubbing machines/maniacs that would tear through grease on my lodge cast iron and scream,” More!” They are rustic, simple…and they work!
My mom made most of my collection-all crochet, all kitchen cotton. God bless her heart. She has piles in her house or used to…before she gave them away. She does sell a few now- and- then, but really the main bulk she gives away. I swear everyone in her massive brood of relatives has at least a bare minimum of two of my mom’s beauties. She is a non-stop dish cloth making queen. As I am drawn to all things alpaca, my mom’s concentration lies with the mere cotton dish cloth.
Honestly, I give mad points to my mom and others like her who dabbles with the kitchen cotton hand killer. My hands pain just thinking about taking a hook or even needles to the stuff. Ouch! No Way! I have only mustered up maybe about two dish cloths ever on needles, one for myself and one for my niece because she’s so darn cute, which is perhaps why I covet all those dish cloths I receive. So here is a tribute and many thanks to all of you who have ever made a wash cloth and given it to someone, someone like me… We thank your aching hands so ever much for the almighty dish cloth. May it live on forever in our kitchens!
There is not a day that I don’t use them…or abuse them. OH! I could NEVER treat my alpaca that way. It is almost too horrible to think about. I could almost imagine myself, sitting aghast in a corner, too horrified to speak-shaking uncontrollably, if my sweet boys were to use my crocheted baby alpaca granny squares the way I use my mom’s dish cloths. I would be in therapy for a long time…months, years. No… there is no replacement for my mom’s crocheted dish cloths. They are near immortal and never die. They are stand-outs in a field, a Clydesdale amongst the Arabians- my workhorses. And for that reason and almost that reason alone, I love them.
Mine are not that pretty. They are basic little squares that teach beginning math and stacking skills to my kids while folding laundry, which works for me… since I have so many of them. (When they never die and your mom is always giving you more…you have a lot.) Ruthless, grueling sc (single crochet) on sc, row over row- concludes the makeup of a tight packed food blasting dish washing friend. They are not lacey little ditties like the ones that once adorned my Grandma G’s kitchen-useless, pretty to look at things from the fifties. (Not to say that there is anything wrong with that.) No, these are scrubbing machines/maniacs that would tear through grease on my lodge cast iron and scream,” More!” They are rustic, simple…and they work!
My mom made most of my collection-all crochet, all kitchen cotton. God bless her heart. She has piles in her house or used to…before she gave them away. She does sell a few now- and- then, but really the main bulk she gives away. I swear everyone in her massive brood of relatives has at least a bare minimum of two of my mom’s beauties. She is a non-stop dish cloth making queen. As I am drawn to all things alpaca, my mom’s concentration lies with the mere cotton dish cloth.
Honestly, I give mad points to my mom and others like her who dabbles with the kitchen cotton hand killer. My hands pain just thinking about taking a hook or even needles to the stuff. Ouch! No Way! I have only mustered up maybe about two dish cloths ever on needles, one for myself and one for my niece because she’s so darn cute, which is perhaps why I covet all those dish cloths I receive. So here is a tribute and many thanks to all of you who have ever made a wash cloth and given it to someone, someone like me… We thank your aching hands so ever much for the almighty dish cloth. May it live on forever in our kitchens!
Sunday, April 6, 2008
Welcome
Do I dive in and tell you about my history with knitting and crochet crafts? Do I talk about the many books I love and the yarns I indulge? Do I show you techniques I think are intriguing? Do I tell you about designers I follow, my quirky yarn habits, odd responses to my knitting, or projects I am working on? Or do I simply open my "door" and say welcome?
Welcome to my yarn journey. I invite you to join me in the many discoveries, learned lessons and expanding knowledge. Hah! (Of course you will get to see my struggles,failures, and frustrations.)
I simply cannot get enough yarn. I am one of the obsessed. I love working many different angles that the medium offers. However, I am really only touching the tip of the iceberg. There are so many things that I have not had on my hook or my needles. I am excited to just jump right in and do EVERYTHING! However I need to try and be realistic. I am a full time working mother and wife. I really do not have all the time I really would like to devote to my yarn love.
Welcome to my yarn journey. I invite you to join me in the many discoveries, learned lessons and expanding knowledge. Hah! (Of course you will get to see my struggles,failures, and frustrations.)
I simply cannot get enough yarn. I am one of the obsessed. I love working many different angles that the medium offers. However, I am really only touching the tip of the iceberg. There are so many things that I have not had on my hook or my needles. I am excited to just jump right in and do EVERYTHING! However I need to try and be realistic. I am a full time working mother and wife. I really do not have all the time I really would like to devote to my yarn love.
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