Kitchen Towel

Yup I've been crafting, but not knitting. Sewing. Made a few kitchen towels with potholder toppers.  Very easy and--most important--absorbent.  I've seen kits to make knitted or crocheted kitchen toppers, but the thin towels get drenched quickly.  Also, with the hard water from our well, light coloured fabrics get stained. My goal was to create an absorbent kitchen item in dark colours.

Kit from Mary Maxim

I made kitchen towels using matching potholders and hand towels (ones for the bathroom) purchased at dollar stores and large chains (bought mine at Walmart and 5 to a Dollar).

Step 1:  Fold towel in thirds, ensuring that the folded width matches the width of the pot holder. Pin into place.  With "wrong side" facing (that is, with the folds visible), sew across the middle, width-wise. This will ensure that the towel will never unfold.

Checking folded width of towel with potholder

Sewing folds of towel down middle, width-wise

Step 2: Flip over the towel to right side.  Place potholder in middle of towel, with"wrong side" of potholder showing.  Pin potholder to middle of towel.  Sew down the middle of potholder, width-wise.

Sewing potholder to folded towel down middle, width-wise

Step 3: Fold potholder so that towel hangs from it.  Attach button to potholder so that loop acts as buttonhole.

When attached potholder folded in half, towel "hangs"

Button sewn into place

Step 4: Hang finished towel from any convenient handle (preferably near a sink)

Sadly this great craft idea is not mine.  My MIL found something similar in a flea market in Florida.  So many thanks to the clever anonymous crafter who came up with the original idea.  I just improved upon it. ;)

Couldn't Resist . . .

I started another project without even finishing what I've got on the needles (or the hook as the case be for my crochet projects).  In my defense, it is an item I planned to make anyways (part of the gift package for MIL's birthday).

Start of Another Kitchen Project

Check out the beginning of my lovely kitchen towel.  I've used this stitch pattern before for a scarf I made (I think I made the scarf about 2 years ago, but didn't actually use it till this winter).  I believe I found the stitch pattern in one of those knitting-pattern-a-day calendars (scarves are easy that way).

The most surprising thing is that the surface of the towel matches very nicely with my crocheted place mats, even though the items are made using two different crafts.  The half-double crochet worked in alternating front and back loops creates a similar textured surface.  How neat is that!

Stitch Detail

This particular kitchen towel pattern comes from Steph's Designs.  The designer has other kitchen towel patterns at her website.  Gotta love the generosity of those who take the time to design something and then offer it for FREE.  Even a seemingly simple item as a kitchen towel does not come easy for me.   Sure I can do a scarf, but anything else and my brain requires a pattern.  Once I've made the pattern, I can modify it and change it up, but I need the pattern first.

Back to my knitting . . .
Happy crafting :)