Who thinks about Christmas in October? Those of us who try to make handmade things for gifts find even October is sometimes too late! As soon as Labor Day festivities are over, we start getting anxious about what we want to accomplish by the middle of December. Of course, retail stores help this along by hauling out the decorations to get us in the mood! We tolerate displays of Halloween ghosts and goblins and Thanksgiving turkeys but we’re already looking for fabrics, patterns and craft ideas. As we know, it takes time to produce a quilt, knitted sweater or gift basket of handmade items.
How wonderful that sometimes folks will request a special handmade gift in September so I have time to actually make it! Love it! I had such a request for crocheted dishcloths like I had made several years ago. Actually, at that time I was making random wash cloths to go with my various bars of soap I was making. I ended up making a variety of squares, trying to find the best yarn to make a washcloth that was strong when wet (not just soft when dry). I finally passed the whole pile on to my son’s family. I didn’t know they were using them and now needed more!
Very well-loved dishcloths!
I had to search for my bag of crochet hooks and of course had to make a visit to JoAnn’s to choose some new yarn.
I shouldn’t have to buy any more crochet hooks!
Next, I tried to remember what kind of yarn I used originally. That was hard, because I remember trying all kinds of yarn…from nylon and acrylic to bamboo and cotton. I was pretty sure I used cotton but now the choice was between a 4-ply cotton yarn and a #3 crochet cotton.
Finally, all I could do was START! I basically used a single crochet stitch. Beginning with about 28 stitches, I first used the 4-ply cotton yarn. Geez! My fingers had forgotten how to crochet! The first attempts made a hefty 10-inch square. It was heavy enough to use as a pot holder! Next, I started with only 24 stitches. That was better. I also went to a larger hook so it wasn’t so tightly woven (plus, I finally relaxed my stitches). I’m not sure about this yarn. Would I wash dishes with this cloth? It was pretty heavy.
Next, I tried the #3 crochet yarn. These turned out thinner and more flexible.
My first cloths with the #3 crochet cotton started with about 24 and then I crocheted around the whole cloth several times. This made a very flexible cloth…but I think it should be larger, so I’ll increase my starting row of stitches.
At this point, I’ll just keep crocheting and around the beginning of December, I’ll put them in the mail to California! What fun for me and hopefully useful to them!
While I was looking for any other posts I’ve written about crocheting…I could find only one! In June 2023 I tried to make my favorite hot pads. They are my favorite and were gifts from a dear friend (Thank you Helen!). I figured I’d better learn how to make them myself. Luckily, Pinterest had several tutorials available. Here’s a picture of the ones she made for me. They wash beautifully and have double protection.
These hot pads were a wonderful gift!
My hot pads were thick enough, but not exactly as pretty!
Read about how to make them here: https://marykisner.com/crochet-a-double-thick-hot-pad/
So for now, you’ll know what I’m doing while I’m watching Hallmark Movies or Penn State football! What Christmas gifts are you going to try to make this year? Enjoy!
