I Knit Dish Cloths • First in a Series of My Obsessions • Offered on a Regularly Irregular Schedule
I'm going to start something new. It's a behind the scenes peek into my psyche. From time to time, I'm going to share an occasional glimpse into some of my passions. Here is the first in a series of my obsessions offered on a regularly irregular schedule.
I knit dish cloths. I admit it. Yes,I knit dish cloths for the kitchen.
But, wait a second, I don't want you to think that's all I can knit.
I've made tiny blankets for babies with AIDS which were delivered to hospitals all over the country. I knit some love into each stitch.
I knitted this hat for a friend in chemotherapy, and made more in different styles and colors so she could look chic.
I knit hats for little kids, too.
I also make shawls in a lace pattern. I like challenges. Trust me, you can not watch TV and knit one of these.
How about a hat for a Star Wars-obsessed grandson? Look at that face.
But, I really love knitting dish cloths because I have fun working with all the colors and patterns.
When I tell people what I’m knitting, they get this glazed look in their eyes which says,"Is she out of her mind? Knitting dish cloths?" To them, it conjures up visions of women with gray hair. Yep, that’s me. That I’m a grandma? Yep, I’m that also. So, I’ve learned to lie. When asked what I'm making, I reply, “Oh, I’m working on a pattern sample." They accept that.
I was so happy with the way they turned out, I decided to give some to my son for his new San Francisco Victorian-style apartment. He opened the box, smiled and said, "Thank you SO much!" There was a pause, he looked at the dish rags, looked at me and said. "Why are you wasting your precious time and talent making dish cloths?" I know he loves me, but when I left, they were quietly put in the bottom drawer.
Unfazed, I've given some to my daughter. Little does she know that I've seen them tucked away in the bottom of one of her kitchen drawers. I don’t say a word. Come on guys, knitted dish cloths are so much better than sponges. Sponges get this gross smell that never goes away and makes your hands smell foul. With these colorful, cotton dish cloths, you simply put them in the washing machine and they come out smelling, well, 'un-sponge-like.' Clean. They also give me a visual treat as I use them around my kitchen.
Just look at these colors. Wouldn’t you be happier in your kitchen with one of these?
OK, the problem is that after I’ve gifted these beauties to family and friends, absolutely no one has asked me to make any more of them! I don’t know if it’s because they last forever or they’ve got them buried in a bottom drawer.
We live in a very contemporary house, and these old-fashioned dish cloths offend my husband's exquisite aesthetic sensibilities.He rolls his eyes but puts up with them. Sorry, Honey, I love my dish cloths. They take me back to a simpler time. One day, they will be on Antiques Road Show as examples of 21st century handicrafts. By then, they’ll be nicely faded and people will collect them like quilts. They deserve not to be hidden in bottom drawers.
The patterns for these dish cloths may be found in a wonderful knitting book, Mason-Dixson Knitting, Written by two bloggers, Kay Gardiner and Ann Shayne at http://www.masondixonknitting.com They're very entertaining and I've actually laughed out loud reading their knitting books.
The babies' hats and the chemo hat are from the delightful book, Itty-Bitty Hats, by Susan B. Anderson. Her site is charming and informative.
The Star Wars hat pattern was created at Compatto yarn store in Santa Monica, California
