In Which the Pirate Arrrr-gyles.

When I picked out this “Earth Ombres” colourway of Sugar ‘n Cream, I thought that Michael might like the blues and browns. I was right, so I’ll be giving him this washcloth the next time I see him. I used this free pattern from Linda Bohrn called the Woven Stitch Dishcloth (on the Wayback Machine now, the original is gone) and again I chained a few more stitches than called for. I like bigger washcloths, around 10 or 11 inches square. I got lucky – the number of stitches I ended up with was exactly the right number to give me perfect argyle patterning! There’s a way to figure out the stitch count to make the colours stack or to make the argyle, but it seems like a lot of effort for an instant gratification type of project like a washcloth. I will just be grateful when it happens inadvertently, and not stress about it if it doesn’t. But I bet I’ll be making another washcloth with this pattern and the same number of stitches to see if I can make it happen again – I actually picked this pattern because of the number of projects made with it that did end up argyling. Is “argyling” a word? Well, it is now.

I really like the texture of these crocheted washcloths. They’re knobbly enough to be properly scrubby, but the cotton is soft enough so it doesn’t tear off any skin. The only thing is, they seem to take forever to dry! This is partly because they’re 100% cotton, and partly because I have to keep the bathroom doors closed so the cats don’t get into any mischief in there. If I make some cloths for the kitchen to use as dishrags or counter-scrubber rags, I’ll make them with more holey-space out of leftover acrylic, something like Over the Rainbow from the same author as the cloth I just made. Red Heart is scratch enough to wash with, but not so much as to scratch the dishes. Or I’ll buy some tulle and work with that. Not only will the cloths made of synthetic yarn dry faster, but it’s mold-resistant and won’t harbour any germs, and will stand up to the frequent washing and scrubbing better than an all-natural fibre will. I have heard that the tulle scrubbies are perfect for cleaning glass stovetops, as well.

And now, to pick the next pattern. I’m on a roll here!