Thursday – April 21, 2011
Valorie Davis writes:
A few years ago I attended Harney County Hospice’s Wine and Food Festival. Part of the fund raiser is the silent auction. Items were arranged on tables around the edge of the room. Someone had donated a hundred or so crocheted dishcloths! The event coordinator had bundled up the dishcloths in various ways (rolled and tied with a bow, stacked with a cook book, placed in baskets, etc.). I wrote out bids for every one of the bundles, thinking I’d at least get one set. I ended up outbid and didn’t come home with any.
I went online thinking that I could find a similar pattern. I found a ton of patterns. It was thicker than other cloths I’d seen. I ended up contacting the lady that had originally crocheted the pattern and had her teach me. She was a neat lady, at one time she’d had a craft store. When her husband was diagnosed with a terminal illness she’d closed up her store and they’d moved closer to family. She spent her time at his bedside crocheting. She’d adapted an afghan pattern and made hundreds of dishcloths. Crocheting was her therapy. I’m going to print up one of the challenge forms and see if she’d like to share her pattern.
As for me, I made up several of the dishcloths for Christmas gifts. My mom promptly called me and told me, ‘they were too nice to do dishes with’, she was going to use them for bath cloths. So for her birthday (March) I made her some bath cloths using a pattern that looked like a fan (she collects fans), filling a basket with the cloths and some fancy soaps. She called back and said she’d starched them and put them on the wall as decorations, ‘they were too nice to bathe with'” – she said!
I wonder what would happen if I made something for her to hang on the wall where it’d end up?
This dishcloth was inspired by a cup cake. Actually it was Teresa Richardson’s Cup Cake Hat Pattern. I made a swatch of the cup cake paper pattern and thought it would made an elegant piece on its own. After making the dishcloth, I thought it would neat as a scarf. I’m making 2, one working top to bottom and one working side to side. I’m using solids, to not distract from the stitch design.
Thank you Valorie for submitting your dishcloth and such a wonderful story for the Dishcloth-a-Day Challenge. Follow me onto Dishcloth #112 and the rest of the story…
Royal Ridge Dishcloth
Original Design By: Valorie Davis
Copyright 2011 Maggie Weldon
Skill: Easy
Size: About 8” square
Materials: Worsted Weight Cotton Yarn: Blue – 2.5 oz, 122 yds (71 g, 110 m) (Peaches and Creme – Delft Blue)
Crochet Hook: Size I-9 (5.50 mm)
Note: To identify the loop under the top of the stitch, start with the back of the previous row facing you (the row you’re about to work in). Notice the front and back loops on top of the stitch. Look below this to find the loop you’ll be working in.
DISHCLOTH
Row 1: (Right Side) Starting at bottom, ch 33, hdc in 3rd ch from hook, [hdc in next ch] across. (31 dc)
Rows 2-19: Ch 1, turn, working in lp below top of st, hdc in each hdc across.
At the end of Row 19, finish off and weave in ends.
All Rights Reserved ©2011 Maggie Weldon
Enjoy,
Maggie
TOTALLY THNKS FOR THIS dishcloth and the storey i Kept your dishcloth site open for the next pattern joy to come every day i had to close it and re open for it to appea this is pretty looks like the pattern that i use on IRAQ hats… i use back loop on that pattern it streches then
different storey and a beauty every day THANKS FOR THIS section cant belive it we are almost a third done that will be 121&2/3rds… thanks again for your potholders HUGS ME
I’m having trouble understanding what stitch to crochet in………..thanks Berta
Lovely story, I am doing to make this one!