New life for old towels

We like to go camping, but everytime we go I have to get hand towels, etc, out of our linen cupboard to take with us. I read an article in a Grass Roots Magazine edition about using old towels to make hand towels and face washers. I had some old towels that I was thinking of giving to my husband as rags for use in the shed, so I got them out. This is also a great way to use up any scraps of material that you have.

Firstly, cut the towels to the size required and trim off any frayed bits. I made two different styles - on some I cut a piece of scrap material the same size as the piece of towel and layed the material and towel right sides together. I then overlocked three edges together, turned the material and towel right sides out, attached a ribbon to use as a hook and sewed the open edge together.

The other style was to use either a strip of material, wide ribbon or bias binding to create and edging for the towel.

As I was making these for use when camping, I wasn't worried if the material, cotton thread and ribbon didn't match the colour of the towel. When I make some for use in the home, I will be a bit more selective.

What I ended up with are some new hand towels and smaller cloths that can be used as dish cloths or cleaning cloths. They all have a loop of ribbon on them so they can hang up somewhere. Much better than using them as rags or sending them to the compost or rubbish bin!

Knit your own dish cloths

It might seem like a strange thing to do, knitting your own dish cloths, but when you make yours you will see the advantages. I first came upon this while visiting relations and saw one that my soon-to-be sister-in-law had made. I was given some of the wool and have made a few of my own. They are the best dish cloths you will ever come across, and it's not just me who thinks that. My husband says so too.
To make one you will need some Anchor Magic Line or Bendigo Mills Cotton yarn, as well as some knitting needles. I used 4mm needles, but you could use a different size depending on your tension or preference.
Cast on as many stitches as you like, it all depends on how big you want to make your cloth. I have made two sizes and for the one that is pictured here I cast on 30 stitches. I did one of 40 stitches and have found that one to be a bit big.
I then did 4 rows garter stitch followed by 4 rows of rib (knit 2 purl 2). I repeated this until I reached the desired size. The varied texture by using garter stitch and rib stitch helped to create a cloth that is good for scrubbing dishes without being abrasive.
These dish cloths can be chucked in the washing machine, no special washing instructions required. They tend to get a bit smelly, so when they start to smell, it's time to put them through the wash.