More corn dish cloths!

I have decided to give up on the cotton dish cloth and expand my horizons because:

• they don't last very long at our house.
• they get stinky.
• they fade and get out of shape.

So, my new quest is with corn yarn because:

• it is naturally antibacterial.
• it comes in vibrant colors.
• it has a gentle abrasive quality that is great for getting food off of dishes
• and I get bored easily and corn seems a bit more exotic than cotton:)

Here is the yarn I found at 3 Kittens Needle Arts. It is 100% corn and they have many beautiful colors. Here is what I chose.

On the label it says "Made in the USA from imported fibers". So, we don't have enough corn in our country? Is this special corn? I'm going to have to investigate.

The Yarn Comparison...The results!

I started the yarn comparison on January 21, and then gave an update on February 16...see previous posts.

So, now that I am about to throw away this now yukky dishcloth, I thought I should share it with you first....

It actually looks nicer in the picture than it does in real life:) It is dry and almost crusty. I think both yarns, the $1.59 yarn from WalMart, and the $2.59 yarn from the local yarn shop fared equally unwell. While the more expensive yarn started off softer, they both came out stiff in the end. Also, both lost their vibrant color after the same amount of washing tables and being washed.

If you are going to knit cotton dishcloths, I say....go for the inexpensive yarn.

Dishcloth yarns comparison

Here is the latest picture of my combination dishcloth. At this point I would say they are wearing about equally. They appear to be fading at about the same rate. The texture of the two is also equal. I'll keep using it and keep you posted on the progress.

A few notes to self. The judge at the Minnesota State Fair made a great and honest observation. My casting off is a bit tight. Can't hide from that one! Also, I need to do a better job of sewing in my yarn ends.

On another note, I am half way through the diamonds on my knitting bag!! Yeah!!

Handknit Dishcloths

I went to visit my mom Sunday afternoon for a movie (The Changeling) and knitting time. I made a lot of progress on my knitting bag, more on that later.





When I arrived, my mom showed me what she had been working on...

Dishcloths are so versatile. You can use any color you want and you can make any pattern you want. They are a great way to practice a new stitch before moving on to a larger project! And who doesn't appreciate a new dishcloth?

Yarn Made from corn? Yup, I have some!

Today I went to one of my favorite local yarn shops, www.3kittensneedlearts.com to follow up on Laura's recommendation of the linen yarn for dish cloths. I looked through the colors and decided on a cantaloupe colored hank. The linen feels very stiff. Apparently after it is washed it becomes very soft.

While I was browsing I found a pretty apple green colored yarn. When I touched it the softness was surprising after handling the linen yarn. The most surprising thing to me was the fiber content. It is 100% corn! I can't even begin to imagine how some kernels of corn get transformed into this...



We will be getting more dish cloths soon!!

Knitted Dish Cloths are the greatest!

We are back into knitted dish cloth mode at our house! I knitted several over the weekend. One (the blue one) during the very fun but disappointing in the end, Viking Game. The top one I started while getting the oil changed and finished in the carpool line. No I do not knit and drive! The carpool line is full of great pauses. It sure does take the kids a long time to get into a car with all their snow gear! The fall and spring line do not pause enough for me to knit. So, hey, take advantage of the time given!

My experimental dish cloth, the blue and mango stripped one has been through one use and wash. I will keep you all posted as the wear develops. If you are new, I am watching the wear progress of two different yarns knitted into one dish cloth.

My latest accomplishment is that I have loosened up on my casting off! Remember, the Minnesota State Fair judging sheet said that my casting off was a bit tight. This is true of the blue/mango dish cloth above. Note the blue edge on the right. So, being very aware of this I think I am improving as you can see in the variegated dish cloth above.

Yarn Comparisons with a Knitted Dish Cloth

I have been very busy making dish cloths. Making dish cloths goes quickly and we really needed some! I started to think about the quality of my dishcloths.

As I shopped for yarn the thrifty side of me bought Sugar and Cream yarn at Wal-Mart for 1.59 for 50g ball of cotton yarn. Then I went to The Three Kittens yarn shop in Mendota Heights, MN www.3kittensneedlearts.com. They are my favorite goto yarn shop for knitting help in the afternoons, and for a beautiful selection of yarns. I asked Laura about dish cloth yarns and did they have something a step up from the Sugar and Cream. She showed me a great color selection from CoolSpun Cotton. It cost 2.75 for a 50g ball of yarn. I selected a pretty sky blue and a great spring colored variegated ball.

Next I came home and knit this dish cloth.


The feel of the two yarns the mango(Sugar and Cream) vs. the blue (CoolSpun Cotton) was very similar. I was curious about how each yarn would hold up after cleaning a kitchen used by 7 people and lots of washing. Today I will weave in the loose ends and then put it to use with our chicken with oriental vegetables dinner.

One other yarn that Laura showed me was a beautiful 100% Linen hank of yarn. Wow! It looked beautiful! Once I complete this project I may just splurge on the $24.00 yarn and see how the linen looks (I'm sure it will be beautiful) and holds up in the laundry.