At the beginning of this year my grandma passed away. One of the things I remember most about her was her love of crochet. Every time I would visit, she had a box full of hand towels that she had crocheted tops for. I loved when I was old enough to finally pick out a few for myself. When she would come to visit, grandma would always bring her box of hand towels. All of the family had two or three hand towels from grandma hanging in their kitchen.
To help ease the sadness after she was gone, I got one of her special towels and sat down on my couch with a new ball of yarn that I inherited from her very own collection. I was given her crochet hooks, and her knitting needles. (The needles will be for when I'm feeling extra brave and ready to learn something new.) I took her hand towel piece by piece and taught myself how to crochet a hand towel the way my grandma did. I pray she is smiling down on me from heaven.
I have since taken over her love, and I've been giving my crocheted hand towels as gifts to my friends and family members. I wanted my own box full of hand towels to give away when people came by to visit. It always makes me feel warm and cozy inside as I create another towel. I get to remember my grandma fondly, and smile at the gift she has passed on to me.
I've only known how to
crochet for about three years. I'm still a beginner. You've got to cut me a little slack if I get something wrong, or don't know the exact verbiage.
This is what I've figured out from looking at my grandma's very special crocheted hand towels. My grandma always started by cutting her hand towels in half. You get two towels for the price of one! Grandma was pretty thrifty! You could fold your towel in half and crochet down the middle too. But my grandma cut hers. I don't think grandma sewed a hem across the top of hers either. However that is what I do. I'm not coordinated enough to crochet while needing to hold my folded piece down. Sewing across the hem seems much more practical to me.
I use a tiny crochet hook, size E4/3.5mm
I made a special ruler to help me out. I drew my ruler on a piece of flannel that I safety pin to the top of my towel. This helps me to get the stitches even across the towel. I have two sizes on my ruler depending on the size of the hand towel I buy. I have used this ruler over and over and over again. Same ruler with at least 30 different towels made from it, and still counting.
Start at the right side of the towel, the wrong side facing up. Make a slip knot. Single crochet across the top of the towel 35 evenly spaced stitches. Turn the towel over.
Normally the crochet hook can poke through the towel. I've run across a couple types of towels that I have to work way too hard to poke through. On those towels I use my travel crochet scissors to poke holes across the towel. You could also use an X-Acto knife.
On the edge of each towel I always fold in the corner piece, poking my crochet hook through both sides before I make the first single crochet stitch.
After completing your first row, you should be left with something like this.
Chain 1 (only do this for the very first stitch of the row), skip a stitch, single crochet 1, skip a stitch, single crochet 1, and continue alternating until you reach the end. After each row you will turn the towel over. It should be 18 stitches counting your chain 1 as a stitch.
Chain 1 (only do this for the very first stitch of the row) , skip a stitch, single crochet 1, skip a stitch, single crochet 1, and continue alternating until you reach the end of the towel. Turn the towel over. It should be 9 stitches this time counting your chain 1 as a stitch.
You can see how the towel is starting to take shape and gather together.
The next row you will chain 1 (only do this for the very first stitch of the row), and then single crochet into each stitch after. When you get to the end of the row, turn your towel over.
Repeat this 9 times. (Chain 1, and then single crochet into the rest of the stitches.)
On this next row you will chain 1 like you normally do (again only do this for the very first stitch of the row), single crochet one stitch into the next 3 stitches, chain 1, skip a stitch, and then single crochet into the next 4 stitches. Turn your towel over. This is going to leave a hole for the button to slip through later.
Chain 1 (only do this for the very first stitch of the row) , single crochet into the next 8 stitches, turn your towel over. This is the same as the previous row.
Repeat this row one more time.
For the final row chain 1 (only do this for the very first stitch of the row), slip stitch into the next 8 stitches.
Finish off the end, and weave the tail end into the towel.
All you need to do now is sew a button on. I typically try to sew my button on as close to the towel as possible. I want an extra big loop to fit on the handle of my stove or cabinets.
Your towel is now ready to hang! Super simple craft to make! I usually have a hand towel done from start to finish in about 40 minutes.
My grandma had her kitchen decorated with apples, so I believe she would have loved this hand towel. I'm going to a craft fair next week, and I've been crocheting lots and lots of kitchen hand towels to sell. I wanted to do something to remember my grandma by, and this was the perfect way to honor her.
I've never made a pattern before, so I hope everything I've said makes sense.
I also have a blog post to teach how to make these towels on a
knitting loom.
