Crochet full size bath towel - is this a good or bad idea?

[chattyme]

Hi all,

 

I've been trying to work on some simpler projects and am making my first face wash cloth right now out of Peaches and Creme white worsted weight cotton. The whole thing is single crochet. I love the neat and tidy little rows of single crochet. Does anyone else think single crochet makes a nifty look all by itself? I taught myself to do tunisian crochet knit stitch this weekend and I think I'm equally in love with it's neat tidy look although it ends up a much thicker piece.

 

I really love the feel of this wash cloth in my hands. It's so dense and comfy. I was thinking, wouldn't this make a marvelous large bath towel? I wondered if anyone else ever crocheted an entire bath towel. Googling didn't reveal anything at all - except a few edged hand towels. But I'm thinking why not crochet the entire thing? Top to bottom - single crochet in lovely cotton? Must be absorbent as heck. Would feel lovely to be wrapped up in it. Might be great for wrapping around wet hair to pull out some of the moisture.

 

What do you all think? Is this a weird idea - or a good idea?

 

I got this grand vision of having a bathroom filled with my own handmade wash cloths, towels, bath mat, etc.

 

(I'm finding I have less trouble with my wrists and hands when I work on simpler projects like these. )

[Lady_of_Roses]

I'm just guessing here, but I suspect it's due to the fact that it would become so heavy from the water that people aren't crocheting bath towels.

 

Alternatively it may be something as simple as because doing something that big with no stitch pattern may be too boring for some.

 

For me, I have trouble crocheting with cotton for very long. I find it sort of drags compared to the acrylics I normally use and it makes my wrists hurt more quickly.

[birdlady1]

My first thought was that it would take forever to dry after even one use. You'd have to toss it in the dryer every time. Not very practical and certainly an energy hog.

[chattyme]

Hmm. Interesting thoughts.

 

Was just pondering the amount of water I get on my bath towels now when I use them. Wondering if a crocheted towel would seem any heavier or wetter with that same amount of water. I might do a dry time test with a wash cloth of crochet vs a wash cloth of terry cloth hanging on my towel wrack just to see if one air dries faster than the other. Might take me a couple weeks to get around to the test, but you've piqued my curiosity about drying.

[leaette]

wow...how many skeins of peaches n' creme would that take???!!!

it would be a very expensive bath towel.

[barbstitches]

I'm crocheting all my own dish towels along with my dishcloths as sets. They are working out really nice. Could never hurt to try.

[chattyme]

barbstitches, I feel so good hearing you're making dish towels and such. Thanks for letting me know.

 

I'm not going to sweat the energy for drying because really, I figure sun drying on the clothes line isn't a big deal. It bleaches out whites anyway - and makes them smell so good.

 

Leaette - not that expensive. EDITED for New IDEA:

If I purchased the cotton ready made: I paid $1.47 for a ball of peaches and creme. I made an 11x11 inch square in single crochet. I have left overs that make me think I could have made it 12x12. So if I figured bath towel of 24 inches wide by 60 inches long (just for sake of numbers - i don't know what size I really want yet) that would mean I'd need 10-12x12 squares - or 10 balls x $1.47 = $14.70. Granted, I have to watch every nickel that I have, but I can't imagine anything made like this would wear out anytime soon.

If I spin my own cotton yarn - the price would be FREE. I forgot, I am just learning how to spin. My S.O. can get me all the cotton I want free from farmers near him. If I can spin wool well, I'll give cotton a try --- and if I can do it, I will have my materials free of charge. I hope I can do it!

Edited September 29, 2008 by chattyme
forgot an idea

[moggy]

You could try making a hand towel (quicker and smaller than a full bath towel) and see how that goes on the drying front - if it doesn't work put a nice edging around it and voila, a self designed mat for your bathroom

[ZoeZoesmom]

I recently printed out a pattern for crochet wash cloth's and hand towels, I thought they would make nice gifts. I am pretty sure I would get bored doing anything larger than that.

[chattyme]

Moggy - good plan! I like that. Thanks.

 

ZoeZoesmom - I must be weird among crocheters. I actually enjoy the repetition. It gets meditative to just keep going and not have to think about the stitches at all. I know most people would say, "how boring!" - but it seems therapeutic to me. It clears my brain.

[Real Deal]

You can buy Peaches & Creme on cones at Walmart for half the price. They are one pound of worsted weight cotton.

 

I recently started making facecloths too in sc, because when I wanted to "steam" my face, my fingernails went through to my face using one with looser sts. I wasn't too happy with that. I'd never seen anyone do facecloths in sc, but I figured that didn't mean I couldn't do them.

 

I have been making them with an F hook in sc, and they have turned out to be just exactly what I want. I don't even make them very large, because they are only for my face, not body scrubbing ~ so I do a square of approx 7" then do a couple rnds of an edging. They end up around 8" square and I just love them.

 

Eventually I'll make some bigger body washcloths with more open sts.

 

I have been contemplating making hand towels also now. I would use sc for them. I don't want to have my fingers poking through them either.

 

Making a bath towel is an interesting idea. I don't know how it would work. My guess is that it would probably be quite heavy to lift. Actually, the weight could be figured out, so maybe it wouldn't be too bad.

 

I do like the idea of a bathmat. If I do one, I'd try double strands in sc.

[Debbi-a1]

I think I remember someone I met years ago, just in passing, saying she crochet full sized bath towels.

 

It wouldn't be any different then an afghan, really, I think. Smaller, actually. And you could probably use any solid pattern for a towel.

 

Would it be that much heavier then a regular towel? Maybe it's me, but my towels don't get that wet after my bath. They do get plenty wet, but not soaking. And that's when they get heavy. If I use a crochet one for anything else, then it can get very wet and heavy.

[Real Deal]

chattyme ~ I also like to do sc, but we are in the minority. Most people want to finish up projects as fast as possible, so they like the longer, looser sts.

 

I prefer the tighter fabric sc makes. I make all purses and totes in sc using double strands and I never have to line any of them.

 

Blankets and afghans in sc are unsurpassed for warmth.

 

Sc is the best for shaping also. Doing shaping with larger sts is much harder.

[MaryPat]

I think I'd use the tunisian stitch for something as large as a bath towel. More drapey; not as dense as SC. Made with a larger hook, it could even seem fluffy.

 

I made a baby blanket using plain tunisian stitch from cotton. It was a bunch of skeins I bought on sale at Smiley's. Each strand was actually 6 smaller strands. It was soft and washed well and felt more like a waffle pattern.

[chattyme]

Real Deal, Debbi and MaryPat, With your latest posts I'm getting even happier about the prospect of this towel making adventure.

 

Real Deal - I am so glad you love sc too. Even when I was a little girl, I used to love to do sc the best. My mother always hated it - probably for the reasons you cited. Your purse and tote idea is great. I may try that myself. And yes, the warmth value is amazing - that was mentioned in a book I'd read, too. It said hdc is warm, but sc is very warm. I am glad you've used it for blankets because I'd been toying with that idea. Now I feel more confident about it. I'm going to be making an ultra warm extra wide and extra long wool scarf / muffler for my s.o. for December that I plan to use sc to make. Someone suggested maybe fulling it afterwards for even more warmth - never tried it but I'm curious. And I too appreciate my fingers not poking through washcloths and towels - in fact, I've been ooh-ing and ahh-ing over some web pages that show how to do weaving on small handmade looms thinking, "oh what lovely tight flat stitches". Thanks for the tip about the half price for the cones. The cloths I make for myself won't matter in size - small is fine for me - but this one is a gift for a very kind person who is helping me learn to spin. As I mentioned, I think it would be ultra cool if I got to be a good enough spinner that I could spin my own cotton. I'd have a sea of cotton towels and such everywhere.

 

Debbi - so exciting to hear someone else might have done this. Thanks for letting me know.

 

MaryPat - what a neat idea! I bet that baby blanket would have had me drooling - sounds wonderful. I'll play around with a bit more of the Tunisian methods. Thanks.

[chattyme]

Just FYI - These are two great blog posts about spinning cotton. The first one even grows the cotton!

 

http://cottoncrop.blogspot.com/

 

http://fiberwitch.blogspot.com/2007/11/cotton-spinning-experience.html

[sorefingers]

I've made a few tea towel sets out of cotton. They weren't too bad to make. I gave them as wedding gifts and I've heard back that they are lovely to dry dishes with. So I'm thinking bath towels would work too! Hope you post pics if you try it!

 

Sore

[Angeleyz14]

I like the idea, but I know I would get bored to quickly with a full-sized towel, which is why I stick to knitting and crocheting wash/dish clothes and hand towels.

But for $$ sake you might want to look into buying the peaches'n'cream cones, which get you a bit better deal.

[ZoeZoesmom]

Found the link, I thought this was a pretty set.

http://www.coatsandclark.com/Crafts/Crochet/Projects/HomeDec/LW1645+Crochet+Eco-Chic+Bath+Set.htm

[yarnjeannie]

I think purchasing the cotton on cones is a great idea! Why don't you go ahead and make the bath towel - see how it works out! I'd love to know. Do AC Moore or Michael's or Joann's sell the cones? You can purchase them when those stores issue their 40% off coupons.

[CyM]

That sounds like a neat idea; I'd love to hear how it turns out.

 

I have the book One Skein, and there is a pattern for a crocheted bathmat in there made out of Peaches and Creme (which I find softer than the Sugar n Cream) that looks so thick and soft.

[Ladycrochat]

I would slowly work up to a full sized bath towel......you know make some face cloths, hand towels maybe some towels for the kitchen and see how they do with the weight and drying issues......The pattern that Zoezoesmom found is really nice (I saved it too!). But as you can see the larger towel is made up of rows of dcs.....makes it drape better and I imagine it would dry out faster......more surface area exposed to air with the dcs. you might want to try a row of scs followed by a row of dcs......really looks nice and could work out better for you. because you are the first one I have seen who wanted to do this....all we can do is give you some advice and see where it gets you.......you're leading the way! Have fun and keep us posted please!

[Titus2woman]

I did once see a pattern (Annie's?) for a tote bag complete with washcloth and bath towel, and I've wanted to make it ever since! (((((HUGS))))) sandi

[Craw]

I must be the only one who doesn't think this will work. The tight, dense stitches will make for a rough fabric. Not something soft and fluffy to dry yourself with. I must be a baby, I want a soft, squishy towel when I step out of the bath, LOL. Maybe if you used Cotton Tots instead? That's a much softer cotton but can be pretty pricey for a project this big. Of course, if you like the rougher fabric, then it's no big deal.

 

Right now I'm making a beach/picnic blanket in WW cotton. It'll be about 60" x 70" when finished. It's sorta a UFO at this point but that's because I won't need it until next summer. It is HEAVY and it's only half finished! I did one row sc, one row dc w/a G hook. I can safely say it's not something I'd want to dry myself off with but will be good for something to lay/sit on.

 

Still, I say go for it! Be sure to let us see the finished product. Looks like you are a pioneer in this area.

[Nila]

And yes, the warmth value is amazing - that was mentioned in a book I'd read, too. It said hdc is warm, but sc is very warm. I am glad you've used it for blankets because I'd been toying with that idea. Now I feel more confident about it.

 

I love the sc blanket I made for myself, though I hated it while I was working on it. It's probably the warmest blanket I own, what with the double strand of yarn and the small stitch (well, not tiny, I used a Q hook. ).

 

 

I think a towel in sc would work just great. I don't think it'd be much harder to dry than a regular towel; our store bought towels stay damp for a while after use so I doubt a crocheted one would be too much worse.

 

 

The tight, dense stitches will make for a rough fabric. Not something soft and fluffy to dry yourself with. I must be a baby, I want a soft, squishy towel when I step out of the bath, LOL.

 

I'd actually be worried that the sc would be a little too flat, but then again I like my towels kind of rough and scrubby.

 

 

The cotton itself would work great to dry you off. As much as I love working with it, it always drys my hands as I use it. I wouldn't use a really small hook for it though. I used an f hook and ww (acrylic) yarn to make a large pillow for my brother, and boy was that fabric stiff. I'd suggest using bigger than that, probably in the H-J range, to give it a bit of flexibility. I've used H's to make potholders, and they seem a little stiff but who knows how that fabric would act in a bigger project. I'd probably pick the J hook myself, but I love my J for everything.