Improvizing - Topped Kitchen Towels

Learn to improvise when crocheting.  This is key when creating unique items.

For example - topped kitchen towels.


I often crochet a top onto kitchen towels to give as gifts or sell at flea markets.  Half of this is improvisation, half of it is the use of a stitch pattern.  This will be my attempt to explain to you how to make said topped towels without the use of a fabric hole puncher.

First, you pick your yarn colors and thread a darning needle with the yarn of your choice.  Use the blanket stitch and sew the yarn onto the top of the towel, folded in half as you see in the pictures above.  I usually leave about 1/4 to 1/2 inch between each stitch (eyeing it, not measuring.  You can measure it you want).  Tie it off.

Count your stitches.  I like to try to have it where if I crochet twice into each blanket stitch I'll get a multiple of 3, but it doesn't really matter.


Using around a size I-K hook, attach your yarn with a sl st to the end of one of the blanket stitches.  ch 1, sc across each of the blanket stiches.

Again, this is where you improvise.  It's fuller if you get at least 2 into each blanket stitch and 3 into the first and last.

Towel 1

If you have a multiple of 3+2 stitches, then the following looks wonderful...

Row 1 - ch3 (counts as dc here and throughout), sk 2 sc, V-stitch in next sc, * skip next 2 sc, V-stitch in next * repeat across to least sc, dc in last sc.

Row 2 - ch3, V- stitch in first V-stitch and in each V-stitch across, 1 dc in lact dc

Repeat Row 2 at least 2 more times.

(count the number of V-stitches you have.  This is where everyone's will be a little different.  If you have 18 V-stitches, you can decrease by multiples of 6 or 3.  If you have 15, you have to decrease by a multiple of 5 or 3.  You will decrease by skipping over V-stitches in the previous row or, if you don't like the hole that leaves, working a V-stitch in the space between V-stitches [this would be like doing a dcdec inbetween 2 dc stitches] Decrease like you do when working a circle.  1dc, 1dc, 1dcdec, 1dc, dc, 1dcdec for a multiple of 3)


Improvising decreasing rows - ch3, V-stitch in first V-stitch, decrease accordingly across, dc in turning ch

Continue decreasing rows - until you have only 5-7 V-stitches left.

Final decreasing row 1 - ch3, dc in each V-stitch across, dc in turning ch

Final Decrease Row 2 - ch2 (not a st), dc dec, dc in each dc across to last 2 dc, dc dec
* if you have 5 dc, stop here, if not, repeat this row until you do.

Handle Flap

Row 1- ch3, dc in each dc across and in turning ch

Repeat row 1 until desired length.

Button Hole

Row 1 - ch1, hdc in each dc across and in turning ch

Row 2, ch1, hdc in next 2 hdc, ch1, sk next hdc, hdc in last 2 hdc

Row 3 - ch1, hdc in each hdc and ch across

Finish off


Fold the handle over, fund a nice button to sew onto where you want it.

Optional Border

On one of the corners where the towel meets the yarn, attach with a sl st, ch1, sc even around your topper (be sure to make 3sc in the corners of you handle to make it squared)

Finish off
 
There ya go, you have a towel to hang in the kitchen!



Towel 2
 
If you have just a random number of stitches, then...

Row 1 - ch3 (counts as 1st dc here and throughout), dc in each sc across

Row 2 - ch3, dc in each dc across and in turning ch

Row 3 - repeat for 2 at least 2-3 more times

Improvising even decreases (count your stitches, you want to decrease evenly across, otherwise your towel will hang sideways)

Dec Row 6 - ch3, * dc in next x dc, dc dec, * repeat from * to the middle, then * dc dec, dc in next x dc, * repeat from * across until last st, dc in last st.

Dec Rows 7-10(ish) - repeat dec row 6 until you reach 5 dc

Handle

Row 1 - ch3, dc in each dc across

repeat row 1 until handle is desired length

Button Hole

Row 1 - ch1, hdc in each dc across and in turning ch

Row 2, ch1, hdc in next 2 hdc, ch1, sk next hdc, hdc in last 2 hdc

Row 3 - ch1, hdc in each hdc and ch across

Finish off


Fold the handle over, fund a nice button to sew onto where you want it.

Optional Border

On one of the corners where the towel meets the yarn, attach with a sl st, ch1, sc even around your topper (be sure to make 3sc in the corners of you handle to make it squared)


Finish off

There ya go, you have a second towel to hang in the kitchen!




Hope that makes enough sense for you.  Again, it's highly improvised, but not that hard once you sit down to it.  And the wonderful thing about it is if you have a stitch dictionary there are lots of different things you can find to do with the various numbers of stitches you'll start off with.

Have fun!!