Crocheted trim for towels and bathcloths

I went to the Black Friday sales last year. Hardly worth the effort but I did get a few cool things. I knew I wanted socks and pajamas but they also had yarn and plain towels on sale. I bought a bunch of white towels and planned out five colors of yarn to fit my five children.

Davy and James were easy. Davy likes blue. James likes green. Katie Rose got the girly pink color. The two little boys are based on their bedding. John Micah got red for Lightning McQueen. Joseph got Thomas the Train blue.

Flu and RSV prevented me from finishing them before Christmas. So I wrapped yarn, bathcloth and towel together and told them what a creative idea that Santa must have had. I finished them in a few short weeks and they have been making good use of them. 

They were so cheerful looking that I had to make some for the master bathroom. I found a red that coordinated with my towels and trimmed some of the beige bathcloths that were packaged in a stack with the white ones.

Here is how I did it.

I used a small steel hook that would poke through the cloth and still be able to grab the yarn. I single crocheted all the way around the bathcloth and on each end of the towel.

Next row. I switched to a F hook and chain 3 and slip stitch (I used a slip stitch instead of a single crochet that other patterns may call for because I didn't want huge holes with the added height of a single crochet) all the way around or along the length. This sometimes meant that I skipped two stitches and sometimes I skipped three. I just tried to have it spaced evenly. If it is too tight, it will ruffle up the edges.

Last row. In each chain three space, I worked this pattern; single crochet, half double crochet, double crochet, half double crochet, single crochet.

Cut your yarn and pull it through to finish with a small knot. Then weave in your ends. Easy Peasy!

I have several more that I plan to do. I found a coordinating green hand towel for the master bathroom and I have several more towels and bathcloths in my stash that need cheering up.

These hold up very well even in regular wash cycles. I actually used a similar stitch on some homemade pillowcases. The seam has come apart a little after nearly five years of use and washes but the crocheting is still perfect! So I figure that the towels will probably wear out long before the crocheting will.

Happy Crocheting! I will try to get a pic of the Hello Kitty hat that I made for my daughter. I hate having to wait for her birthday to give it to her. Maybe sharing it on here will help me keep the secret from her til May.