I could never really understand how these were done. I thought maybe all those teeny-tiny stitches along the edge were some form of blanket stitch - but what form?
So last year I asked a granny, lovely Lydia in Albury. She scrambled around around in her crochet bag and came up with a size 1 hook. Instead of getting me to do the work she crocheted away while talking to me but still managed to impart the right knowledge. Yesterday, after 9 months, I finally gave it a go.
Of course. before you start crocheting, I imagine you will want to cut your teatowels in half, although some people just fold them and have a double hanging towel. If you cut yours in half, you might like to work out how to deal with the rough edges in order to strengthen them. You could zigzag along them or overlock them. I simply folded the cut edge in, approximately 5 mm which was about the depth of the first row of crochet, so that the crochet actually overlocked them.
I used a size 1.5 hook because the only other option was a 0.75 and I reckoned that might not even have a hook on it, it is sooo tiny. LOL! The yarn is a cotton, I think. I bought it for $2.99 at the local cheapy shop because there is no where else around to get it here except maybe Kmart.
Then I just start to crochet into the fabric. That's right - you just poke the hook into the material and pull your yarn through and do ordinary double crochet stitches. That is why you need such a tiny hook. I imagine a finer teatowel could well do with a finer hook and possibly that may require thinner yarn.
Next 2 rows I only crocheted every second stitch, again in dc.
Next 2 rows have a treble in the first 2 stitches, miss a stitch, then repeat. Because of the unknown quantity of the original number of stitches you may have to have a stitch more or less at the end. Play it by ear.
At this point I had 8 stitches. I continued on doing treble for 16 rows of 8 stitches.
17th row. 2 treble, 4 chain, 2 treble.
18th and final row. 1 half treble crochet, 1 treble 4 trebles in chain gap, 1 treble, 1 half treble crochet and sign off.
On the bottom of the towel I crocheted into the towel and returned with a row of lace, each time something different according to how I felt.
This is a very basic tutorial. A lot of what you do will have to be arranged according to how many stitches you originally crocheted into the towel. I guess this is a bit like the older cook who knows the basic recipe and just does it without ever measuring a thing and it always works. Hope this works for you too!
The last useable piece went into this kitschy folder for a friend who loves vintage. Some of the work is not very well done but she is the sort who will not mind but will rather be thankful for the thought. It is great to have friends like that.
Yay!
Saving your sanity - one day at a time!