Scrabby yarn (from IceYarns or from RedHeart) has sort of an eye-lash thread but with the “eyelashes” are created with the twistiess. It is typically used to knit washcloth for dishes and baths
Knitting by hand with this yarn was fun – it creates a unique texture without any effort. I also decided to use my Addi circular machine to see if I can make household items faster. So, I was able to knit loofahs, coffee holders (aka reusable sleeves for paper cups), place holders, table pads and coasters.
Both IceYarns and RedHear offer a very wide variety of colors, including solid, two and three color variegated types. I chose white and black yarn because in my opinion it hides all the crumbs and spills really well
The IceYarn offers scrubby yarn as 100% polyester. One skein holds 3.53 oz (100 g) and contains 103 yards (95 m). Red Heart offers both 100% polyester (100g/3.53 oz and 85 meters/92 yards per skein) and 100% cotton yarn (weight and yardage depend on whether the color is solid or variegated). I only tested the 100% polyester yarn because I had cotton washcloths and I could never get rid of the smell of dirty dishes even after washing the scrubbies over and over again.
The cast-one was straightforward and relatively easy. It did help to keep the tension loos but not too loose because the yarn is silky (very smooth) enough where it can skip stitches (which we don’t want). However, I started using contrasting waste yarn because it is easier to manipulate the stitches afterward (in order to put the washcloths together )
The knitting on the machine became significantly easier after the first two rows. However, some of the stitches did not sink into the slots on their own and I had to help “them” . Even though the yarn will hide all defects because of the variegated colors and because of the twisties on the yarn, I still did not want to create tuck stitches because they sometimes lead to missed stitches. Check out my youtube video on how I dealt with these stubborn stitches.
A square scrubby took 12 rows. In the same video, I demonstrated the techniques I used to finish these square scrubbies. I tested them and they are washable on a regular cycle and even dryable on “knits” cycles. Coffee mug sleeves would probably take 12-30 rows depending on whether you like it single-or double-layered. Placement mats should be done on large Addi. I made mine rectangular and double-layered with 60 rows.
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