I've been using dishtowels since I was young.
My mom used them in the kitchen. Dishtowels are handy when I want to dry dishes, my hands, or mop up a spill on the counter or floor.
I never paid much attention to a kitchen towel. It dangled from the oven handle, waiting to be used instantly.
Then I grew up.
I learned to weave in college, and weaving dishtowels was the last thing on my mind. I created art pieces that are displayed on my wall currently.
Dishtowels seemed boring.
So life went on. I married, had children, and left my love of weaving and dishtowels behind. Soccer games, PTA meetings, and life happened all around me.
But lo and behold, life has a way of changing, whether we want that change or not.
Fast forward many years, and I found myself with an empty nest and single again—free to pursue my own choices.
So I buy a floor loom and go back to weaving. And what do I begin weaving?
Towels, of course.
They don't only function as towels. They are small canvases where I get to place color in an experimental fashion. And in the end of my experimenting, I happen to get a towel.
And not any towel. One that works!
Handwoven towels can last for years—and years!
I weave with linen, cotton, mercerized cotton (a coated cotton), cottolin (a blend of cotton and linen) and hemp. My experiments have proven that any of these fibers is more absorbent than a cheap towel from a big box store. They also feel better in my hand and work better than the cheap cotton blend often used to keep the price down.
What I learned is that towels do matter. A good hand towel makes any clean-up almost enjoyable. It makes drying dishes fun. Hanging a handmade towel on my oven handle gives me joy.
And we all need a little joy in our lives.
So what are you waiting for? Go get a handmade towel!