Here in the United States, Mother's Day comes on the second Sunday of May every year. Until this year, I had never really thought to look up the history of Mother's Day and I learned some interesting things about the holiday that I never knew before.
Before we get to how to crochet this beautiful towel set with optional appliques, I thought I would take a moment to share with you what I learned about the history of Mother's Day.
Just before the Civil War in the late 1800's, Ann Jarvis organized "Mother's Day Work Clubs" to help moms learn how to care for their children and home. She was trying to help improve sanitary conditions and reduce infant mortality rates.
Jarvis had given birth to 13 children and only 4 survived to adulthood. She was on a mission to help mothers and families improve the conditions of their time and change these types of family statistics.
During the war, she used her platform to help bring reconciliation between foes. She was a fighter for peace and hated any and all strife and division. She was instrumental in helping family members be reunited and reconciled after the war between the North and the South ended.
However, Ann was not alone in her efforts. Julia Ward Howe was another forerunner who also advocated for a "Mother's Peace Day," where she believe mothers had a "sacred right" to protect the lives of their boys and believed that war was a preventable evil.
It wasn't until 1914 that the holiday became official in the United States. Neither of the ladies got to see this day come, but Ann Jarvis' daughter, Anna Jarvis, was the one responsible for campaigning and seeing it through to its fruition under President Woodrow Wilson.
All three of these pioneering women had the heart's desire that it would be a private holiday amongst family members to honor and celebrate the significance and importance of motherhood.
Their intent was for families to do small sentimental things like writing heartfelt letters. However, the holiday became very commercialized in the United States and in other celebrating parts of the world.
This infuriated Anna Jarvis as she knew this was not her true intent nor the intent of her late mother. She fought to get it off the official calendar in the United States so that it would not be something for people to profit monetarily from but was unable to get it withdrawn.
There is obviously more to the history but for the sake of time, I just wanted to share small synopsis of its history. You can find more information about its history from a simple Google search. Britannica, History, and Wikipedia also have some great information.
For now, I would like to move on to the pattern! I think it is fitting to do something to honor Jarvis and Howe's original heart's desire, to do something small and sentimental for our mothers in this world.
I know some of us may not have a mother to give anything to for a variety of reasons, but there are a few things we could do to honor motherhood around us.
We could honor a mother figure in our lives, someone that we look up to or that has been there for us. Maybe it's a grandmother, an aunt, a co-worker, a neighbor, a teacher, a mentor, or a coach.
We could also honor a mother of small children who may not be getting a lot of praise or encouragement in this season of life. I remember vividly how unseen and forgotten I felt during those newborn and toddler years. The world doesn't offer us a whole lot in those years it seems.
We could also honor foster moms who are doing a very thankless thing in our culture these days and helping children to have a mom in a season where their biological mom is unable to be one.
There is also the opportunity to honor the moms, grandmoms, and great grandmoms in nursing homes and retirement homes who do not get many visitors if any at all.
One last idea I have is to honor yourself. That is right, I said it! Do something special for yourself! I even recommend writing a letter to yourself and encourage yourself. This is biblical, you know! In first Samuel 26, it says that David encouraged himself in the Lord. Sometimes we need to encourage ourselves and be our biggest fan in seasons where it feels like we have no one else to.
I think one way or another we can all find some kind words to put on a note and package with these beautiful towels to honor a mother that has blessed this world in their own unique way, even if it means honoring yourself.
These towels are designed to work in either the kitchen or the bathroom. The appliques can be used for those who wish to make a kitchen set and omitted if they are being given as a bathroom set.
Tester Gina B. shared this picture showing how she is using her set in her bathroom and I think it is beautiful!
She said she use "Yarn Bee Sugar Wheel Cotton" in the colorway Nutmeg Nibbles. Here is another picture she submitted.
Tester Tanya P. wanted to use her towel in her RV and added a custom top so she could hang hers on a hook. What a great idea!
And last but not least... I just really loved Deborah A.'s color combo and wanted to share her WIP photo. This color combo gives me beach house vibes!
Here is a different angle to see the textures more from Tester Laura F.
So many fun ways to customize the look of your towel sets with simple color changes!
The texture and shape are very unique from what you find in stores and has a beautiful one-of-a-kind look. I truly hope you enjoy crocheting this set.
The fun thing is being able to use any color combination to enhance the design of your project. You can change colors on any row you wish!
If you enjoy this pattern and would like a printable ad-free version you can get a copy from one of my three shops by clicking below:
Here is how you crochet these lovely towels.
“Mom’s Dish Towel Set”
Crochet Pattern
Material:
Worsted Weight #4 100% Cotton
One towel & One Wash Cloth
240 - 480 yards
Color(s) of choice
Hook
G 4 mm
E 3 mm *if making appliques
Needle
Scissors
Hot glue *optional
Stitches:
MR - Magic Ring
Ch(s) - chain(s)
Sl st - slip stitch
Sc - single crochet
Dc - double crochet
Dc2tog - double crochet two stitches together
St(s) - stitch(es)
BLO - all sts in row back loop only
#st - complete # number of sts in same space
St # - complete stitch in next # number of spaces
Twice - repeat the stitch instruction two times
( ) - work all in the same st space
* * - repeat instructions between asterisks
Special Stitch Info:
Ridged Chevron - The washcloth and dish towel feature the Ridged Chevron. The RC emphasizes the horizontal lines/ribs rather than the peaks and valleys like most Chevron designs. There is a smoother wave whereas most chevron designs are more “pointy” or “triangular-shaped.”
Peaks - For this pattern, the peaks of the waves are created with a 2dc x 2.
Valleys - Valleys, or the low points of the waves, are created by the dc2tog x 2 in each row.
Pattern Info:
Dish Towel
Approximately 12 inches wide by 20 inches long.
Dish Cloth
Approximately 9 x 9 inches.
Appliques -
Coffee Cup
Approximately 1.5 inches tall and 2.5 inches wide, without steam. Steam is about 1.5 inches tall.
Spoon & Fork
Approximately 2 inches tall and 1 inch wide for each.
Gauge / Swatch:
Gauge is not critical but if you would like yours to be close to the exact size you can do the following:
Foundation Ch = Multiples of 12 + 3
12 sts = approx. 3 inches
4 Rows = approx. 3 inches
Swatch
Follow the dishcloth instructions. Peak to peak will be about 8.5 to 9 inches in height and about 9 inches in width. See photo for assistance when making swatch foundation row.
DRAWING / DIAGRAM
For Dish cloth / Swatch
Adjustments
If your swatch is larger you can go down a hook size, if it is smaller you can go up a hook size.
Alternatively, you can try adjusting your tension if a different hook size is not available.
Skill Level: Confident Beginner. If you are unsure of any stitches, Google and YouTube can help!
Language: For this pattern, American Standard Terms are used.
Pattern Instructions
*beginning/turning chs count as a st
*note I use a ch 2 for my beginning/turning ch for DC sts, feel free to use a ch 3 if you prefer
*all sections use a G 4 mm hook unless otherwise noted
*all sts for all rows after Row 1 are worked in BLO
*Foundation ch is multiples of 12 + 3 to make larger widths; every 12 sts = approx. 3 inches; add or subtract as many rows as desired
Dish Cloth:
Begin: Ch 39.
Row 1: Dc in the 4th ch from the hook, *dc 3, dc2tog twice, dc 3, 2dc twice*, repeat *to* once more, dc 3, dc2tog twice, dc 3, 2dc, ch 3, counts as a st. (36st) *see photo at the end of page 3 for further assistance
Row 2: Turn, BLO dc, *dc 3, dc2tog twice, dc 3, 2dc twice*, repeat *to* once more, dc 3, dc2tog twice, dc 3, 2dc, ch 3, counts as a st. (36st)
Row 3 - 12: Repeat Row 2, fasten off after last st of row 12. You can change colors on any row desired to create the look that you desire. On my washcloth, I changed colors after every 4 rows to end with 3 color blocks.
Dish Towel:
Begin: Ch 51.
Row 1: Dc in the 4th ch from the hook, *dc 3, dc2tog twice, dc 3, 2dc twice*, repeat *to* two more times, dc 3, dc2tog twice, dc 3, 2dc, ch 3, counts as a st. (48st)
Row 2: Turn, BLO dc, *dc 3, dc2tog twice, dc 3, 2dc twice*, repeat *to* two more times, dc 3, dc2tog twice, dc 3, 2dc, ch 3, counts as a s. (48st)
Row 3 - 34: Repeat Row 2, fasten off after last st of row 34. You can change colors on any row desired to create the look that you desire. On my towel I changed colors after every 3 rows - the last section had 4 rows of the same color, but feel free to add or subtract rows to get an even number of rows in each color block if desired.
Coffee Cup: Grey
Main Cup Section
Begin: Ch 11
Row 1: Hdc in 2nd ch from hook, hdc 9, ch 1. (10st)
Row 2: Turn, hdc2tog, hdc 6, hdc2tog, ch 1. (8st)
Row 3: Turn, hdc2tog, hdc 4, hdc2tog, ch 1. (6st)
Row 4: Turn, hdc2tog, hdc 2, hdc2tog, fasten off. *optional - sl st around to give your cup more shape if you would like
Cup Handle
Begin: Ch 13
Row 1: Sl st in 2nd ch from hook, sl st 11, fasten off.
Finish: Curve the handle and sew or glue the first and last stitch to the backside of the main cup section at the top and bottom.
P.S. don't worry, I saw the snag on the bottom left of my cup and fixed it before attaching lol... I know all my OCD friends saw that haha
Coffee Steam: Grey - E 3 mm hook
Long Line: Ch 8, fasten off.
Short Lines: Ch 6, fasten off, repeat once more.
Finish: The longest will be the middle with the two short chs on the sides. Curve all three in the shape of an “s,” to create a steam look, when applying to towel.
Spoon: Grey
Handle
Begin: Ch 8
Row 1: Sl st in 2nd ch from the hook, sl st 6, fasten off. (7st)
Bowl/Tip of spoon
Begin: MR ch 1.
Round 1: (Sc, dc 2, sc 2, dc 2, sc) all in MR, pull tight to close, sl st to join, fasten off. (8st)
Finish: Sew or hot glue the Bowl/Tip of spoon to the last st of the handle.
Fork: Grey
Handle
Begin: Ch 8
Row 1: Sl st in the 2nd ch from the hook, sl st 6, fasten off. (7st)
Tines of Fork - E 3 mm hook
Begin: Ch 7, fasten off. Join a new piece of yarn at the 4th ch, ch 3, fasten off, center tine is made. Curve the sides of the first ch that was made up on the sides of the middle tine.
Finish: Sew or Glue the tines to the last st of the handle.
Attach Appliques
Sew or Hot glue your appliques on where desired. *Low temp hot glue gun melts at 248 degrees and high temp hot glue melts at 374 degrees so keep this in mind if you use your towel for more things than dishes and drying hands in the Kitchen.
Lastly, feel free to use the dishcloth as a dinner napkin! You could make a fun set for your kids with rainbow colors!
I hope you enjoyed making this set! I hope it is a blessing to yourself or someone special in your life.
Don't forget, if you would like a pdf version that you can print without ads, you can grab one in any of my three shops:
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Have a wonderful rest of your day!
Blessings,
Karen E. Orchid and Bee's
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