Sunday, June 7, 2009

Same process, different material...


This is the only creative project that I have to show for the weekend.

It is a scrubber, made from nylon net. Not a big deal, really. Except - I read a pattern! Now, I will admit, that it turns out that this pattern is very similar to the dishcloth pattern that I have knit about 200 times, but I didn't really know that when I began. It is the first time I have ever deciphered a pattern by myself, without having the benefit of demonstration from someone else!

Last year, The Mister and I went to the Clark County Fair. It is held in Logandale, about 70 miles North of Desert Crazy Town. Logandale is in the Moapa Valley, which has some water (the origin of which I am ignorant of). So, Moapa is an agricultural area and the county fair has the typical carnival, 4-H displays and tiny girls and boys exhibiting large animals that may represent their college tuition, if they are lucky enough to have raised a champion. It is quite an enjoyable contrast to our every day environs!

There was also a vendor exhibit with the usual folks hawking everything from health supplements to kettle corn. And there was a booth selling handmade items and baked goods to raise money for a local service organization. I bought a scrubber crocheted from nylon net for $2.

It was one of the handiest kitchen items. I say "was" because it met its demise lately, after I used it to scrub a purse (and maybe some shoes...)

Some time last year, I was going through some old Workbasket Magazines and found this pattern for a crochet scrubby, along with a knitted one, in the March 1994 edition. I picked up some nylon net at a garage sale last fall, and today I decided to try my hand at making a scrubby.

Since the net was about 8 yards long, I cut a 3" strip from the raw edge and rolled it into a ball and cast on, just like it was cotton yarn ready to become a dishcloth! One difference became clear immediately! Knitting with nylon net is like drying your hands with sand paper! I started another, but set it aside to finish another day. I need to give my sore fingers a little break!

I taught myself to crochet last winter when we were in the Frozen North, but reading a crochet pattern was more frustration than I could tolerate at that time. I think the crocheted scrubbys would be faster and maybe a little 'fluffier', which would rinse better when they are used. Perhaps my success in reading the knit pattern has given me the confidence to try to master reading the crochet stitches. Since I still have 8 yards of net (minus 3" cut from the raw edge) I have lots of material to use up.

And a new scrubby!

5 comments:

Iron Needles said...

When next we get together, we need to peruse the Workbaskets.

Anonymous said...

I have a customr a Jo-anns who comes in whenever our nylon net is 50% off and she buys lots and lots. I must look at her hand next time and see if she has callouses or maybe not much skin!Love, WS(I think you are far more clever than you give yourself credit.) Love, WS

Martha said...

I love the idea of making a net scrubby -- they would make great stocking stuffers for my sisters -- THANKS!

Allie said...

I have never seen that! My grandmother always used a puff of nylon net to wash dishes, but made sort of a pompom out of it. I had no clue you could knit or crochet with them.
But after my experience with t-shirt yarn, I wouldn't be willing to try it. MAN that's hard on the hands!

Lynne said...

I can imagine it's kind of like knitting with fine wire! It's a cool result though and I bet it works great. Did you have a bottle of Burt's Bees next to you as you worked? ;)