gone all gaga over a dishcloth...

I am afraid that I may have gone a little mad...around the twist...a bit gaga (and not as in the lady...if lady is indeed the right term)

Oh I wonder what her majesty was thinking...and that cute little bespectacled kid in the band...captions please!

The dishcloth obsession started like this...

• went to my friend Susan's beach house for a bit of a break (a tour of her lovely house is here);
• was forced volunteered to do the washing up...Richard did most all of the cooking so, in retrospect, it seems only fair;
• Susan had a knitted red dishcloth bought from some fancy schmancy shop in Milton; and
• it was...without doubt...the best messy bench wiping up thing I'd ever used. Chux wipes?....Ha! You are history. 

And knitted ones are ever so eco chic aren't they? Yes. They most certainly are.
I did cunningly suggest to Richard that we take a drive to Milton so that I could source one, but it poured with rain that day and staying in and drinking wine seemed to be the preferable option.

But do cut me some slack...I was on holiday...it was my birthday...so, in my mind, perfectly reasonable if not positively essential. Although...
Anyway, I came home from the coast and couldn't get the knitted dishcloth out of my mind. The term 'small things amuse small minds' has just occurred to me, but I've decided to go with the 'joy of simple pleasures' instead.
Just as an aside, my friend Chris (she of chandelier fairy fame)...having stayed at Susan's just the day before us (you still with me)...was also enamoured of said dishcloth and when the man and I went to dinner at Chris and her lovely husband Terry's a few Saturday nights ago and I pulled out the knitting to show her....well let's just say she completely understood! The eye rolling from respective men won't be mentioned here....but I haven't forgotten. And revenge could be sweet.

So off I went to...

...bought the cotton and some teeny weeny knitting needles and started to make my own.  Because, after all, I had the crochet granny squares completely under control and I already knew how to knit...just ignore the fact that the last time I'd done it was around 1982!
Not a problem....except... (you know by now there's always an 'except' with me don't you!)...except, it took forever. 

Fine cotton, stupidly small needles, and not quite wide enough in the end. So I tried with different cotton, and different size needles...I can't begin to tell you how many stitches I cast on, took off, tried again...

because I had a certain look in mind, and dammit...I was going to get that look! I even tried cotton and bamboo thread...
with small needles first (note: this is damn near impossible) so I did the golden arches upsize trick with the needles and ended up with...

not exactly a dishcloth, more a...potholder. It's fab though...so soft and thick and...well, potholderish. I'm making more of those!

And I am going to persevere until I've perfected the perfect (as in perfected) knitted dishcloth...even if it takes...

...maybe. I will keep you posted. It should be sorted by Christmas at this rate! Stocking fillers anyone?
And by the way, if I have any credibility left at all...these knitted dishcloths really do feel fabulous and work incredibly well! 
for like ever poster from here. others me or the magic that is google images.