After I made two of the cotton Mitered Hanging Towels as gifts late last year, Sean began agitating for one for us. It struck me as odd. He’d never before shown any particular interest the collection of handtowels and dishcloths that adorn sinks and rails around the house.
I always suspected he secretly detested them but knew better than to say. He’s generally quite vocal about the things he loves that I’ve made (he’s currently loving watching Elijah the Elephant emerge from a ball of cotton and some DPNs) but the hanging towels and dishcloths seemed to be not high on his list of knitted items to appreciate.
That said, I have seen him using them many times. The cottons cloths we use as face washers get used all the time. He washes up and wipes benches with the dishcloths, some of which pre-date my knitting life, going back as far back as 2001 when I crocheted them. I’m just so used to him praising my work that when he says nothing, I have no choice but to assume the item doesn’t do it for him.
Then I made the Mitered Hanging Towel from Mason Dixon Knitting Between the Lines and that was when the requests started coming in.
“Is that for us?”
“No.”
“Oh.”
A little while later, “You should make one for us.”
“Yep.”
In the lead up to Christmas, I made another one. It was red and being made for Dr K.
“Is that for us?”
“No.”
“You seem to be making them for everyone else. Why not us?”
“I’ll get to it,” I assured him. I think he didn’t believe me.
Then, sometime in January I cast on a new one. In a bright blue Lionbrand worsted cotton. As soon as my knit-loving husband saw what I was making, I let him know this one was for us. For him.
It turns out what he loves most about them is that they’re more appropriately sized for a man’s hands. The others I’ve made are narrower and a little softer, made from thinner cotton. This one is sturdy, wide and quite a bit heavier. Now when he dries his hands, I can look on with satisfaction knowing there’s room for his hands to get properly dry.
Who says romance is dead?
Bells
