At the FibreForum workshop I did with Kay last year, she showed us a linen dishcloth one of her students had woven, using stitched doubleweave. That’s a technique I’ve been wanting to try for a while, and I’ve been wanting to weave with linen as well. I like the principle behind truly biodegradable cleaning tools, too. A few months back I warped up the Katie to make some. The draft is at the bottom of this blog post.

The technique was so easy – I’ll definitely be doing it again. Weaving with linen was interesting. It was like what I imagine weaving with spun paper is like. Inflexible, and you’re kind of folding the yarn into place as you work.

After I finished sewing up the first cloth I started using it when washing dishes. I use a natural fibre scrubbing brush mostly, and a coconut fibre scourer for stubborn muck. For wiping benches I have cotton cloths that get washed in with tea towels. So I’m not sure where these dishcloths fit in yet. I think they’re meant to replace Chux. I hate Chux because, while they pick up grot, they hold onto it and soon get stinky – and they’re essentially plastic that sheds microfibres into waterways.

I’m finding the dishcloths are nice for wiping dishes when the scrubbing brush seems like overkill. The whole ‘linen is strong yet supple when wet’ is interesting to see proof of, too. I have six cloths – though one will be a thank you gift for a friend who made me two face masks – so they should last a while.

And now I’m even more keen to weave stitched doubleweave for a garment. Maybe even padded stitched doublweave.