Easy Simple Rice Patties or Rice Cakes

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Rice is a staple of many diets around the world. Now, with many Americans becoming sensitive or intolerant to gluten, rice dishes are increasing in popularity in the West. In an effort to develop something simple, like a bread substitute to have with a meal, or a ready-to-go easy snack, I developed this simple, easy to make, rice patty. The following is a video showing how to make them. See below the video for the recipe!

To make the rice patties, you will need cooked short grain rice of your choice. Leftover rice that was refrigerated, or freshly cooked rice may be used…

Simple Rice Patties
Makes about 12

1 cup short grain rice of choice (uncooked)
2 cups water (or amount needed according to package directions)
Salt and butter to taste, optional

Cook the rice according to package directions, adding salt and butter if desired. Allow the rice to cool just a little so you can work with it with your hands.

Form the patties: Measure out 1/4 to 1/3 cup of cooked rice and place the rice in a ring about 2-1/2 to 2-3/4 inches in diameter. With a spoon, compress the rice into the ring, then lift the ring away from the formed patty.

If you don’t have a ring, you could use a small can with both top and bottom removed. Alternatively, you could form the patties with your hands placing the sticky rice between two sheets of plastic wrap (it may be too sticky to form the patties with your bare hands).

With a small spatula, remove the formed patty to the appropriate tray or sheet, according to how they will be cooked. Place the formed patties either on a plate or tray (if sauteing them on the stove), on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (if baking them in the oven), or on a fruit leather tray (if baking them in your dehydrator). Bake or saute according to directions below.

To cook them on the stove: Preheat a nonstick frying pan or cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add a little oil of your choice and briefly allow the oil to heat up. With a small spatula, carefully place the patties into the frying pan in the hot oil. Allow them to cook until the first side is golden brown. Carefully turn them over and allow the second side to brown. Then remove them to a serving tray and enjoy! If desired, they may be placed on paper towels to soak up any excess oil.

To bake them in a dehydrator: Place the formed patties on the fruit leather trays of your dehydrator. Bake at 145F for one hour, or until dry to the touch. Turn the patties over and continue cooking for another hour at the same temperature, until dry to the touch. The goal is to have them dry to the touch and easy to handle, but still moist inside. They should not be completely dried out in the process.

To bake them in your oven: Preheat your oven to its lowest temperature. Place the baking sheet with the formed patties on parchment paper on a rack in the middle of your oven. Allow them to bake until dry to the touch. Flip the patties over and continue baking them until the second side is dry to the touch. They should not be completely dried out…there should be moisture inside. The baking time will vary according to the temperature of your oven, so they will need to be monitored closely when baking these for the first time to determine the baking time needed with your specific oven.

Store your cooked patties in a covered container in the refrigerator. Enjoy them within 4 days.

Enjoy them as a bread substitute with a meal or a simple snack. They can be topped with softened butter, and eaten like that or even sprinkled with some herbs, or topped with a little nut butter and some jam or jelly, a little hummus, or eaten just plain. Use your imagination!

See also my original videos on how to make these delicious rice patties…

EASY Way to Dry Fresh Herbs

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Many times we can end up with a bunch of fresh herbs, whether we grew them or not. Maybe a neighbor shared them. Maybe we bought them at the grocery store as a needed ingredient for some new recipe. Then we find ourselves with extra herbs, not knowing quite what to do with them. Sound familiar?

Well, drying fresh herbs doesn’t need to be hard. Nor do you need special equipment. Yes, it may be nice to dry them in a dehydrator, but not everyone owns one and it certainly isn’t worth buying one just to dry a few herbs! Some people suggest tying them by the stems and hanging them upside down to dry. That’s a tried and true time-honored method of drying herbs. However, even THAT can present itself with issues. What if you have no place to hang them? What if you have a cat that loves to attack them? What if the leaves fall off and make a mess on the floor?

Well, there’s an even easier way to dry those extra herbs. Simply wash them and pat them dry (if they have not already been washed). Then place them in a clean paper bag, stems and all. Leave the bag “puffed out” and fold over the top a couple times to keep the contents inside. Lay it on its side in a non-humid environment (someplace other than the kitchen or bathroom…who would want to dry food in a bathroom??). Next, a couple times a day (morning and evening), give the bag a little shake and turn it over. In a matter of days, your herbs will be beautifully dried. To remove the leaves from the stems, simply lightly crush them in your hands and remove the stems from there. Store the dried leaves in an air-tight covered container and use as you would any dried herb. It’s THAT simple!

The time it takes to dry your herbs will depend upon variables, such as the type of herb, the amount to be dried, the size of the bag, and the humidity in the environment. Nevertheless, they WILL dry, given a little time. AND this method involves no special equipment, no electricity, no mess to clean up during the process, no nails or hooks to hang them on. Just a paper bag! Note: Be sure it’s a paper bag, and not a plastic bag. The paper is needed for air flow in the drying process.

Below is a link to a video I produced showing how to do this. Enjoy!

I hope this helps 🙂
Judi

NEW Use for Juice Pulp…Salad Sprinkles

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Many people are making fresh fruit and vegetable juice these days. And the trend is growing in popularity for good reason. It’s a GREAT way to add vital nutrients to your diet by increasing your consumption of those highly valued vegetables and fruit. But all that juicing leaves one with the question…What do I do with all this extracted pulp??

There are many websites, blog posts, and YouTube videos online showing the usual uses for the pulp: adding it to the compost pile, or make pulp crackers or vegetable broth. Those are all great ing suggestions and well worth trying. But I came up with yet another way to use the pulp that I haven’t seen before. Why not dehydrate it and use it for salad sprinkles?

Using the pulp for a salad sprinkle will not only add a little crunch to your salad and the flavored essence of the juiced vegetable or fruit, but it also adds the highly prized and much needed fiber that so many Western diets are lacking!

The pulp can be dehydrated and used just as it is…plain. OR, you could add any variety of herbs and spices that you want to flavor it your way according to your own liking. The flavoring options are limited only to your imagination.

Storing your salad sprinkles is simple. Just place them in an air-tight container and keep it somewhere where you won’t forget about it when it’s time to make a salad. Yes, placing an oxygen absorber in the container would also help to keep your sprinkles fresh, but if they’re used regularly, you’ll go through them quickly, so long-term storage probably won’t happen. Vacuum-sealing the container seems to be a waste of time and effort if you’ll be using the sprinkles regularly, so that shouldn’t be a concern. So, store them as you would homemade croutons and you should be good!

I created a video on making and storing dehydrated pulp to be used as salad sprinkles. Click the link below to view the video. Enjoy!

I hope this helps 🙂
Judi

Money Saving Tip…Buy Bar Soap for Less

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In today’s world I don’t think there are many of us who prefer to do without soap. Even if we don’t bathe every day, at SOME point, we’re going to reach for a bar of soap to get washed up. Since we all must buy it at some point in time, why not save a few dollars along the way?

A while back I discovered that literally anyone can buy soap bases from online soap making supply stores. Really! They sell “melt and pour soap bases” that are literally what they say…you can melt them down, add whatever embellishments you want, pour them into a mold and allow them to harden back up. This is how many people sell “handmade” soaps online. It’s really easy AND you don’t even have to go through all the melting process. These bases are wonderful on their own and can simply be used just as they are. No embellishments needed!

These soap bases come in bulk bars, ranging from one pound increments up to 50 pounds. The varieties available are wide, ranging from clear soap base made with organic oils, olive oil, goat’s milk, honey, oatmeal, and much more. A typical bar of soap weighs four ounces, so a one pound bar will provide four bars of soap. My video (link below) shows just how simple it is to yield four bars of soap (or even eight small bars of hand soap) from a one pound block of soap base. These bases can be used just as they are. There is really no need to melt them down unless you truly want to add something to them. It’s not mandatory.

In the description box of the video, I have listed a number of online soap supply stores. I have no connection with any of them, so I am providing the list to help my viewers. If you want me to add a store to the list, please let me know and I’ll be happy to do so.

I have been buying and using soap bases for our bar soaps for years and have saved a good bit of money by doing this. I urge you to give it a try! Check out the video below.

I hope this helps!
Judi

Heal Gums Naturally with Probiotics

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I recently developed a bout of gingivitis in one area of my mouth where my teeth are crooked. I had been rinsing my mouth once a day with diluted hydrogen peroxide for a while, and I suspect that created an imbalance of microbes in my mouth that led to the inflamed gum problem. The issue flared up so that I couldn’t brush my teeth nor floss without extreme pain.

I tried using more diluted hydrogen peroxide rinses and that only seemed to aggravate the situation, making the problem worse. THEN, I realized that our bodies house a finely tuned balance of microbes…both good and not so friendly microorganisms. I realized that the balance was off, probably due to the hydrogen peroxide I had been using.

So, I experimented on myself and it worked! I stopped the peroxide rinses and turned to a little “germ warfare” of my own design. I took what probiotic capsules I had on hand (a 10 billion strength mixture of different strains of Lactobacillus bacteria), and started breaking open the capsules directly onto my tongue. My saliva moistened the powder and I did what I could to move it toward the inflamed gum area. I did this two or three times a day. By the morning of day 3, I was able to brush and floss my teeth without any pain. The redness had subsided. By the end of day 4, the redness had disappeared and my gums were returning to normal.

When doing natural therapies, it is important to monitor body signals as to when a therapy is enough and it’s time to stop. I found that four days of using probiotic capsules in my mouth was enough for my situation. On day 5, I noticed that my gum problem was pretty much gone, but my mouth and especially teeth started to feel exceptionally “clean”. Abnormally clean. I practice good oral hygiene and my mouth usually feels clean, but this was not a usual feeling…like it was “too” clean. So, I took that as my signal to discontinue the capsules. It was my sign that my body had enough of the probiotics in the mouth for the time being.

With that signal, I decided to allow the microbe population in my mouth to balance itself out and not interfere with the process. I continued brushing and flossing as usual, but did not do any oil pulling (as I usually do…once a day) until my mouth returned to normal.

Below are two videos where I discussed how I tackled this problem. If you’re suffering from gum issues, please do consider this approach. I believe this method addresses the problem at the core of the issue…an imbalance of microbes in our mouth. I hope this helps!

Judi

Regrow Celery From the Stump

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Want more celery for free? Don’t throw the end away after cutting off the stalks! Regrowing celery is very simple and a fun project for all, especially for children.

Simply remove the bottom end of a bunch of celery, cutting about one inch up from the bottom. Place the cut off piece, bottom side down, in a shallow tray with about 1/2 inch of water in it. Place the tray in a sunny location or under bright lights. It will begin to regrow from the center in very little time, usually ranging from overnight to up to two days.

After some time, your celery should sprout roots. With that, it will be very thirsty, so monitor the water level daily to be sure it doesn’t run dry. Also, wash the container now and then to prevent algae from growing, which would not be healthy for the plant.

After roots are established, many people will plant their new celery plant in their garden, allowing it to grow much larger. If you choose to keep it indoors and in water, it would be best to feed it with some plant food to support its growth. The celery can be harvested whenever you want.

It’s fun and rewarding to see food grow from a scrap item that would have been thrown away. This is a wonderful activity for children to help teach them where food comes from and hopefully inspire them to do a little gardening of their own sometime.

The following is a video demonstration of how to regrow celery

Enjoy!
Judi

Easy, Effective Fruit Fly Trap

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This is literally THE most effective fruit fly trap that I’ve tried. It’s simple to make and most people would have all the ingredients already on hand…water, sugar, vinegar, and liquid dish detergent. No need to cover it with plastic wrap. Just mix it up and place it near whatever is drawing the fruit flies and they will be attracted to this mixture.

After placing a few of these traps in my kitchen, dining room, and even bathroom (yep…we had them just about everywhere!), almost all the fruit flies were caught within a day or two. It was amazing! Give it a try.

In a small cup, simply combine…
4-5 oz warm water
1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 drop of your favorite liquid dish detergent

Stir it all together and place the cup near whatever is attracting the fruit flies. Do not cover the cup with plastic wrap. Leave it open so the flies can easily make their way to the liquid. That’s it!

Here’s my quick video showing how to make it…

I hope this helps!
Judi

Review of Nesco Food Dehydrator (FD-75A/FD-75PR)

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I recently purchased a Nesco food dehydrator and wanted to offer an unbiased review of it in hopes of helping others who are shopping for a dehydrator. In case you’re wondering…I purchased the dehydrator with my own money, I have no ties with the Nesco company, nor has anyone paid me to do this review.

FEATURES…
* Model FD-75A or FD-75PR (These two models are actually the same machine. The only difference is the packaging.)
* Top mounted fan and a bottom tray
* 600 watts of power
* Thermostat range is 95-160F
* 13-1/2″ footprint (round)
* Comes with 5 BPA-free plastic drying trays
* Comes with 2 fruit roll sheets and 2 small screen sheets (all BPA-free)
* Includes a recipe/instruction booklet
* This model also comes with jerky spice and cure packets (3 of each). This gives you an opportunity to try their spice packets before buying additional ones.
* The unit can expand up to 12 trays being used at once.
* Extra trays, fruit roll sheets and small screen sheets can be purchased in multiples of two.

PROs…
* The top-mounted fan prevents any spills or fallen food from entering the fan or motor.
* The bottom tray enables very easy clean-up of spills or fallen food.
* This unit is VERY easy to operate. There is literally NO learning curve. Simply turn the dial to the desired temperature setting and plug it in. That’s it!
* Suggested temperatures for specific foods are printed on the top of the unit, allowing for easy, fast operation.
* This dehydrator has a smaller footprint than many others on the market. This is an advantage if you don’t have a lot of counter space for such an appliance.
* The unit is very lightweight and easy to move around if needed.
* This unit has few features (which might be a “con” for some people), meaning less things to break down.
* It is very inexpensive when compared to some other dehydrators. This makes it a good entry-level dehydrator for those new to dehydrating or for those who are not sure just how much dehydrating they will need to do.
* The unit is not overly loud. One can easily talk over the machine. Some units on the market have a louder noise level, which may be a problem for some people.

CONs…
* This dehydrator has very few features. This can be a “pro” or “con” depending on personal perspective. Most people expect an electrical appliance to have an on/off switch. This unit does not. It is turned on/off by plugging/unplugging it from an electrical outlet. It does not have a timer, which many people expect to see on a dehydrator. It literally has no bells and whistles.
* One year warranty. The lifespan of this unit is apparently not as long as some other dehydrators on the market. However, for the price point, it is what one would expect.

FAQs…

Why did I choose this dehydrator?
(1) Noise level. I have read reviews of other dehydrators where people complained about the noise level. I needed one that was not overly noisy so it does not interfere with my husband’s musical endeavors.

(2) Size. I did not have enough counter space available to devote to a larger dehydrator. This one fit very well where I needed to put it.

Do I miss the bells and whistles?
No, not at all! Personally, I prefer to keep things simple. I will admit that plugging it in/out of the wall to turn it on/off was weird at first. Now I’m used to it and don’t give it a second thought.

I also don’t miss a timer. I check the time when I start it up and figure about when the food should be dried. I check it at that time. If it’s not finished, I simply let the machine run longer. IF I expect the food to be dried while I’m away or sleeping, I turn the temperature down some to prolong the drying time (this is not suggested if you are drying meat, fish, poultry or any animal products).

What have I dried with it so far (as of the time of this post)?
Tomatoes, apples, green beans, basil, juice pulp crackers, kale chips, soaked almonds, and carrots.

How well did they come out?
Everything came out very well, except the basil took a lot longer than I expected. After 24 hours, the basil was moderately dry, but not completely. I removed the herb leaves from the dehydrator and placed them in a paper bag, folded the top over a time or two, and placed it on the dining room table. Each day, I shook the bag a bit to stir up the leaves. The basil was perfectly dry after a few days.

Do I like my dehydrator?
Yes! I LOVE this machine!

Would I recommend it?
Absolutely…IF the buyer can be happy without the bells and whistles, even the features you might expect (like on/off switch and timer).

If a person expects to be drying a large volume of food at one time, a larger unit may be more appropriate. BUT, this machine can use up to 12 trays at one time. So, it’s a matter of personal preference, budget allowance for such an appliance, and space available to house it.

Final thoughts…
This is a great entry-level dehydrator for those new to dehydrating and not sure just how much they will use it. The investment is small (as dehydrators go), the footprint is small, it is lightweight and can be easily moved, and it does the job VERY well! What more could you ask for? If you’re just not sure that you need a big dehydrator, yet you want to give it a try, DO consider this model! It’s worth the small investment to “test the waters” of this form of food preservation.

Below is my video review of this machine.

I hope this helps!
Judi

Cheap, Effective DIY Bug Spray

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If you’re like us, you don’t enjoy sharing living space with uninvited small flying creatures that make their way inside your home. Flies, mosquitoes, wasps…you name it…they’re no fun inside the house!

I discovered this do-it-yourself, cheap and VERY effective bug spray years ago. I always keep a bottle of straight rubbing alcohol (70%) in my bathroom near the tub to spray tile grout after a shower. One day a fly made its way into the bathroom. I grabbed the alcohol bottle and sprayed the fly. It dropped dead in no time! Really! It was the fastest, most effective bug killer I ever found!

We have tried this on fruit flies, wasps, flies, and mosquitoes. It literally has killed any insect we’ve ever sprayed with it! So…for a cheap, really effective do-it-yourself bug spray, just find an empty spray bottle and fill it with 70% rubbing alcohol. Do not dilute the alcohol. Use a quick spray or two on any unwanted insect in the house and you’ll quickly be rid of it.

ONE WORD OF CAUTION: Be mindful of what you’re spraying the alcohol on in your house (other than the bug). Rubbing alcohol WILL TEMPORARILY soften paint. If you do spray some on paint, such as on a fly in a window, simply do not touch the paint with anything until the alcohol dries out (this includes leaving the dead fly alone). This won’t take long at all as alcohol dries quickly. Once the alcohol dries out and the paint hardens back up (usually in less than a minute), you can pick up the dead bug.

Also, be careful about spraying this over finished wood furniture. Some finishes might be damaged, if only temporarily, by the alcohol. If in doubt, test a very small area with the alcohol in an inconspicuous area before spraying any bug that lands on your fine furniture. Otherwise, just wave the insect away from the furniture and spray it in flight or when it lands on something that can safely be sprayed.

No more bugs in the house! Yipee!

Hope this helps,
Judi

Village Yarn Brand Craft Cotton Yarn

Review of Village Yarn Craft Cotton Yarn

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This is a complete, unbiased review of Village Yarn brand Craft Cotton yarn. Just so you know…I have not been paid nor asked by Herrschner’s who sells this yarn to do this review.

I sell my own handmade items online on a number of sites. In the last couple of years, the sale of my crochet cloths has skyrocketed. In 2016, I literally sold almost 3,000 of these cloths! I keep waiting for my fingers to be “whittled off” but fortunately, they’re still attached and hence I keep crocheting!

For assorted reasons, I recently decided to try different brands of cotton yarn because I felt it was time to consider a change in the brand that I used for years. One brand I tried (and WILL use in making cloths to sell) is Herrschner’s Village Yarn brand Craft Cotton yarn. This is a brand you won’t see in any store. It seems to be a brand exclusive to Herrschners.com. So, it can only be purchased online at the Herrschner’s website. I believe some view it as one of the “underdogs” in cotton yarns since it’s not a major brand that cannot be found in many different stores or websites. However, after trying it, I believe it needs a bit more recognition and praise.

Here is what I found regarding specific points that may be of interest to anyone using cotton yarn…

Ease of Use…Flow Over Crochet Hook  (∗∗∗∗∗)
I have made crochet cloths with this yarn using an I size (5.00mm) crochet hook with a half-double crochet stitch for the body of the cloth and a single crochet stitch for the edging. I found it to flow smoothly over the hook with little effort. It was a joy to work with and I found I could work pretty fast with this yarn with little issue.

Although I have not tried knitting with this yarn, I feel it would be a great yarn for knitting any project calling for a 4-ply medium weight cotton yarn.

“Feel” of the Yarn (∗∗∗∗∗)
This yarn has a nice soft feel/touch to it, unlike some other brands of cotton yarn. The finished cloth is soft enough to use as a facial washcloth, yet it is still tough enough to do the job as a dishcloth. I think the softness also helps in giving it a smooth feel on the hook, allowing for “smooth” crochet action.

Ease of Flow of Yarn from Skein (∗∗∗)
The end of the yarn coming from the center of the skein is not readily available. So, it seems it’s designed to be used from the outer end of the skein. Perhaps one could “dig” into the center to pull the yarn from the middle (which might be best), but I have not tried that approach yet (maybe I will…it might flow better that way!). So, when working from the outer end, the yarn does not flow smoothly. I had to stop crocheting and  unwind yarn before I could keep working. This is a simple thing, and may not be an issue for many people. But when making thousands of cloths in a year, this represents a good bit of time. Although I really DO love this yarn, I wish it was wound differently so it would flow more readily from the skein.

Size of Skein and Price (∗∗∗∗∗)
The solid skeins contain 2.5 oz/71 g/115 yards
The ombre skeins contain 2 oz/56 g/92 yards
This yarn also comes in a 16 oz cone/454 g/ 743 yards

I have only purchased the small solid color skeins so far. They are usually priced at $2.39/ball. When 3 or more skeins are purchased (in any color combination), they are reduced to $2.19/ball. The cones are normally $14.99 each.

Herrschner’s does not automatically offer free shipping with larger orders; however, they often run specials with assorted discounts and/or free shipping. If you join their mailing list, you’ll receive discount/sale notices pretty often. Careful shopping can save you money when ordering this product during a special sales event.

When using the small skeins (solid colors), I get two crochet cloths per ball, with very little yarn left over. This is absolutely perfect for me! My cloths are about 7-1/2 to 8″ square. This brings my cost per cloth to $1.10 each, assuming I purchased the yarn in bulk (which I always do), and also assuming that I got free shipping (or a discount large enough to offset shipping costs). From my experience, this price is about average for many cotton yarns. Some are cheaper, while others would cost more. I feel this yarn is worth the price.

Colorfastness (∗∗∗∗∗)

Yarn did not bleed!

Yarn did not bleed!

This is REALLY an important point for me. Some brands of cotton yarn lose color readily and that can lead to unhappy customers. So, I tested this yarn for colorfastness. I took small scraps of sage and white yarns and made a small swatch of a cloth (see picture). I didn’t bother cutting off ends nor weaving them in since this was just a test for color fastness. I used the cloth that is pictured in washing dishes numerous times. The sage did NOT bleed at all. If it did, I would have noticed it in the dish water, and also the white yarn would have been stained. As you can see, the white yarn is still white, not a pale green. Hence, I’m VERY please to say that it did not bleed!

I also tested a piece of the parsley green yarn in water that was heated in the microwave, almost to boiling. The yarn was placed in the water and left there for a few minutes. NO bleeding!

From these two tests, it certainly seems this brand of yarn is color safe. Yeah!!!

Thickness (∗∗∗∗∗)
This is classified as a medium weight 4-ply yarn. However, many cotton yarns are classified the same way, yet some feel very thin while others feel extremely thick and stiff. This yarn seems to meet the “Goldilocks test” where it feels “just right” being nice and thick, but not SO thick that it’s stiff and hard to work with. The stitches in the finished product are nicely filled out, looking evenly distributed, yet it retains flexibility. With these attributes, the crochet cloths are a delight to use!

Yarn Twist vs Splitting (∗∗∗∗∗)
Anyone who crochets or knits knows what it’s like to work with a yarn that splits easily. It’s annoying to say the least. Uncorrected splits can cause weak and even unsightly areas in a project. They are to be avoided if at all possible.

Any yarn can be subject to splitting, but some a lot more than others. That being said, the twist or spin of the yarn makes all the difference. The more or better the twist or spin, the less likely a yarn is to split. Once again, this yarn seems to meet the “Goldilocks test” where it has just the right amount of spin to hold the strands together making it unlikely to split when being used. Yet it doesn’t have SO much spin that it knots up when the yarn is unwound from the skein. Most of the time, I can make entire cloths with this yarn without having even one splitting episode! Yeah!!

Color Options (∗∗∗∗∗)

Colors I Purchased

Colors I Purchased

There are a total of 43 color options available in this line of yarn, with 26 solids and 17 ombres. While no one brand carries absolutely ALL colors possible, this brand does have a good selection to choose from.

The colors I purchased were…

Top row, left to right:
White, Cream, Honey, Linen, Brown

Second row, left to right:
Burgundy, Apple Red, Morning Sky, Turquoise, Deep Sea, Parsley, Sage

Are the Colors True to Their Names? (∗∗∗∗)
I purchased 12 of the solid colors to explore for now. I found that most of the colors I purchased were true to their names. However, two of them were questionable to me. I even double checked the color number on the label with the catalog number to be sure I was looking at the right color! 

Apple Red yarn comparison

Apple Red yarn comparison

The “Apple Red” color is not apple red. This was a surprise because the color in the catalog clearly looks to be an apple red. I took a picture of the ball of yarn next to a Red Delicious apple (left), a Braeburn apple (middle) and a Clementine tangerine (right) for comparisons. As the picture shows, the yarn is far from an apple red, yet it’s clearly not orange. It’s somewhere in between. Perhaps the dye lot was off in this batch? Maybe it should be called red coral? Maybe deep conch? Maybe orange-red? I really can’t decide what it should be called. Village Craft does have a “Really Red” color of yarn in this line. Maybe it would be more of an apple red color. I have not purchased that color, so I can’t verify it.

Turquoise Comparison

Turquoise Comparison

Another color that I found questionable was the turquoise. The picture in the catalog does look like a turquoise blue. However, the actual skein of turquoise that I purchased looks more like a very nice medium blue color. (See picture…Morning Sky on the left, Turquoise in the middle, Deep Sea on the right.) I really don’t see the “turquoise” in it. To truly appear “turquoise” it may need a bit more green in the dye. Again, maybe it’s just the dye lot of this skein. I’m more inclined to call my skein medium blue and not turquoise. So…if you truly need a deep turquoise yarn, this may not be it.

With the above being said, the colors are not that bad at all, with two colors out of twelve being somewhat off. My suggestion to you: If specific colors are very important in a project, buy one skein of each color you’ll need to be sure they’ll be right for you before investing a lot in a project.

Knots (∗∗∗∗)
I’ve used a number of different brands of yarn. It seems that just about any brand can be subject to having knots in the skeins. However, some brands (yarn mills) do a better job than others of minimizing their knots.

Knot in Parsley Yarn

Knot in Parsley Yarn

I’ve made a good number of cloths with this yarn and I don’t recall having any issues with knots along the way. However, when taking pictures for this article, I did easily notice a knot in one of the skeins. (See picture.) Obviously, the yarn mill could have done a little better job of minimizing the knot. When working with this skein, I’ll need to cut the yarn and redo the knot to make it less visible.

Conclusion

Finished Crochet Cloths

Finished Crochet Cloths

I’m very happy with the finished cloths I made with this yarn and will continue to use specific colors in meeting my customer needs. Note that I will be using more than one brand of yarn because I try to carry a wide array of color options in my crochet cloths. However, this brand will meet some of my needs and I’m very happy with it.

I recommend this brand for those who are looking for a good quality cotton yarn! The colors hold up very well. The finished projects are soft yet very durable and scrub dishes well. Crochet cloths wring out easily and dry well overnight. I believe this yarn would perform equally well when used in knitted projects. Overall, I found this to be a great quality cotton yarn. I suggest you try it!

Happy crocheting and knitting!
Judi

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