A Balabusta (pronounced bal-uh-BOO-sta) is a person who makes a great home, who loves to bring family and friends together by cooking, baking, and making people feel cared for. Everyone knows a Balabusta; maybe they remember just how you take your tea and always put a piece of cake along side it, or maybe they knit you a beautiful hat for no reason other than the yarn reminded them of you. Maybe they welcome you to their home in a way that makes you feel like it’s yours, or maybe they are the person who bakes 1000 holiday treats and gives everyone some.

My Sicilian Nana was a Balabusta. She would welcome everyone who entered her home with a big smile and hug, while mouthing over their shoulder at the family “Who is this?” She would sit you down at her kitchen table with a cup of tea, and then bring you a plate of spaghetti and home made Italian bread to keep you busy while she mended that hole in your jacket so well that you would never know it had been there, and then press it so you left looking refreshed and revived, stomach full and a smile on your face. My Sicilian Nano, who also had Balabusta tendencies would discuss the state of the world with you while you ate, and press a box of home grown vegetables into your hands as you left, feeling better for the hour you had spent in their home.

Maybe you not only know a Balbusta, but are one yourself? Make one of these sets for yourself and another for your favorite fellow Balabusta. They are a quick, easy, and fun technique that allows you to make beautiful colorwork knitting using only 1 color at a time.

Mosaic technique is explained in the pattern, with all color work and stitch instructions shown in charts.

Yardage needed:
Tea Towel: 216 yards, evenly divided between 2 highly contrasting colors of cotton yarn.

Dishcloth: 60 yards, evenly divided between 2 highly contrasting colors of cotton yarn.