It might sound like a strange tradition, but I make a few knitted dishcloths each year for my adult sons and tuck them into their Christmas stockings – even young bachelors like to use handmade cotton dishcloths in their kitchens.

I decided to be a bit silly this year with making the dishcloths so hopefully they’re not quite so boring. I thought ones shaped like skulls might appeal, be fun but still functional. Knitted skulls wash and wipe just as well as squares. And knitting skulls is not quite as mindless as for “regular” dishcloths – they’re even a bit fussy, but it makes for a more interesting and satisfying knitting process for me – and gives my sons yet another opportunity to roll their eyes at their mother.