Absorba, the Great Bathmat

I finally finished Absorba, the Great Bathmat from Mason-Dixon Knitting. I love this thing! It feels great on your feet - so squishy - and it's 100% cotton so it'll be way easy to care for. This one is a gift for someone so I'll need to make another for myself.
One of the big topics on the Mason-Dixon KAL (KAL is knit-along, for you non-knitters) has been the difference between Sugar'n Cream and Peaches & Creme cotton yarns. Basically, they're the same. But the pattern called for a double-worsted weight, and all my store carries is regular worsted. I was too impatient to order it. So, I had to make some modifications...

I used four strands of Sugar'n Cream worsted (2.5oz / 120yd / 109m) held together - two strands of Ecru, one of Light Ecru, and one of Cream. I actually bought an 800 yd cone of the Ecru and wound it into two balls. I used US 15 circulars (plastic).

Original pattern gauge: 9 sts + 17 rows = 4"; finished dimensions are 18" x 27".
My gauge: 9.5 sts + 17 rows = 4"; finished dimensions are 18.5" x 24.5".

If I do it with four strands again, I'll probably use US 13's. The plastic needles helped speed things along with the cotton, but they caused me to knit a little loosely. And I might make an extra round of strips to make a larger mat.

I used about 2.5 balls (about 300 yds) of each color to complete this variation of the pattern. The Ecru cone cost about $6 and the regular balls were $1.27 at my store. So I figure this project cost about $13 for me to make. Thirteen dollars! You can't beat that.