Dishtowel or Dishcloth. Just Don't Call It a Rag!

Looking for a special hostess gift to take to your next holiday party? After cooking dinner for 22 last night, I can attest to the one gift that your host would delight in receiving and which no one else will have thought to give: the humble dishtowel.

Dishtowel. Dishcloth. Tea towel. Whatever you call it, it's the workhorse of the kitchen, especially at holiday time, when it's called into service to dry heirloom china, crystal or silver, Great Aunt Annie's relish tray or Grandma Bea's punch bowl.

Designed by Ferm Living, a Danish firm that celebrates bold graphic patterns and nature-based creations, the tea towel here, with its artful array of tableware, would brighten up anyone's kitchen. But this dishcloth is not just about good looks. It's made of organic cotton and will make short shrift of your host's just-washed dishes. In fact, you won't find a better gift, unless of course, you offer to do the drying yourself.

--Tracy Schneider