which towel for what

Waffle: the most absorbent. Hands, wet pans, a pile of washed vegetables.

Plain weave: thin and smooth. Glasses, mirrors, anything you want lint-light.

Herringbone: heavier, durable, good all-rounder. It also makes a decent trivet folded in four.

Flour sack: huge and thin. Proving bread, straining yoghurt, covering a bowl of salad.

Linen-cotton: dries the fastest, and gets better looking the more it's used.