The Knobby Thing

Jan
17


There was a question in the comments on my post about the kitchen in regard to the “knobby thing” seen on one of the upper cabinets. I, too, did not know what that was, and I can’t remember now who explained it to me. (The week I moved in here is a little blurry with activity and upheaval!) But someone told me that it was to hold a kitchen towel. I’ve never seen anything like it before, but maybe I’m sheltered. If you look at it from the side, there’s a marble in there.

I would rip the whole thing off but I’m afraid it would leave a mark on the cabinet. When you look inside the cabinet, there’s no screw visible, so it has to be attached directly to the exterior of the cabinet.

See, it holds a towel! But I just did that for demonstration purposes. I keep my food processor below that spot, and it’s not even that close to the sink. Anyone have one of these? Seen one in another kitchen? Would you rip it off? Do you want to come over and rip this one off? I don’t like it. I’m trying to figure out some way to decorate around it to hide it. Maybe I’ll make some crafty thing and stick it in there, instead of a towel!





Comments

  1. Canner Joann says:

    I bet it would hold a recipe!

  2. tinamanley says:

    I love it! Stick a recipe in there and follow it.

    Tina

  3. kari says:

    My Mom received one as a gift 5 or so years ago and promptly stuck it to the front of her fridge. It drives me INSANE and I feel the urge to run up to her fridge and rip it off every time I’m there.

    It is attached by some sort of sticky adhesive, but I can’t imagine it would be terribly hard to remove. Can you wiggle a plastic putty knife under there and give it a gentle heave-ho? Good luck!

  4. TW says:

    How far is it from the stove. Could you hang a decorative hot pad there? (at least that would be shorter than a towel)

  5. outbackfarm says:

    I think that’s got to be the coolest knobby thing ever. Maybe you could use it to hold recipes while you’re cooking? I think you should leave it. It could be holding the cabinets up. And if you took it off the whole house might fall apart.

  6. Wendy says:

    When the girls who paint the wall murals come back–I bet they could come up with an idea to paint something on it and around it….

  7. twoturkey says:

    :snoopy: I agree it is in a odd place to be hanging a towel. I did notice it is same color as cupboards and the grain of the wood is the same. Next time you’re in a place where kitchen cupboards are sold. Drop in and describe it to them and ask what it is and how to remove it. Hopefully they will know.

    Mrs. Turkey

  8. denibeth says:

    It IS held in place with one of those sticky on both sides things! I think they were Amish-made at one point in time. A little goo-gone and the goo should be gone.

    Sadly, I did rip mine down. And have regretted it ever since. I want it back up.
    Just can’t seem to find the ‘right’ place again…. the phrase ‘let sleeping dogs lie’ holds meaning for me now….

  9. Luann says:

    great recipe holder!

  10. doodlebugroad says:

    It looks egg-shaped… Paint it to look like an egg and then paint a mural on the cabinet of the rear-end of a chicken laying that egg….or less ornery a nesting box mural. :hole:

  11. MissPat says:

    Maybe a place for a “to do” list, or a grocery list? Love it or hate it, it’s a great conversation piece 🙂

  12. JerseyMom says:

    Hmmmm….sometimes you feel like a knob, sometimes you don’t! While you decide, can the knobby thing act as a sort of horizontal vase? For whatever suits you at the moment? Like maybe some lingering bittersweet branches about now….or if it had been last month, a spray of pine with maybe a red ribbon or a pinecone, or both…? You get the idea.

  13. WvSky says:

    Get one of those 99 cent plastic utility blades and extend it out all the way. Carefully saw down from the top, slightly angling the blade away from the cabinet. You wont be able to do this much, but it doesnt take much to keep away from the cabinet. Take your time, as this stuff is sometimes slow going. (I do this all the time with motorcycle emblems. However, I use dental floss or other very thin but strong string so as not to scratch the paint. You can try this also instead of the blade. Just saw the string back and fourth) Once the wood piece is off, you’re going to have some sticky-back foam tape left. Get off as much as possible manually. Last resort is to use a product such as Goo Gone. Problem here is that these products will often remove the finish from your cabinet. Just take it slow and see how it’s going step by step.

  14. doodlebugroad says:

    Seeing mentions now and then about Goo-gone… I’ve had a lot of success with baking soda and peroxide paste removing tacky/glue label residue.

  15. aranel13 says:

    You could also hang one of those small perpetual calendars there.

  16. CindyP says:

    Stick your happy card up there…to look at daily, hourly.

  17. mjpeters says:

    It’s Annabelle’s head! Get your visiting artists to paint her sweet face on it, add floppy ears, and then use it for lists or notes to self.

  18. caprilis says:

    My nephew made me one of these in his woodshop class. He said it is a recipe holder. I like the idea of putting a quote for the day or “happy card” though.

  19. tenderfootfarmgirl says:

    You probably have a box of old photos. Choose one and clip it up there. Then change it frequently. It will make you smile!

  20. bluepirat says:

    I have something very similar but it is square rather than round. I purchased it at a fabric store along with a cutting board for one of those rotary cutters. You use it to hang the board so it does not get creased when you want it out of the way. Mine also has a little hole through which a small chain is looped to attach to the wall.
    Now of course I would say “well what does that have to do with a kitchen?” and I wonder if one of those flexible cutting boards would hang in there? Handy near the sink, but I know you keep your food processor there, by the way I have the same food processor and no place to keep it handy, so I understand it being good to have it handy. So there is my two cents for the day. I am planning to make cheese later today.

  21. KarenAnne says:

    I’d take it off and if it leaves a mark, you can put up a photo of your kids.

  22. TeaCup says:

    I have no idea, but it IS interesting! Never saw anything like it when I was growing up in L.A. either. We must not have lived right!

    Judi

  23. Leck Kill Farm says:

    I know what is was before I even read the post. I remember most kitchens having some variation of a tea towel holder but no one ever used it. The one is my grandparent’s farmhouse was a freebie from the local hardware store.

    In my neck of the woods, kitchen towels had a little loop and button thing crocheted at the top and the loop was fastened over a drawer knob.

  24. Ramona Slocum says:

    Hi Everyone, I have 2 of these items. One holds my dish drying towel in my house and one in the camper. They look nicer than a nail. To remove the towel you need to pull up on the towel. They are many different woods and sometime they have pictures painted on them, like fruit or flowers.
    MN Mona

  25. Ramona Slocum says:

    Forgot to tell you, mine is attached with sticky tape.
    MN Mona

  26. cabynfevr says:

    Tear it off!?!? I want one! I’d hang it lower so the dampness wouldn’t mess up the wood but it would be perfect for damp hand towels that aren’t ready for the wash. Anyone know where I can get one?

  27. joykenn says:

    A very thin wire or fishing line looks like it might just fit at the top of the thingee. If not, use a dull knife or screwdrive (flat) to pry thingee up away from the cabinet a tiny bit to get the wire started. Wrap each end of the wire or line around something like a wooden spoon or a piece of dowel to give yourself something to hold to pull on. Saw it back and forth and pull down slowly and you should be able to “cut” through the doublesided tape. Gentle now since you don’t want to rip the surface of the cabinet. It’s a nice little thingee and you might want to put it up somewhere else with that foam doublesided tape. I’d put it somewhere with a shopping list and the kids’ forms for school or other things I didn’t want to forget.

  28. MousE says:

    The ideas about painting it to look like a nest or sheep are great! Heh, and outbackfarm might be onto something as well….

    but. your kitchen, your call! :sheepjump:

  29. dee58m says:

    I remember these from quite a few years back. I am thinking whomever placed it on the side of the cabinet, though inconvenient for you, was in the right place for them. Its definitely a dish towel holder. Their arrangement of items on the counter were most likely open in that space. I have found things don’t always have to be right where we want them to be. My dish towel is hung on my oven door which is across my kitchen. Never thought it needed to be right at my sink.
    Moving it would most likely leave a difference in color there, from natural wear of the cabinets. I like the idea of using it for a recipe card holder, makes it a win win then….just sayin’ 🙂

  30. Jersey Lady says:

    I have one in my kitchen. I bought it from the Amish and love mine. Some people have suggested using it for a recipe card. Just to see, I tried one but it would not stay secure. Just another thing for you to add to the “Learn-to-love-it” list, like the tractor.

  31. CarrieJ says:

    Ya…I don’t like the towel holder over there either. The towel hanging down is distracting and too far from the sink..where you NEED it. On a different topic..where’d you get your containers for flour/sugar, etc? I paid for the All-Clad stainless steel set, which holds enough for me not to get irritated at having to refill the flour constantly. But yours looks much larger. What are they?

Add Your Thoughts