Summer is a time for knitting dishcloths for me. They are a perfectly portable project and can be whipped up from all of the scraps of yarn that I have leftover from past projects. They give me an opportunity to play with pattern without being committed to a large project. Best of all, they are completely useful and make a fantastic gift.
My dishcloths are threadbare and looking pretty worse for wear. I decided to replace them with my little homemade ones and it has been a welcome distraction between knitting baby blankets for friends.
Circle Dishcloth
Pattern: Circle Cloth Pattern (this links to the free PDF version)
Needle Size: US 7 Needles
Yarn: Peaches & Creme in various leftover colors
Notes: I don’t know if I will ever knit another type of dishcloth again after making these. This dishcloth is so pretty that I don’t think I even want to use it.
After seeing the pattern on Ravelry, I knew that I had to try it, just to figure out how it was done. The cloth is almost three dimensional and looks as though you are knitting in two layers. It really is just slipped stitches that keeping moving on the needles to make the impressive circles on top.
I almost want to make a scarf out of this and am already thinking what a great little hostess gift these would make for the holidays in festive colors.
I flipped them over so you can see what it looks like on the back. Obviously, the front of the cloth is the pretty side, but I love seeing how smooth the pattern looks on the back despite the intricate front.
This pattern is still easy enough for beginners, you just need to know how to slip stitches and how to switch colors. I will provide a You Tube video below for switching colors below!
Chinese Waves Dishcloth
Pattern: Chinese Waves Dishcloth (this links to the free PDF version)
Needle Size: US 7 Needles
Yarn: Peaches & Creme in various leftover colors
Notes: These little dishcloths knit up so fast and have a cool little wave texture to them. The only stitch that you need to know for this one is how to knit and how to slip stitches. There is no purling so you don’t even need to know that! The slipped stitches make a nubby texture to help get your dishes clean and they also add a little bit of thickness and softness to the dishcloth.
If you are looking for a project that will knit up quickly, these are super fast and fun to make!
How to Switch Color (A Fantastic Tutorial):
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kscakqPUpvc]
Those are just precious. I wish I knitted! WHERE do you find the TIME, is what I wanna know.
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Ha! This is stuff I do when I am sitting around watching television or outside with the kids playing. I need to keep my hands busy so stuff like this keeps me entertained
Thanks for peeking, JoLynne!
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I LOVE those dishcloths. I would come and do dishes at your house if you let me use one! Well, ok, maybe not but it'd be tempting. It would be interesting if you could make the circles with some kind of yarn that was kinda scrubby and then you would have a soft side and a scrubby side to the cloth just like those Scotchbrite sponges. I think I might learn the slipped stitch just so I can do this.
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Ali- I tried to find a tutorial on slipping stitches, but they were for more complex things than you needed. Slipping a stitch is just moving it from one needle to the other needle without knitting it in. You just slip it over to your needle. I slipped the stitches purl-wise- just slipping them over as if I was purling. The pattern will usually tell you which one. If it doesn't, I usually slip purl-wise.
It would be great if you could find a scrubby type of yarn too. This definitely makes a more scrubbable cloth with the pattern-side.
If anyone can find a good tutorial, please let me know!!
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Those are adorable (and I never thought I would say that about dish cloths!)
I'm a beginning knitter, but I think I will give them a try.
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Those might just be the cutest dishcloths I've ever seen.
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These dishclothes are adorable!
I think I could make one. I think. I've tried to make scarves and my girls are the sweetest for wearing them (at least once ;-> ).
I'm going to do it. I'm going to give this a try. I'm excited!
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How cute are those? They'd make a cute addition to anyone's kitchen. Wish I was a knitter.
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How fun! You did a great job!
Thanks for sharing!
~Liz
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Those are darling!!
Pam, South Bend
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Glad you liked the circle cloth pattern
Great color choice! 
happy knitting…and dish washing
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How pretty!
My dish cloths are so boring I'm going to have to try these.
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These are great, I made my hubby some bath biscuits on my loom, and a bath scrubby for me when I was learning to needle knit. I have started using tulle cut into 2 in wide bands with a strand of cotton yarn, this gives a scrubby texture, as it has the roughness to it. it will bunch up to be about sport weight or less, so you will need to mix it with another strand and knit the 2 as one, but it does wonders. My hubby won’t use any other type of scrubby for dishes. He flat out refuses.
You can get 8 yard x 6 in rolls of this at most dollar stores. if you keep the plastic wrap over it, or wrap the roll in saran wrap, then take a bread knife or other serrated kitchen knit and cut it into 2 in sections, it doesn’t have to be a smooth cut, as you can not tell once it is knit in.
Hope this is helpful.
Echo
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