Mar 23, 2012

Hand knit dish cloths - with pattern

I use hand knit dish cloths exclusively. The 100% cotton cloths have just enough "nub" on them to make them perfect for wiping down counters and rinsing gunk off dishes before putting them in the dishwasher. I also have two cloths I keep separate from the rest for washing windows. They leave no lint and are a great alternative to pricey paper towels.

I've used the same knitting pattern for years. It's fast, uncomplicated, and still provides the texture I want on the dishcloths. My old dishcloths are starting to fall apart, so I recently grabbed my yarn and needles to make several new ones. I thought I'd share the pattern.

Use 100% Sugar and Cream yarn in any color you wish. I buy my cotton yarn by the large cone, but I imagine you could get 2 - 4 dishcloths out of one regular skein. You can find Sugar and Cream at any hobby or store that carries yarn.

Size 6 or 7 straight needles.

Instructions:

Cast on 4 stitches.
Row 1: Knit 4
Row 2: Knit 2, yarn over, knit across the row.
Repeat this row until you have 44 stitches*
Row 3: Knit 1, knit 2 together, yarn over, knit 2 together, knit to the end of row.
Repeat this row until you have 4 stitches on the needle.
Bind off.

*The total number of stitches does not have to be 44. You can make the cloth larger by increasing this number. I prefer a larger cloth for my window-washing cloths, and go up to about 68. The number does not have to be an even number of rows. Just knit the first two rows of instructions until you get the cloth size you want, then switch over to Row 3 to decrease the size back down to 4 stitches.

Perfect for the beginning knitter.

You can see the well-used one on the right that needs to be replaced!
If you'd rather knit dishcloths a bit "fancier" - here are some free dishcloth patterns links for you:

http://www.designsbyemily.com/freepatterns/
http://www.knitsbyrachel.com/index.html
http://www.knittingonthenet.com/cloths.htm

These quick and easy dishcloths are perfect for TV watching time. After you've done a few rows of this easy pattern, you really don't have to concentrate on what you're doing... just knit away!

Enjoy!


1 comment:

Karen said...

My mother used to make these! I never thought of using them for washing windows. I guess now I'm going to have to learn how to knit.