03 January 2011

A Basic Knitted Dishcloth


I love my knitted dishcloths. They are incredibly tough on stubborn kitchen "gunk" yet gentle on my good china and glassware. They are also very therapeutic to knit, easy too. I use cotton or bamboo to knit my dishcloths, which may seem expensive. The advantage is that they outlast bought sponges, can be bleached (if necessary), stand up to prolonged use and once they've been used in the kitchen and passed on to the laundry and bathroom they are put in the garage to use on the cars, where they are the best thing for scrubbing bugs off the duco without chemicals or damaging the paintwork.

Even a beginner can knit a dishcloth, this basic pattern is in simple garter stitch and can be finished in one or two nights in front of the television.

You will need:
3.75mm knitting needles
1 ball 8 ply crochet cotton

Pattern:
Cast on 44 stitches.
First row:  Slip first stitch, knit to end. Turn.
Second row: Slip first stitch, knit to end. Turn.

Repeat these two rows another 42 times, making 88 rows in total. Cast off. Weave ends in.

9 comments:

  1. Thanks for this post. It has been on my list of things to do for some time now. Better get started.

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  2. Was just wondering where you got your 8ply crochet cotton from,I went to spotlight on the weekend, and they said that crochet cotton does not come in ply, it comes in weight. I found other cotton blend in 4ply, thought about buying two and knitting them together, but am unsure if this would work. Would appreciate your input.

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  3. katz5kids - yes knitting two 4ply together will work just fine. I am keen to knit some dishcloths too, sounds quick and easy to do and will come in very handy.

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  4. What a wonderful idea! I have plenty of tail ends of crochet cotton hanging around the place. Thank you for the idea.

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  5. Hi Ladies,

    I get the cotton I use for the dishcloths from Yarn Over in Brisbane.

    Sadly Spotlight doesn't seem to stock very much in the way of yarns at all these days, they seem to be into manchester and homewares with a little craft material thrown in.

    I use Bernat Handicrafter cotton. I love it because it's delightfully soft to work with be plenty tough enough for dishcloths and tea towel tops, handtowel trims etc.

    In saying that, it's not cheap at $14.99 a 400g ball but that ball will make five or six dishcloths, depending on the size (50 or 60 stitches).

    It's also available on eBay, and with the strength of the dollar at the moment may be a better deal, although I like to support local yarn shops, they are few and far between.

    The service from Yarn Over (they used to be American Yarns) is absolutely excellent, I have no hesitation in recommending them.

    www.yarnover.com.au

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  6. What does it mean when it says to slip a stitch at the start of each row? Is that just passing the first stitch on to the other needle without knitting it?

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  7. Yes. Just slide the first stitch onto the right hand needle and then knit twice into the next stitch, then knit to the end of the row. It makes a border around the dishcloth and makes it look a little tidier and prettier when it's finished.

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  8. Wouldn't that increase a stitch?

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  9. I've bought my cotton from bendigo woollen mill and comes in 4 and 8 ply, it's $13 for a 200g ball

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