How to make a knitted dishcloth

4 of 6

by Mel R

Created on: February 17, 2009 Last Updated: February 18, 2009

Why would you want to knit a dishrag anyway?

Easy. A beginner can learn to manipulate the knit and dreaded purl stitch with a small and economical project. All you have to know how to do is cast on, knit, purl and how to cast off. You don't even have to go back acorrect mistakes, it's a dishcloth. The more advanced knitter can enjoy knitting for knitting's sake without the time investment in a large project. They both will end up with a functional creation that works better than anything you can buy. Once you have used a hand made dishcloth, you won'tbe able to live without them.

So if your skills need a little honing, or you'd just like to knit something simple, this is a great project.

You can find what you need almost anywhere. Craft and discount stores sell 4 ply worsted cotton yarn, with a name that will remind you of a summer dessert, in a beautiful variety of colors. You'll need 2 balls of these 2 oz. little wonders. Any needles gauged between 7 and 12 will work. I suggest wood, plastic, or bamboo, if you have them, the metal ones can be a bit slippery with this particular yarn.

Cast on 40 stitches. I know this looks like the dishcloth is going to come out way too big. You are going to want to plan on some shrinkage. The care instructions on the yarn do say to machine wash then lay flat to dry, I don't think so. This is a dishcloth, not a sweater, it's going right in the dryer. Guage isn't a concern, you'll just keep knitting until the cloth is square.

Knit about 5 rows in garter stitch (knit ever row). This will keep your dishcloth from curling. Now it's time to think about a pattern. If you are a beginner, just continue in garter stitch, it makes for a nice nubby dishcloth. I like to use the basketweave stitch. It makes an attactive dishcloth without too much fuss. Feel free to do whatever you want, I would only suggest that you garter stich the first and last stitches in a row to make a nice border and avoid curling. Like Bob Ross used to say, "It's your own little world.". I have used dishcloths to work out lace and cable patterns before getting into my expensive stash of yarn.

Here's my standard pattern:

Abreviations are as follows:

K=knit

P=purl

Rows 1-5 K (garter stitch)

Row 6- K4, P2, K2, repeat to last 4 stitches, K4

Row 7- K4, K2, P2, repeat to last 4 stitches, K4

Row 8- K4, P2, K2, repeat to last 4 stitches, K4

Row 9- K4, K2, P2, repeat to last 4 stitches, K4

Repeat rows 6-9 until dishcloth is almost square.

Repeat rows 1-5

Cast off