I recently made some crochet dishcloths. They were a bit of an experiment because I kind of had doubts, and wondered if they would be as effective as a proper shop-bought dishcloth. There is a great range of bench-wiping, dish-cleaning cloths available these days, but the problem is that I don't like most of the colours they come in. So I bought some cotton yarn, found some patterns on Pinterest and set to work.
They were very quick, fun and easy to work up. Especially the pink one - I enjoyed that stitch, and it scalloped the edges all by itself! You can find the pattern here. For the striped one, I just did rows of single crochet, and alternated the colours a couple of times.
So, do they work as well as a shop-bought super cleaning cloth? I think they do. Being cotton they are nice and absorbent, and the rough texture means they clean dishes well! They wipe up crumbs on the bench and subject themselves to being rinsed under the tap. To disinfect them I use the same method I use on all dishcloths - microwave them on High for 2 minutes then machine wash. They have stood up well to this treatment.
I was worried they would shrink when submerged in a sink of hot water, but I found the opposite to be true - they are actually more prone to stretching as you wring them out and drape them over the tap or sink. That's ok though as cotton yarn doesn't have a lot of give so they don't get too much out of shape.
I love the way crochet dishcloths look and perform in my kitchen, so I'll be making more. What about you? Would you use a crochet dishcloth?
I love the vintage feel of the striped cloth. I've made a couple in my time, but could do with making some more - I'll definitely check out your links later.
ReplyDeleteThanks Rach, the striped one reminds me a bit of one my mum used to use when I was a kid. It wasn't crochet but had the same colours! I think I was subconsciously recreating it :)
DeleteHello Ruth, you have a lovely blog. I have enjoyed looking at your pretty garden. Thank you also for the link to the pattern for the pink dishcloth. I just couldn't resist it and found my cotton stash and a hook and I'm now a third of the way through my first fancy dishcloth. Mine are usually very plain. Here on the south coast of NSW we are enjoying a little bit more warmth. I say that quietly because, so often we hit the end of September and the cold weather comes back just when we've put our winter woolies away.
ReplyDeleteBlessings Gail.
Hi Gail, thanks for stopping by! So glad I could inspire you to make a dishcloth :) Hope you're enjoying the pattern - I found it such fun to work up as the scallops started to appear! Spring is here too but like you our weather can be changeable. It's not time to put the crochet blankets away just yet!
Deletelooks simple but lovely, Ruth.. Love it!
ReplyDeleteThanks Hari :)
DeleteBoth patterns are lovely. I too have made a few as gifts.Thanks for the link,I am going to check it out.
ReplyDeleteThanks Gaia! Looks like I'm not alone in my dish cloth obsession :)
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