My daughter picked up knitting by herself one day.
When I say “one day”, I literally mean “one day”. She went to the library, picked out a couple self help books on knitting, picked up some yarn and needles from the craft store and began to knit.
She was only 9 at the time, but her determination to learn how to knit kept her going even when it got tough. She has since made countless hats, sweaters, mittens and even socks. When I asked her to knit some dishcloths for me, she happily agreed.
This is her pattern and instructions for knitting your own
I can’t claim them, because I never learned how to knit myself. It has always been on my mind to learn, but I never have the patience to sit still long enough to cast stitches on, let alone make anything creative. For the time being, I have to rely on her masterful skills in knitting and crocheting to make up for what I am lacking. Good thing she’s on my side, right? 😉
To Knit Your Own Dishcloths
You need 100% cotton yarn. This is available at most craft stores. Neither of us could find it at big box stores like Walmart or Meijer, but yours may have it. You can also find it here.
I chose green because it matches my kitchen fairly well. Each dishcloth will require the entire skein to do. This pattern knits the dishcloth at an angle going up and then back down from the middle. She also used size 7 needles for this dishcloth.
- First, cast on 3 stitches.
- Row 1-knit across
- Row 2- knit 2, yarn over, knit to end
- Row 3-Row 75, knit 2, yarn over, knit to end.
After you have 75 stitches on the needles, you will begin to decrease stitches. Do this by Knitting one, knitting 2 together, yarn over, knitting 2 together then knitting across each time.
Once you have just 3 stitches left, bind off and viola! You are done!
What I like best about these, besides the fact that my daughter made them…
…is how well they stand up. They have been better at cleaning pots and pans than the scrubbies I used to buy, and they have washed very well. I am able to hand wash them in the sink after each daily use and use one for 2-3 days. They dry out overnight easily and I am not worried about germs remaining in them.
Heather’s homesteading journey started in 2006, with baby steps: first, she got a few raised beds, some chickens, and rabbits. Over the years, she amassed a wealth of homesteading knowledge, knowledge that you can find in the articles of this blog.
I am just getting interested in learning to knit, sew and make some of my own items around the homestead. I’ve always been leery as it sounds so hard and complicated!
I thought so too, but my daughter has shown me that anything is possible if you want it bad enough 🙂
I have some crocheted dishcloths from a friend, and I just wash them in the dishwasher with my dishes – easy to remember to do, and quick! I think I’ll make some of these knitted ones too – they probably will also make good potholders when I’m in a hurry.
I love these easy-to-knit cloths, but had misplaced the pattern. Thanks for sharing:)
Hope you like them! 🙂
My Mom makes the knitted and crocheted dishcloths all the time. She makes them in white cotton so that she can bleach them every few washes. I have made a couple and they are very easy to make. They make great gifts!