Pretty, homemade dishcloths
Posted by: TammyI’m laid up right now with a knee injury. It’s not a good time to be off my feet with spring planting and camping, hiking and biking season upon me but it is what it is. I’m praying the orthopedic surgeon has good news for me tomorrow (prayers are welcome and appreciated).
In the meantime, I’ve kept my hands and mind from being too idle with some reading and knitting. Years ago, a yarn shop I loved and frequented went out of business. I bought up her collection of 100% cotton knitting yarn with a color scheme aimed at future baby girls. God blessed us with 3 boys. 
So, here I had a stash of cotton yarn in purples, pinks and yellows. Several of my forum members put me onto using cotton yarn to make beautiful, unique dishcloths so my husband was a sweetheart and took down a few balls of the yarn out of the attic so I could knit and stay busy, not to mention my current dishcloths are in a sorry state, threadbare and holey.
Here are two of the three I made:
I know the round cloth is unusual but it was the easiest way to safely use up the remainder of my last skein without getting stuck mid-pattern. It was easy to decrease and blend in the end on that one.
These dishcloths aren’t just for knitters. I’ve made several crocheted versions as well. Personally, I’m a much faster crocheter than knitter but I look at the knitted versions as samplers that allow me to improve my knitting skills. The world is the limit when it comes to creating these and they work up quickly. They can make great presents, too. Group three together and tie with a ribbon for a pretty thank-you gift or housewarming present.
There are so many great books you can get with great patterns:
Here are crocheted versions:
I can’t say that they are cheaper than buying a three-pack of dishcloths at your local box-store but my cotton was made in America and “American made” (by me ). The price tag was $1.09/skein and two skeins produced 3 pretty and unique dishcloths so $2.18. The skeins were also just sitting up in the attic taking up space so it’s hard to even consider the initial cost of the yarn in this case. It’s a good use of something not being used.