I like knitted dishcloths, they are such a mindless pleasure. You can converse with a friend, watch TV, listen to music, wait at the dr, go for a bus ride and knit away without too much thought.

they are short and sweet, and useful.

My favourite is the one where you cast on 4, then knit 2, increasing in every row using the yarn over on the next stitch, knit to end of row, till you have 40 stitches, then decrease. Decreasing is knit 1, knit 2 together, yarn over, knit 2 together, knit to end of row till 4 stitches left. Cast off.

It's called grandmother's favourite, on page 2 of the dishcloth boutique which is my absolute favourite for making dishcloths.
http://www.jimsyldesign.com/~dishbout/kpatterns/knitting.html

For the crochet people, they do have a page of crochet dishcloth patterns.

another knitted dishcloth I like turns out in a round shape with petals like a flower. Called petal on page 1 of the dishcloths. I like making every other petal in white, and alternating with a variegated colour.

Comes out a bit like a quilt block of one of those Grandmother's flower garden quilts.

If you like it makes a nice if thick doily shape for under a plant or something.

I love knitted dishclothes as well. Great way to use up odds and ends of wool.

I was the receipient of a couple of dishclothes that CG is talking about and I love them. Very pretty and oh so quilt like.

I use these dishcloths and love them. Thanks for the pattern.

I knit the little corner to corner ones, too. When I taught my stepmom to make them, she added scratchy rug yarn to the last couple inches before you bind off to make a scrubby corner. They really work well and I don't like to use anything else.

OOOOOOH!!!! I LOVE that idea. A scratchy corner eh? simple and beautiful! THANKS Blueknitter :rockon:

Not a prob, I'll tell her you loved the idea and she'll be tickled pink, CG. :D

That is my favourite dishcloth pattern also. I can it "no brianer" knitting ... and they make up so fast. I love the idea of using some scratchy yarn ... I'll have to look for it and add that to my dishcloths.

I've been whipping these up this winter. I've got a stack to last a couple years LOL For me they have to be 100% cotton. I love the scrubby corner idea too!

Margret I agree, I like the 100% cotton as well. It seems to absorb the water better and they last a bit longer. At least thats what I found.

I don't think too many Kiwis over here would knit dishcloths, but I notice it is often mentioned on US sites. Is this an old US tradition perhaps?
It sounds like it would be fun to do, but somehow I think it would be well down on my list of tasks I'd ever get around to achieving!
However, I'll note the corner to corner instructions just in case I discover another hour in each day!

Maggie, if you tried these dishcloths you'd understand why we find time to make them! If it's a tradition, it's not unique to the US, I'm in Canada. :D The rest of the year I don't have time to knit anything but right now we are in the dead of winter and it's a good activity to do where I feel like I'm accomplishing something. They don't take long to complete.

Yes, I will definitely make one to try! Thank you.
Now I have a few more questions and I hope they don't seem TOO dumb!
How do you keep them smelling fresh & nice? I'm thinking that they would take time to dry and might get a bit smelly??
Do you soak them in a bleach solution or similar from time to time to keep them "nice"?
Any advice you can give me is much appreciated.
Knitting dishcloths seems a quaint old tradition to me! I like that!! :)

I've never made one, just not that handy with crochet needles...My own grandmother and sister's told me to give it up. But my sister gave me one and I loved it! I still have it and it's been about 10 years now. They last a long time!

Susie in MN

OMG, Susie! Ten years!
Now we ARE talking about the cloth you would wash the dishes with, aren't we? I suddenly thought that we might be at cross purposes with our language differences! (US vs NZ)
There is no way a dish cloth would last 10days in this house, let alone 10 years.LOL Mind you, I don't have a dishwasher, so maybe that makes a difference.

10 yrs is a long time! They last about a year for me before they develop a hole. No dishwasher here either.

I change my dishcloth every couple of days to a fresh one. The dirty one goes into the laundry. Regular laundering makes it fresh again. I don't use bleach as that weakens the fibres and shortens it's life.

Maggie, what do you normally wash your dishes with? Just wondering.

I'm not kidding! Honestly, it's made of a very course thread type yarn. I use it about once a week (scared of germs) and wash it with my whites. It's pretty fadded, but it's still green. Don't forget, it's just me and DH and DH is on the road most of the time. I can't remember where my sister got it, from one of her knitting friends, I'm sure. Wish she could have gotten me several more of them.

Susie in MN

Maggie I ditch my dishcloth into the washing daily, hanging it to dry over the side of my washing machine actually so it doesn't mildew in the laundry hamper. I wash in hot water, rinse in cold to kill germs.

Like Margret, I don't like to bleach much, it rots fibres.

Dishcloths are much more sanitary than sponges, there is one flat surface, where with sponges there are lots of little crannies and holes for germs to hide from hot water, bleach, dishwasher soap etc.

Maggie, mine last about a year as well and then I usually get a hole in them and throw it out. Mine are knitted, not crocheted.

I do the same as Margret. I usually throw them in the wash after a couple of days. If I happen to have one that get a bad smell (fish particularly), I just throw it out. I don't use bleach because it weakens the fibre and I've found will make a hole quicker than any other thing when it comes to dishclothes.

I'm curious too as to what you use in New Zealand.

Okay I'm going over to the corner to pout :Bolt:

I can't crochet or knit. :shame:

I just have regular dish cloths and they get thrown into the laundry each day. Mel can't tolerate them being left on the sink. Dish towels anywhere from 1 to 2 days before they get thrown in the laundry too.

Now Pat, no pouting okay. You'll just have to learn to crochet by doing the tutorial at www.frugalvillage.com (http://www.frugalvillage.com) Its a great tutorial and if I can learn to crochet, anyone can.

Dish towels are another thing for me. Seldom do they get used more than one day, especially with 5 in the family.

CJ,
Years ago someone tried to teach me and they gave up. It appears that I have 2 left hands or a brown thumb or something when it comes to yarn crafts.

I know what you mean Pat. My Grandmother became so fustrated with me that she told me to find something else to do.... All of my sisters have attempted to teach me and one ever sore she'd never talk to me again (LOL).
I've got two left hands when it comes to needle work.

(P.S. It turned out to be a good thing though, they felt sorry for me and always made me something. The sister that has sworn never to talk to me again made me 2 knitted bedspreads, since she said that. I'm their handicapped sister).

Susie in MN

Pat & Susie, I was all thumbs as well. I just couldn't learn it and just said forget it. The ladies at the village encouraged me to try. I got a crochet book and was determined to learn. Now I'm only doing simple stitches right now, but its better than I ever did years earlier.

Isn't it funny how we have such difficult times with different things.

Now back to the regularly scheduled program - how many dishclothes does everyone have knitted or crocheted? I'm getting low again as I've given so many away. Need to pick up some more wool and make up more before summer sets in.

Here's a link to crocheted dishcloths.:)http://www.crochetpatterncentral.com/directory/dishcloths.php

mine are getting a bit worn out, I need to do up some fresh ones. I think I have around 8 or 9, currently in the drawer but some definitely need to retire into the trashcan.

There's a variety of dishcloths available in the shops here, but I'm guessing that most people use the little sponge cloths. I do, and throw them out about every 3rd day. There are also cotton cloth and disposable cloth ones...but I've never seen or heard of anyone making their own.
Maybe I could start a new trend in NZ and get rich fast ...if I can knit fast enough! :hurray:

Maggie, when those knitted dishtowels first came out, the craft sales had oodles of them and they were sold in large quantities. Now hardly any get sold because everyone has learnt how to make them. Go for it, you just never know how much you might make.

I haven't made any for dishes yet. I like to make them for face cloths. It feels so good to me after using them, like using a expensive bath mitt. My facial blemishes have cleared up alot since using them too. I have made two for myself. I use one today and throw it in the wash, then i have my second one ready for tomorrow. and i just switch daily between the two, using one while the other one is in the washing machine. I like to do them to test out new techniques or try out a pattern.

Mrsengeseth, do you still make them in the same cotton, or a different fibre for a facecloth?
I would have to make some dark-coloured ones for my DH as he tends to leave all the dirt on the facecloth! (Why do men do that?? :icon_frow )

Maggie, i just use my 100% cotton yarn. The other kinds (acrylic and the like feel "weird" when they are wet, so i use cotton) I often use Sugar and Cream brand from Walmart, or whatever is on sale. My Dh does the same thing. I am concidering making him a brown one...or a black one. LOL

Yes, black or brown would be a good idea! We don't have Walmart in NZ, but I'll have a look in the craft shops this week for a soft cotton.
I mentioned to my MIL about knitting dishcloths (or facecloths) and she thought it was ridiculous! I think it's a lovely idea, so I'll take no notice of her! :icon2:

I like them, they scrub real nice with out being too abrasive on my face. I haven't made any for use with my dishes but I imagine they'd be just as great with my pots and pans, dishes, etc. * I bet they'd be great for non stick pans, they wouldn't scratch off the teflon coating*

just you wait, your MIL will be making some for herself right after she sees how great yours are! :)

They are absolutely wonderful for dishes Melissa and Maggie. And I agree, you just watch and see if your mil isn't making them soon after she sees yours Maggie.

Another really neat thing about them, they make wonderful Christmas gifts. Just wrap them around a bar of soap, tie a pretty ribbon and place in a basket, with a couple of them. Viola, you have a little gift. You can even use them for gifts for when guests come over.

I don't think I could put any in the bathroom. My kids would come to me with "why are there dishclothes in the bathroom?!" :D

If these things are hit here, I don't see why they wouldn't be in NZ!

I have a question about the scrubby corner. What type of yarn do you use? I can't really find anything scratchy enough. It would have to be the same weight as the cotton yarn.

I don't think I could put any in the bathroom. My kids would come to me with "why are there dishclothes in the bathroom?!" :D

If these things are hit here, I don't see why they wouldn't be in NZ!

I have a question about the scrubby corner. What type of yarn do you use? I can't really find anything scratchy enough. It would have to be the same weight as the cotton yarn.
maybe some worseted weight rug yarn?

you make one of the super fancy pretty lacy things for the washcloths in the bathroom. Go to the link I gave at the top of the thread and you will find some really luxurious and not so difficult lace patterns.

It's fun to try out different patterns, and learn them without being committed to a larger project. The washcloths are ideal.

They don't have to be the diagonal garter rib that works so well in the kitchen.

Are they OK to wring out and wipe the bench efficiently....or do they leave it all a bit wet.? I find the sponges I use currently are good for "wiping dry".
(Not sure if you call it a kitchen bench in the US....maybe a counter?)
I have printed off quite a few of the patterns, including the lacy ones, and will try several. Nice little gift idea, mama CJ.

Wring to your hearts content, they do very well at sucking up spills and leaving the counter (or bench) almost dry.

I find them way more absorbent than regular dishcloths.

OK! Let the knitting begin....I have bought some nice, soft balls of cotton. :)
One ball is a pretty cornflower blue and the other a teal blue colour.
Guess what I'll be doing tonight? YIPPEE!
Can you tell I'm excited??! :hurray:

Incidentally.... I don't quilt but I noted a big table of fat quarters in the wool shop. They were selling for NZ$20 for 4.
I wonder how that compares? (I think it's about US$14)
LOL, I had been wondering what on earth "fat quarters" were on mamaCJ's signature and didn't like to show my ignorance by asking! Now I am suddenly knowledgeable! :icon_wink

Oh Maggie, don't ever feel bad about asking questions here. There have been many members that never knew what fat quarters were. In the States, fat quarters are much cheaper than $14.00 for 4. Here is Canada, at a good quilting store, they run anywhere from $3.25 to $4.95 per fat quarter. I've even seen them higher.

Thanks, mammaCJ! :)
I wonder where that term "fat quarter" comes from? Especially the "fat" bit....they looked like pretty skinny little pieces of fabric to me! Is it perhaps a quarter of a yard (or metre?) I can see that every little scrap would be precious at that price!

Maggie, it is 18 x 22 inches and is a 1/4 of a yard, not a metre. A metre is 3 inches wider than a yard, but most quilting stores in Canada sell them by 18 x 22. I do belong to a fat quarter club, where they are cut larger because the lady cuts them by the metre, rather than by the yard.

Yehaa! I am turning out dishcloths like there's no tomorrow! Have a nifty little pile and even did four on a recent car trip.(No time to waste!)
Of course they're far too much of a novelty to use just yet...I just sit them in a pile, take them out and admire them now & again! My DDs are sure this confirms their suspicions that their mother HAS gone completely doo-lally!
Just wait till they open their Christmas parcels! :hurray:

I have been enjoying reading this thread! I've learned SO much!

Maggie, you could open up shop selling these......people will think you are brilliant!!!

thinks..... I could become known as the "Dishcloth Queen of NZ" :rockon:
Actually, I don't think the cotton I'm using is all that great. It's soft enough, but I suspect it needs to be a little more coarsely woven. I remember years ago having a lovely big roll of natural cotton that (in hindsight) was probably for knitting dishcloths....I used it in the garden for tying plants, I think! :mwhistle: