There is a stack of crocheted dishcloths in my kitchen right now that I made more than eight years ago, and they are still going strong. The edges are a little softer than they were when I first pulled them off the hook, the colors have mellowed from hundreds of washes, and they have scrubbed more cast iron skillets and Sunday dinner plates than I could ever count. But they work. They work better than anything I have ever pulled off a store shelf, and every single one of them took me less than an evening to make.
I started crocheting dishcloths because my mother always had them in her kitchen. She kept a neat little stack next to the sink, folded in thirds, and she rotated through them the way some people rotate towels. When one got too worn to use at the sink, it went to the garden shed for wiping down tools. Nothing was ever wasted. I picked up a hook and made my first one when I was barely old enough to drive, and I have been making them ever since.
The thing about a crocheted dishcloth that makes it better than what you buy at the store is the texture. That little bit of grip from the stitches does real work on stuck-on food and greasy surfaces. A cotton dishcloth will absorb better than any synthetic sponge, it dries faster than you would expect, and when it gets a little funky — because they all do eventually — you throw it in the wash with hot water and it comes out fresh. Try doing that with a store-bought sponge.
What I am going to share with you here are five patterns I have made over and over again, each one serving a different purpose in my kitchen. Some are thick and sturdy for heavy scrubbing. Some are lighter and better for wiping down counters or drying dishes. Every one of them is made from cotton yarn, and every one of them has been tested not just by me, but by the women in my family who have been crocheting these same kinds of cloths for generations. If you are new to crochet, start with the first pattern and work your way forward. If you have been at this a while, skip ahead to whichever one catches your eye. Either way, you are going to end up with something useful, something beautiful, and something that will last. This is the kind of project that fits right into everything we do here at Country Crafts & Homemaking — The Complete Southern Guide, and it is one of my favorites to teach.
Before You Start: The Right Yarn and the Right Hook
I am particular about yarn when it comes to dishcloths, and I will not apologize for it. You want one hundred percent cotton. Not a cotton blend, not acrylic that says it feels like cotton, not anything with polyester mixed in. Pure cotton. The reason is simple — cotton absorbs water. Acrylic repels it. If you make a dishcloth out of acrylic yarn, you will end up pushing water around your counter instead of soaking it up. It will also get slippery when wet, and it will not hold up to hot water the way cotton does.
My go-to yarn for dishcloths is Lily Sugar’n Cream or Peaches & Creme. Both are worsted weight cotton, both come in more colors than you will ever need, and both are affordable enough that you can make a whole stack without thinking twice about the cost. If you want to understand more about how yarn weight affects your projects, Understanding Yarn Weight: From Lace to Super Bulky and When to Use Each will walk you through everything.
For hook size, I use a 5.0mm (H/8) hook for most of my dishcloths. Some people go up to a 5.5mm, and that is fine if you crochet tightly. But I would not go smaller than a 5.0mm — a dishcloth needs a little bit of openness in the fabric to be absorbent. If you crochet it too tightly, the water will just sit on top instead of soaking in. If you are still learning what different hooks do to your stitches, Crochet Hook Sizes Explained: A Complete Reference Guide is worth reading before you start.
One more thing before we get to the patterns — wash your finished dishcloths before you use them. Cotton yarn has a natural sizing on it from the manufacturing process, and until you wash that out, your cloth will not absorb the way it should. A quick run through the washing machine with hot water and no fabric softener will do it. Never use fabric softener on cotton dishcloths. It coats the fibers and ruins the absorbency.
Pattern One: The Simple Single Crochet Square
This is where everyone should start. If you have never crocheted anything in your life, this is your dishcloth. It uses one stitch — the single crochet — and it works up into a dense, sturdy cloth that is perfect for scrubbing pots and pans. If you need to learn that very first stitch before you begin, The Complete Beginner’s Guide to Crochet: Hooks, Yarn & Your First Stitches will take you through every step.
Chain 31. That gives you a cloth that finishes right around eight inches square, which is the size I like. Some people prefer bigger, and if you do, just add more chains — keep it an odd number and you will be fine. Turn your work, skip the first chain from the hook, and single crochet in each chain across. You should have 30 stitches when you reach the end. Chain one, turn, and single crochet in each stitch across. That is it. That is the whole pattern. You repeat that row until your cloth is as tall as it is wide — square — and then you fasten off.
The key to making this cloth look right is keeping your tension even. Every stitch should be the same size as the one before it. If you are a beginner, your first few rows might be a little uneven, and that is perfectly fine. A dishcloth is forgiving. Nobody is going to hold it up to the light and check your stitch count. But do pay attention to your edges. Count your stitches at the end of every row for the first ten rows or so. If you started with 30 stitches and suddenly you have 29 or 31, you missed a stitch or added one somewhere. It is easier to fix it now than to end up with a trapezoid instead of a square.
When you finish, you will have a cloth that feels thick and almost stiff. That stiffness is good — it softens with washing but keeps enough body to really scrub. This is the cloth I reach for when I have baked-on cornbread in a cast iron skillet or when there is something stubborn on the bottom of a pot. The dense single crochet fabric gives you just enough texture to work food loose without scratching.
Pattern Two: The Seed Stitch Texture Cloth
This is my everyday workhorse dishcloth. The seed stitch — which is just an alternating pattern of single crochet and chain one — creates a fabric with a bumpy, textured surface on both sides. That texture is what makes it special. It gives you grip without being rough, and the little gaps created by the chain stitches make it more absorbent than a solid single crochet cloth. It also works up faster because you are skipping every other stitch.
Chain 30 (or any even number for the width you want). Row 1: Single crochet in the fourth chain from the hook, then chain one, skip one chain, single crochet in the next chain. Repeat that pattern — chain one, skip one, single crochet — all the way across. Chain two, turn. Row 2: Single crochet in the first chain-one space, then chain one, single crochet in the next chain-one space. Repeat across. Chain two, turn. Every row after that is the same as Row 2. You are always working your single crochets into the spaces, not into the stitches themselves.
What I love about this pattern is how it feels in your hand when it is wet. That alternating texture grabs onto dishes and countertops in a way that is satisfying to use. I keep three or four of these by the sink at all times — one for dishes, one for counters, and one for drying. When you hold it up to the light, you can see the little windows created by the chain spaces, and that is exactly what makes it dry faster than a solid cloth. Air moves through it.
This is also a beautiful pattern for gift giving. Make a set of three in coordinating colors, tie them with a piece of twine, and you have a gift that any woman who spends time in a kitchen will appreciate. I have given more sets of these dishcloths as housewarming gifts and Christmas gifts than I can count, and people always come back and ask me to make more. If you want to dress them up with a tag, Creating Care Cards and Gift Tags for Handmade Items has some good ideas for that.
Pattern Three: The Diagonal Washcloth
This pattern has been around for as long as I can remember, and there is a reason it never goes out of style. You start with a small corner and increase every row until you reach the middle, then decrease every row back down to a point. The result is a square cloth worked on the diagonal, and the way the stitches line up creates a subtle ridge pattern that looks far more complicated than it actually is.
Chain 4. Row 1: Double crochet in the fourth chain from the hook. You should have what looks like a tiny triangle — that is your starting corner. Chain 3, turn. Row 2: Double crochet in the first stitch, double crochet in the next stitch, double crochet in the top of the turning chain. Chain 3, turn. Row 3: Double crochet in the first stitch, then double crochet in each stitch across, and put 2 double crochets in the top of the turning chain. Chain 3, turn.
Keep repeating Row 3 — you are adding one stitch at the beginning and one at the end of every row, which is what makes it grow on the diagonal. When your cloth measures about eight inches along one side, you start decreasing. For the decrease rows, you skip the first stitch, double crochet in each stitch across, and stop one stitch before the turning chain. Double crochet the last stitch and the turning chain together. Chain 3, turn. Keep decreasing until you are back down to 3 or 4 stitches, then fasten off.
The diagonal cloth has a slightly different drape than the straight-row patterns. It is a little more flexible, a little softer in the hand, and the double crochet stitches make it thicker without being stiff. This is the one I use most often for wiping down counters and stovetops. It lays flat, it moves with your hand, and it covers a good amount of surface area with each wipe. If you are new to double crochet and want to learn the stitch before jumping into this pattern, How to Read a Crochet Pattern: Abbreviations, Symbols & Charts Decoded will help you understand what each abbreviation means.
Pattern Four: The Herringbone Half Double Cloth
This pattern uses the herringbone half double crochet stitch, and it creates a fabric that looks like woven cloth. The first time I saw this stitch worked up into a dishcloth, I had to touch it because I could not believe it was crocheted. It has a tighter, flatter look than traditional crochet, almost like a knitted fabric, and the texture is smooth with just enough tooth to be useful in the kitchen.
The herringbone half double is different from a regular half double crochet in one small but important way. Instead of pulling through all three loops on your hook at once, you pull through the first loop, then yarn over and pull through the remaining two. That one extra step is what creates the woven look. It takes a few rows to get the rhythm of it, but once your hands learn the motion, it goes quickly.
Chain 29. Row 1: Herringbone half double crochet in the third chain from the hook and in each chain across. You should have 27 stitches. Chain 2, turn. Row 2: Herringbone half double crochet in each stitch across. Chain 2, turn. Repeat Row 2 until your cloth is square. Fasten off. That is the whole pattern — the beauty is in the stitch, not in complicated construction.
This cloth is thinner than the single crochet or the seed stitch versions, but do not let that fool you into thinking it is less useful. The tighter weave makes it excellent for drying dishes — it absorbs water smoothly and does not leave lint behind. It is also the prettiest of the five patterns, which is why I usually make this one in lighter colors where you can really see the stitch definition. A stack of these in cream or white looks like something you would find in a catalog, but they cost you about two dollars in yarn and an hour of your time.
Pattern Five: The Bobble Stitch Scrubber
This is the heavy-duty cloth. The bobble stitch creates raised bumps on the surface of the fabric that work like tiny scrubbing pads. When I need to get something really stuck off a dish — dried-on egg, baked cheese, anything that has decided it wants to live on that pan forever — this is the cloth I pull out. The bobbles give you something to work with, and the cotton grabs onto whatever is stuck in a way that a flat cloth cannot.
The bobble is made by working five double crochets into the same stitch, but you do not finish any of them. You yarn over, insert your hook, pull up a loop, yarn over, pull through two. You now have two loops on your hook. Do that four more times in the same stitch, and you will have six loops on your hook. Yarn over and pull through all six. That pushes the bobble to the front of the work, and it is that raised bump that does the scrubbing.
Chain 31. Row 1: Single crochet in the second chain from the hook and in each chain across. 30 stitches. Chain 1, turn. Row 2: Single crochet in the first 2 stitches, bobble in the next stitch, single crochet in the next 3 stitches. Repeat the pattern of bobble then 3 single crochets across, ending with single crochet in the last 2 stitches. Chain 1, turn. Row 3: Single crochet in every stitch across. Chain 1, turn. Row 4: Single crochet in the first 4 stitches, bobble in the next stitch, single crochet in the next 3 stitches. Repeat across. Chain 1, turn. Row 5: Single crochet in every stitch across. Chain 1, turn.
Rows 2 through 5 are your repeat. The offset between Row 2 and Row 4 staggers the bobbles so they are not sitting right on top of each other, which gives you better coverage when you are scrubbing. Keep repeating until your cloth is square, ending with a plain single crochet row. Fasten off.
I will be honest — this cloth uses more yarn than the others, and it takes a little longer to make because of the bobble stitch. But it is worth every extra minute. I always have at least two of these by the sink, and they are the ones my family reaches for first. The bobbles wear down a little over time, which is normal, but even a well-worn bobble cloth still outperforms a flat one for scrubbing. When it finally wears out beyond kitchen use, it makes an excellent cloth for cleaning the bathroom or scrubbing garden pots.
Finishing, Edging, and Making Them Last
Every one of these patterns gives you a finished dishcloth that is ready to use as-is. But if you want to take them one step further, a simple border makes a real difference in how they look and how well the edges hold up over time. I put a single crochet border around every dishcloth I make — one round of single crochet all the way around, with three single crochets in each corner to keep it flat. It takes five minutes, and it gives the cloth a polished, finished look that turns a simple kitchen cloth into something you would be proud to give as a gift.
If you want something a little more decorative, you can add a shell edging or a picot border instead. That works especially well if you are making a set for someone’s kitchen and want them to look a little special. I cover those kinds of edge treatments in more detail in Crochet Lace Edgings: Adding a Vintage Finish to Pillowcases and Linens, and while that post is focused on linens, the same techniques work beautifully on dishcloths.
For blocking, dishcloths do not need the same careful treatment as a lace shawl or a garment, but giving them a quick wet block before first use helps them lay flat and sets the stitches nicely. Soak the finished cloth in cool water for about fifteen minutes, gently squeeze out the excess water — do not wring it — and lay it flat on a towel, patting it into a square shape. Let it dry completely. If you want to learn more about blocking methods, How to Block Crochet and Knitting Projects: Wet, Steam & Pin Methods goes into the full process.
Caring for Your Crocheted Dishcloths
Cotton dishcloths are tough, but they do need proper care if you want them to last. I wash mine in the washing machine with hot water once a week, sometimes more often in summer when things get musky faster. Hot water is important — it kills the bacteria that build up in a damp cloth and it refreshes the cotton fibers. You can add a little bit of bleach if you want to, especially for the white and light-colored cloths, but I prefer to skip it and use white vinegar in the rinse cycle instead. A half cup of vinegar keeps them from getting that sour smell without breaking down the fibers the way bleach can over time.
Dry them on medium heat in the dryer or hang them on the line. I prefer the line because the sun does a natural job of freshening cotton, and there is nothing in the world that smells as good as sun-dried cotton. But the dryer works fine too. Just do not over-dry them — take them out while they still have a tiny bit of moisture and let them finish air drying. Over-drying makes cotton stiff and can cause it to wear out faster.
Do not use fabric softener on your dishcloths. I know I said it once already, but it bears repeating. Fabric softener leaves a coating on the cotton that blocks absorbency. The whole point of a cotton dishcloth is that it absorbs, and fabric softener undoes that entirely. If your cloths have been washed with fabric softener by accident, run them through a hot wash cycle with a cup of white vinegar and no detergent. That will strip the coating off and restore the absorbency.
A well-cared-for crocheted dishcloth will last you a year or more of daily use. Some of mine have gone even longer. When they finally start to thin out or develop holes, they move to less demanding jobs — cleaning rags, garage cloths, garden use. Nothing goes to waste, and the whole cycle of use costs you a few dollars in yarn and the pleasure of making something with your own two hands.
Making Dishcloths Your Own
Once you have these five patterns under your belt, the possibilities open up. You can change colors every few rows for a striped effect. You can work two of the patterns into the same cloth — single crochet on one half, seed stitch on the other — for a cloth that has a scrubbing side and a wiping side. You can make them bigger for bath use or smaller for face cloths. The basic stitches and shapes are the foundation, and what you build on top of that is entirely up to you.
I have seen women in my craft circle make dishcloths as wedding shower gifts, tied up with a pretty wooden spoon and some nice dish soap. I have seen sets of them sold at church bazaars and craft fairs, and they always sell out first. If you get to the point where you are making more than your kitchen needs — and you will — Crochet Market Bags: The Reusable Bag Your Grandmaw Would Be Proud Of is another project that uses the same cotton yarn and similar stitches, so you can put that extra yarn to good use.
Color is where you can really have fun. I tend to stick with sage greens, creams, butter yellows, and dusty blues because those are the colors that live in my kitchen. But I have made them in bright reds for Christmas gifts, in pastels for spring, and in deep navy and white for a friend who has a nautical-themed kitchen. The yarn comes in so many colors now that you can match just about any kitchen you walk into.
If you are looking to take the same skills you used here and try something a little different, crocheted pot holders use very similar techniques but with thicker construction. I walk through that project in detail in How to Crochet Pot Holders: Thick, Heat-Resistant & Beautiful, and it is a natural next step after dishcloths. Coasters and mug cozies are another direction you can go — smaller projects that use the same stitches and the same cotton yarn, and I cover those in Crochet Mug Cozies and Coasters: Quick Projects With Big Charm.
The Kitchen Cloth That Keeps on Giving
There is something about using a handmade cloth in your kitchen every day that changes the way you think about the things you make. It is not a decoration sitting on a shelf. It is not folded away in a drawer waiting for a special occasion. It is right there by the sink, in your hands, doing real work. And every time you pick it up, you remember that you made it. That you sat down with a hook and a ball of cotton yarn and turned it into something useful.
My mother used to say that the best things a woman can make are the things she uses every day. A quilt on the bed. A cloth in the kitchen. An apron on the hook by the door. Those things carry more of who you are than anything you could buy, because they have your hands in them. They have your time and your patience and your care stitched right into the fabric.
A crocheted dishcloth is one of the simplest things you can make, and it is one of the most satisfying. It teaches you to keep your tension even, to count your stitches, to pay attention to the feel of the yarn moving through your fingers. And when you are done, you do not have to wait for a birthday or a holiday to use it. You just walk over to the sink and put it to work. That is the kind of making I believe in — the kind that lives in the everyday, not just in the special occasions.
Make one tonight. Make five this week. Stack them by the sink and watch how fast they become part of your kitchen the way they have always been part of mine.
