Clean and Crafty: Dishcloth Collection

Dishcloths are one of those things you can never seem to have enough of—whether they’re working hard at the sink, folded neatly in a drawer, or gifted to a friend who loves something handmade. That’s exactly why the Knit Picks Clean & Crafty Dishcloth Collection became such a favorite. This collection features 52 free dishcloth knitting patterns—yes, one for every week of the year!

What makes this set so special is the variety. The patterns range from simple knits perfect for beginners who are just learning to handle needles and yarn, to more intricate designs that will keep even seasoned knitters happily challenged. You’ll find everything from basic textured stitches that are quick to whip up, to cabled beauties, intarsia motifs, and even astrology-inspired dishcloths that make the perfect personal gift for each zodiac sign.

The patterns aren’t just practical—they’re fun, seasonal, and decorative. Imagine pulling out a snowflake dishcloth in December, a pumpkin dishcloth in October, or a starry zodiac cloth for a birthday gift. These designs add just the right touch of handmade charm to your home, while still being sturdy enough for everyday use in the kitchen.

Knit Picks originally launched this project back in 2017, releasing one new dishcloth pattern each week throughout the year. By the end, knitters had an incredible library of designs to choose from—including the complete Zodiac Dishcloth Series, which remains a fan favorite to this day.

Whether you’re knitting for yourself, creating last-minute gifts, or just looking for quick and satisfying projects, the Clean & Crafty Dishcloth Collection is proof that dishcloths don’t have to be boring. They can be colorful, creative, and oh-so-addictive to knit!

The Clean & Crafty dishcloth collection includes 52 adorable cloths to help you decorate your house.

For the past few years I’ve taken part in a Christmas in July blog hop that encourages people to get a jump on their making for holiday gifts.

I love to use yarn I already have for these projects in the hope that people will consider what they already have that they can use to make projects for themselves or to give as gifts.

This year it was a couple of knit baskets made using partial balls of yarn left in my stash from other projects.

They use the same basic pattern but the first one is made with two colors of bulky yarn, and the second used two strands of worsted weight yarn held together, which made the gauge about the same, but I cast on fewer stitches to make a smaller version.

The bottom of the basket is square, though you can make them rectangular if you’d rather. Then I just knit up the sides in rounds until I was about to run out of yarn. This gave both baskets rather short sides — maybe more like a tray than a basket — but you can keep knitting as long as you like to make the sides of your basket as tall as you want.

They’re worked in seed stitch, which keeps the edges from curling and adds a nice texture to the baskets.

Of course this also allows you to use even more odd balls from your stash. I’d love to make a big one someday combining lots of different yarn. I mean, I’d probably use it to store more yarn, but that’s a fine thing to do.

As it is, these little trays are great for sitting on your desk or bedside table to hold little things that always seem to appear there. I like to use one to hold the supplies for whatever project I’m working on, things like little scissors, my tape measure, a crochet hook, etc.

And they would make good gifts on their own or as a container to hold some other goodies if you like.

You can find the free pattern for these stash busting baskets over at Our Daily Craft.

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