Knit Dishcloths to Clean Up Your Holiday Meal

It may be a little late to knit much for the table for Thanksgiving and Hanukkah, but you still have time to whip up a dishcloth or two to help you with the cleanup. And I don’t know about you, but I feel a little better about cleaning when I have nice tools, and nothing’s better than handknit cloths for scrubbing off the last bits of potatoes and pecan pie.

Here are some great options for easy but pretty knit dishcloths.

Of course I couldn’t resist sharing the classic Ball Band Dishcloth from Peaches & Creme, made famous by Mason-Dixon Knitting. Such a fun, easy pattern and it looks great in bold colors. There’s also the hanging version from stitcher Cheryl if you have a place to hang your towel from.

The perfect scrubbie stash buster comes in the form of this garter stitch dishcloth from Lion Brand Yarn, which changes colors every two rows.

These lovely slip stitch dishcloths from the Purl Bee are a great introduction to slip stitch knitting if you’ve never done it before. It looks a lot more complicated than it is because you’re only working with one color on each row.

The Triangles Towel from Knit Picks is another cute one that has a section that folds over and attaches with buttons to keep it secure.

Lizard Ridge is an addictive stitch pattern, and this free Raverly download pattern from Laura Aylor shows it off to great effect. This is another one that would be fun as a stash buster.

The Gridded Kitchen Towel from 3 Sleeves to the Wind is a fun combo of a solid and multicolored cotton yarn in a nice textured stitch pattern that’s great for scrubbing.

And while technically not a dishtowel, the Ravelry download Tribble is a great little scrubby that’s fun to knit and is stitched into a circle to finish.

I can’t resist sharing one of mine, too, and among my faves is the easy Mistake Rib Dishcloth, which comes together quickly and has nice texture for cleaning or drying dishes.

Why use dishcloths? Dishcloths are re-useable and save on kitchen waste. Most dishcloths are made using cotton yarn and can be thrown into the washing machine when dirty. This makes them very hygienic, especially when compared to kitchen sponges, which sit on the sinks for days if not weeks. Another great thing about dishcloths is when it comes to knitting the knit up quickly and are great for gift giving. Everyone needs a dishcloth. For gifting, It’s not something that has to be in fashion or a certain colour for the recipient to like it, though there are so many great dishcloth pattern designs out there.

Looking to knit more dishcloth patterns ? Check out these dishcloth patterns on Etsy

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Not too long ago my daughter and I had a discussion about what a chestnut really looks like. The nut itself is small and brown, of course, but on the tree they’re covered with this weird kind of spiky, kind of fuzzy shell. It’s a wonder anyone ever figured out they were edible.

If you didn’t know that, you might wonder why this project is call Chestnut balaclava, but now you know.

This fun design from Yevheniia Pyroh is covered with spikes just like a chestnut shell, and is even the same color, though of course you can make yours whatever color you like. It uses two strands of fingering weight yarn held together (which it says is fingering weight but you could try a light/DK yarn and see if you get gauge with it if you’d rather).

There are two different design options in the pattern. One is a more fitted balaclava style hat (it doesn’t cover the face but does go around the neck) and a looser fit hood.

It’s worked primarily in garter stitch, with shaping done by knitting and purling in the same stitch and through various decreases (including a knit 3 together).

The pattern is charted but also explained in words. It’s worked flat to the size you want, and then joined into a hood shape with ribbing at the neck. The opening for the face is finished with I-cord.

This hood/balaclava would definitely be a conversation starter and in different colors it might read more dinosaur than chestnut, which could also be fun. The sizing is totally custom so you can make it fit whatever head you’re stitching for.

If you want to try it for yourself (and I’d love to hear about it if you do!) you can download the free pattern from Ravelry.

[Photo: Yevheniia Pyroh]

Balaclava Knitting Patterns

Colorwork Balaclava Knitting Pattern [Knitting]

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