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

As we get into the part of the year with a lot of food-forward holidays, it might be time to start thinking about knitting some new things for your table. While a few of these are more fall/Thanksgiving focused, just changing up the colors would make others work for Christmas, or keep it neutral and use them all year long.

What got me started thinking about this was the lovely and simple Fresh Bread Dishtowel, a free pattern from Purl Soho. Worked in a lovely cotton and linen blend, the towel is mostly stockinette stitch with a bit of texture on the borders.

You could use this same kind of pattern to make anything from placemats to a table runner, but let’s look at some specific patterns for those kinds of projects as well.

The easy moss stitch table runner from Glass Bird Knits is beginner friendly can can easily be modified to fit your table (or, again, to make placemats instead of or in addition to a runner). This version is worked in macrame cord, but you could also use bulky yarn.

Emielle Design has a garter stitch runner pattern that’s made with braided cotton cord for a lot of texture without a lot of work. But be sure to take a lot of breaks when knitting with cord because it can be rough on your hands!

I also love the diamond pattern on the Hamilton Table Runner from Wyndlestraw Designs. It calls for a DK weight cotton and linen blend yarn and comes in three sizes with different widths and lengths. The pattern has both written and charted instructions.

Amy Marie’s Table Pumpkins (on Ravelry) is a fun mosaic knitting pattern that would be great to use as a table runner through the fall and for Thanksgiving. It uses a worsted weight cotton yarn in two colors, and you can make it as long as you like for your table.

The no cable knit placemats from Yarn Culture Studio have a fun faux cable look that would be great for the table through the fall and winter.

Or here’s another pattern from Wyndlestraw Designs, this time for an easy knit and purl stitch placemat pattern that looks different but still good on both sides. It calls for worsted weight cotton and comes in two sizes for placemats, but also has instructions for coasters, a hot pad and a table pad all using the same stitch.

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