Knit Washcloths for Spring Cleaning

I like knitting washcloths all the time, but I think there’s something extra fun about knitting washcloths as we get ready for spring cleaning. It just makes all the scrubbing a little more fun, whether you’re deep cleaning the kitchen counter or yourself.

I hope by now you know that washcloths don’t need to be boring, and there’s a special joy in using something pretty that you made for something totally mundane?

Like this pretty and easy floral design from Knitted Accent. The pattern is worked as purls on a stockinette stitch background, and the design reminds me a little of a quilt block. The pattern is written but also has a chart if you’d rather work from that.

Or how about this set of textured washcloth patterns from Knit On Designs. These are all knit and purl stitch combinations so they’re easy for beginners but the make really pretty dishcloths you’ll enjoy making.

The Tin Ceiling washcloth and hand towel set from Purl Soho use an easy knit and purl pattern to make a lovely textured diamond design all over the project. This pattern is both written and charted as well so you can follow whichever version you like.

Add a teeny bit of lace to a simple washcloth for a cute effect like in the It Had to be You dishcloth from the Kitchen Sink Shop (available as a free download on Ravelry). This one features little eyelets worked in a heart shape on a background of stockinette stitch.

But who says washcloths have to be a normal shape or a dainty design? Also on Ravelry you’ll find the Whale Tooth Dishcloth from Cassandra Bibler. It’s worked with short row shaping but the pattern includes various technique ideas you can use to make the project the way you want.

Or make your cleaning time a throwback with Kate Agner’s Cassette Tape washcloth (Ravelry). It’s worked in garter stitch using the intarsia technique and is stitched from a chart. Using garter stitch makes for a thick washcloth that could also be used as a pot holder.

A Bunch of Great Free Washcloth Knitting Patterns

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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