Free Easy Crochet Dishcloth Pattern
Today I thought I’d share with you a free easy crochet dishcloth pattern. It’s my favorite dish cloth pattern as well. Cotton dishcloths have become enormously popular, especially considering the trend to try and protect the environment by cutting down on paper products wherever possible. Crochet dishcloths are practical, beautiful and functional.
I especially like to use dishcloths as facecloths, though. There’s something so luxurious in using a handmade cotton cloth to clean your face instead of an old terry cloth rag. So I made a stack of these cloths to use when washing my face, and I love them.
There are tons of gorgeous dishcloths out there, and while I have made plenty of them, I prefer a more uniform, tidy appearance. Another thing about these is that they don’t have a lot of open holes or puffy abrasive spots, which might be good for scrubbing dishes, but maybe not so much for your face.
This isn’t really a pattern so much as it’s just a technique that I liked and put together for something that worked for me. They are very easy to make, so the very beginning crocheter should be able to whip one up in no time flat. I can usually make one of these in about 45 minutes. And the pattern is very easy to customize as well; you can make it bigger by adding a few extra stitches on your foundation chain, or using a larger hook.
Cotton is the preferred yarn for dishcloths and facecloths, because it is water absorbent and machine washable. Acrylic yarn tends to push water around, and if you use it as a potholder, high temperatures can melt it. There’s a huge variation in cotton yarns, from the $1 kind you can pick up at Walmart to luxurious Egyptian cotton yarns.
So here is the pattern in a nutshell.
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Mellie’s Favorite Dishcloth
With cotton worsted yarn and an H (5mm) hook:
Chain 27.
Row 1: sc in 3rd chain from hook. Dc in the next. [sc, dc] all the way across. Sc in the last stitch. Chain 1, turn.
Row 2: Dc in sc. [sc, dc] across. Chain 1 and turn.
And this is how you keep the pattern up for the rest of the cloth. You’ll be doing a dc in each sc, and a sc in each dc, with 1 chain at the end.
When you’ve reached around 22 rows or so (depending on your tension), you should have a square. Finish off your yarn, and it’s ready to use! Or continue on if you want more of a rectangular shape.
•·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·•
This free, easy dishcloth pattern is great for holiday presents, housewarming gifts, and for your own home, so enjoy. And you are more than welcome to sell your finished products from this pattern (just please don’t copy and sell the pattern itself!).
Have a great Thursday!
~Mellie ★
*90 Comments*
I just wanted to say thank-you for posting a really easy pattern for a basic wash cloth, found your blog doing a yahoo search.
You’re welcome. Glad it was helpful!
Can you tell me the difference between thread weight peaches and cream and worsted peaches and cream. I am new to crocheting and the dish rags I have made are a little too thick when I use this yarn. Thanks
DITTO from me!! I have only been crocheting for a few weeks and alot of beginner patterns I find are hard for me to follow. This is an EASY PEASY pattern to follow, and I love the design so far (only on my 3rd row). :-)
I’m so glad that it’s helpful and that you enjoy the pattern!
Can you also use acryl instead of coton?
Sure, you could use any material you’d like. The thing to keep in mind about acrylic, however, is that it doesn’t “soak up” liquids the way that cotton does – it just kind of pushes it around. So if you’re planning on using it for cleaning, you might want to keep that in mind.
Just started this pattern and it is extremely easy and fast, which is what I look for!! I found it on Pinterest.
Thanks, Tonya! I’m glad the pattern is easy to follow :)
Did you use the Peaches & Cream brand thread?
Yes, I did use Peaches & Cream for these – but worsted cotton, not thread weight. :)
Thanks or posting this terrific pattern! This is my first visit to your blog and it’s great! :)
_______
Lee Ann
Crochet…Gotta Love It! Blog
YouTube Channel
#crochetgottaloveit
#crochet
Thanks for the kind words :) And I’m so glad you like the pattern.
This is just what I was looking for! Thanks for posting it. Unique yet simple. B-)
Thanks! :)
Hi, I am wondering about stitch count.
When you sc in the 3rd ch from the start (row 1), does it count as a dc?
How many stitches should be in row 1 after worked?
Thank you for your generous sharing of this pattern! :) xoxoxo
Hi Karen – yes, the extra beginning chain counts as the first stitch, and the next stitch is worked into the same stitch. Including that, there are 26 stitches along the bottom row.
Your reply here says that the “next stitch” (the first actual DC worked) is worked into the same stitch (chain) as the first sc, however that’s not how the pattern reads/is written. It says the DC is worked into next stitch after the SC.
Did you just misspeak in this comment or is the written pattern incorrect?
Thanks.
Olá Mellie.
Obrigado pela apresentação. Como sou portuguesa, a tradução não é muito explicita. Gostei deste pontinho mas não consigo reproduzi-lo. Será que tem esquema?
Obrigado.
Google translate is having a hard time… I’m getting that there’s something about the pattern you have a question with, but I’m not sure what.
Hi, I love your crochet work; they are just so pretty. I particularly liked the spring dishcloth :) I think I can help you with Ana’s request. I speak Portuguese and she said she can’t make the dishcloth just looking at the picture so she is asking for the written pattern. Hope it helps. Thanks
Thank you Gisele! Are you asking about this dishcloth or the Spring one? For the spring one, the written instructions can be found ALL the way at the bottom of the page here: http://www.yarnspirations.com/pattern/crochet/flowers-dishcloth. Good luck! ~mellie
Ana appears to be saying that the translation from English to Portuguese doesn’t appear to be very exact. She wonders if you have a diagram to explain the pattern as she’s having trouble copying what you did.
Sorry, I know I am several months late to help. :(
Thanks for your help, LeAnn! No, I don’t have a diagram, but I’ll put it on the list of things to work on. :)
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should I finish off the entire thing with a sc & if so how many sc do I do in the corners. If you would please give me some info on that.
thanks,
mag
It doesn’t need a border, you can just finish off at the end of the row.
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I seriously appreciate individuals like you! Take care!!
I made three of these face cloths in all natural cotton yarn, tied them together with a lovely ribbon and added a vintage home made card after I saw the same thing in a gift shop for $27. This makes a lovely little hostess gift or get well present. A set is perfect as a shower gift when you add some pretty hand made natural soap or bath items for babies. Also great for shower favors, Basically, endless possibilities and very personal and economical gift. Everyone seems to love them.
that sounds lovely! I’m so glad that you enjoyed the pattern!
Love the dishcloths. So pretty and elegant. I found your blog through Linda from Linda’s crafty corner. You have a lovely blog.mthanks for sharing the pattern.
thank you so much!
Hi Mellie,
I’ve seen some of your gorgeous squares, etc. on the BAM-CAL on Ravelry to which I belong also and you certainly do some gorgeous crocheting!
Thanks so much for sharing this pattern and may I ask if you have a favorite softer cotton that you may have used for these cloths? The Peaches & Cream and also the Sugar & Cream are very hard on my hands with a bit of osteoarthritis so I’d like to try something softer but still cotton and worsted weight.
Thanks Laura!
I usually am not a fan of crocheting with cotton for the reasons you mentioned – it is rather stiffer than other yarns, and hard on the hands. In the past, I enjoyed using “Loops and Threads Cotton Club” yarn, but it’s since been discontinued. The other softer yarns that I’ve used and been happy with are cotton blends, such as Lion’s Brand “Cotton Ease”, but being a blend, I’m not certain it would have the same amount of absorbancy that a full cotton would. Knitpicks “Dishie” is somewhat softer and a little thinner than the Peaches & Cream. Knitpicks also has a pima cotton blend yarn called “Comfy Sport”, which I have never personally used, but seems to have gotten good reviews on Ravelry (see here). Only thing about sport yarn is that the pattern might end up a bit smaller, but that’s easily fixable by starting with a higher chain for the foundation row (maybe 33 instaed of 27?) As long as it’s an odd number, the pattern should work out just the same. Hope this helped some, do let me know if you find one that you like! ~mellie
I’m sure you’ve discovered by now that Hobby Lobby’s I love this cotton is fabulously soft and just a little bit thinner, providing fabulous drape and a wonderful feel to your cloths.
Hi there, I am a complete newby to crocheting and have basically just learned both these stitches. My dishcloth seems to be coming out with much larger holes in between the rows than yours. Do you think that is because of tension? I think I have pretty tight tension but it’s frustrating me and with my extreme limited experience its difficult for me to troubleshoot it myself. I was also thinking that perhaps I am working the back, should I be going through two pieces of yarn when inserting my hook or just one?
Unless otherwise noted, you should always be going through both holes. If you’re going through the hole closest to you and not the back hole, that stitch is called FLO (front loop only), and you’ll usually see it written like: dc FLO or something like that. Same thing with the back loop (BLO). Try making it by going through both holes, and let me know if you’re still having problems!
I love this dishcloth pattern!! It is the easiest by far I have tried 2 make!!! And its NOT trying 2 curl up as I work it. Thank you so much!!
Hi Melody,
I’m so glad you like it. The fact that it’s flat was something I was really happy about too!
Hi! This is such a great idea. Thank you for posting. I love the idea of handmade facecloths… for home and for gifts. I have many, long unused, and if memory serves, not inexpensive, skeins of a beautiful Tahki Cotton Classic yarn that would be perfect for these… Except the yarn is DK weight not worsted weight. Would you have any advice for altering your wonderful facecloth pattern so that I could use this yarn? I pick up crocheting/knitting every five years or so…. Even though I’ve been crocheting for years, I’m still a beginner. Thanks for any advice!
Hi Beverley,
Yes, you can absolutely alter this for a DK weight yarn! Basically you’ll need to just extend the foundation row. The pattern is done in a multiple of two, so I would just add as many extra chains until it reaches just under the width you want it to be (it stretches a little), and then add the extra chain to start off with. Also, you’ll have to decide whether or not to keep using the 5mm/H hook or go down. If you use the H hook with the DK yarn, it will be a little “hole”-ier and less solid. Using a 4mm/G hook will end up more solid, but will take a bit more time. Tahki is a beautiful cotton too, I agree!
Wow! That was fast. I was ready to wait a few days for your response! Thank you so much. I can’t wait to give it a try.
good luck! :)
Hi. Thank you for this great pattern. My first cloth came out a bit lopsided on the left side. On the rows that end with a DC do you still chain one? It seems as if that side has more stitches than the other. Perhaps I should always be ending with a SC?
Hi Cindi,
Sorry you’re having problems with the pattern. In every row, except for the first, you should be making a sc in a dc or a dc in a sc. Each row ends with one chain – then turn, and immediately crochet in the first stitch of the row. The dc-ending rows do get the extra chain – it’s what gives it that kind of wavy edges on each side, the sc/dc alternate. Other than that, I would just say to make sure that your rows are opposite, and that you’re certain of which stitches are which (sc or dc) and making sure to put the opposite stitch in each.
If you’re still having trouble, you can modify it slightly by doing a traditional chain-1 for a sc at the beginning of a row and a ch-3 for a dc. So, instead of ch-1, sc in the first space, just do a chain-1 (counts as sc). The edges will come out slightly different, but it should come out square.
Let me know if that works out for you!
Hi Mellie,
Thank you for responding so quickly and in such detail. I made a second cloth with much better results. It seems I may have been missing that first stitch in some of the rows. I also was careful that I did not make my chain one at the end of each row too loose. Now my cloth looks as beautiful as the one in your pic. Thank you so much for the help! BTW…I started following you on Instagram. Your colorful pictures are stunning.
thank you! :)
I would like to print this How do I do this there is no PRINT ICON Thank you
How do I print this? thanks
Hi Marie!
I didn’t realize that I didn’t have a downloadable version for this, but I will be fixing that within the next week! Thank you for letting me know!
Marie, if there is no print icon, you just have to highlight what you want copied and and choose COPY. Then open a word document, put your curser at the top of the page, then choose PASTE. The basic COPY/PASTE option is what I use when there is no PRINT option.
It seems I have holes in it.
Please help must be doing something wrong?
Thanks Claudia
Sure, can you tell me about the holes? Are they on a particular side or all the way through? Are you using the correct size hook? Too large of a hook will leave larger holes. Let me know a little more about the problem, and I’ll do my best to help!
I haven’t been crocheting very long but I am “hooked” already. I have a new kitchen that I want to make dish clothes and towels with this pattern. After MUCH searching, this is the stitch I want to use. Please help me in getting the correct count across for a “not so large” hand towel. I saw that this is done in multiples of two….the count will always be the number you want (in twos) PLUS ….just one? I did a small swatch of your pattern and it turned out just fine…just love it. I just want to make sure I understand the count when increasing the length across. Thank you for shaving your pattern.
Hi Nancy! Yes, you are correct. It’s a stitch count of two, plus one extra only when making the foundation chain. So if you wanted a towel that was 40 stitches across, then you would chain 41. Skip that last (41st) chain, and make your first sc in the 40th chain, and then dc, sc, dc, all the way back to the first, in which you should be at a dc. Then chain 1, turn, and sc in that first dc that you just made.
Hope this helps!
You are so sweet to help me!! Thank you so much!! I can’t wait to get started on this project.
You’re welcome! :)
Hi, :)
If I wanted to make this wider, what is the stitch multiple? Please <3 :)
Hugs!
Hi Karen,
You can make it as long as you like, as long as you’re using a multiple of 2 (+1 extra chain in the foundation row).
Thank you! I appreciate your response! (y)
You’re welcome! :)
Was looking for an easy summer crochet project when I stumbled on this post. These have been so much fun to make. Thanks for sharing!!
So glad you like it!
I love this, quick and easy. I added a single crochet edge around this dishcloth.
This is such a nice pattern. Especially for someone more comfortable with knitting needles! Thank you for sharing!
You’re welcome! So glad you like it.
Hi Mellie Blossom,
I love your Tropical delight squares. Could you please tell me what yarn and what colors you are using. It is just so lovely. The texture of the yarn just seems to go perfect with that pattern.
Thank you so very much.
Laura
Sure! Actually, the yarn I’m using for it has been discontinued. It’s Full o’ Sheep – Stitch Nation by Debbie Stoller. The colors I use are thyme, passionfruit, little lamb, honeycomb, and clementine. Even though it’s been discontinued, you can still find them online at places like eBay and Ravelry. I wish they hadn’t discontinued it, the colors are so bright and beautiful!
Hi Mellie… I’m trying to teach myself to crochet . I was looking for something easy yet pretty and saw your dish/wash cloth and am going to try it. But I have a very basic question that I’m hoping you’ll answer. When the pattern says ” sc in 3rd chain from hook”, does that 3rd chain include the one on the hook, or the next one? Thank you for sharing photos of all your beautiful handiwork. And thank you for taking the time to answer my dumb question.
P.S. I love your name.
Hi Barbara! It does not include the loop on the hook :)
I was looking for dishcloth patterns, and imagine my surprise when I saw “Mellie Blossom”. My name is Mellie, too! I’m going to try them. Thanks for the post.
From one Mellie to another :)
Do u have video I’m a newbie
I don’t, sorry! But there are a lot of really helpful videos on Youtube that may help!
Hi Mellie,
Your dishcloth pattern is an excellent project for beginners! I’m organising a crochet workshop and I wondered if it would be okay for me to print and use your pattern for my students please? I would reference you and include the link to your site of course!
Thank you,
Tracy :-)
Sure, I don’t mind at all! :)
Thanks so much Mellie!
So glad you like it!
Great easy pattern. I like to give dishcloths as house warming gifts and I can add this to my collection. I like different patterns to keep it interesting. Thanks for sharing
Thanks Cathy. I’m so glad you like it!
Thanks for sharing this great pattern. First time I’ve visited your site and really enjoying the pattern. Thank you ever so much. :)
Thanks Leanne! I’m so glad you like it!
I LOVE this pattern! I have made multiple cloths for friends who keep asking for more. One little thing I might add for REAL beginners (like I was). Although you instruct to repeat rows 1 and 2, as a newbie, in my third row I was trying to single crochet into the THIRD stitch, rather than the second stitch from the hook, which would be the previous row’s final DC. Perhaps adding a ROW 3 instruction, then repeat Rows 2 and 3 might be helpful for those of us who take things so literally! I’m probably the only idiot that did that, but there may be more of my kind out there. Many, many thanks for the best pattern I’ve ever come across.
This is a variation on the lemon peel stitch. It’s a great pattern. I just used it to make a lap blanket with Bernat blanket yarn.
Hi Mellie
This pattern is cute but i have a really dumb question, Do I crochet sc dc in the same stitch or is it sc in one stitch and dc and one stitch to the end?
Hi Elizabeth! You sc in the dc, and then in the next stitch, you dc in the sc. So it’s always one stitch in one stitch. HTH!
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Does it make one dishcloth per skein of yarn?
Crochet seems like a really inexpensive way to get things like cloths and bibs. All of my dish cloths need to be replaced. They have stains on each one of them.