The (Former) Queen of the Dishcloths

Way back in the 90s and early 2000s, before I was a Knitter with a capital K, I used to go through occasional periods when I would knit dishcloths. Dishcloths make great hostess gifts, and can be combined with dish towels and kitchen gadgets to make a bridal shower gift, too. I am a huge fan of knitted dishcloths for my own kitchen, so many of the dishcloths I knitted stayed to live with me. Back in those years, the only dishcloth pattern that I ever knit was the venerable Grandmother's Favorite, which consists of a lot of garter stitch, some yarnovers and knit two togethers. (Incidentally, a great way to practice those skills if you are a new knitter.)

Sometime in 2007, I realized that I was pretty bored with Grandmother's Favorite, and I started thinking about learning to knit something more complicated. That wish for more complexity became my New Year's resolution in 2008 to take a knitting class. The rest, as they say, is history. I knit my first cardigan and socks in that class, and I haven't stopped knitting since.

Since 2008, there have been very few dishcloths knit around here. In 2009 there was the World Record Dishcloth, which I knit at Sock Summit as a participant in the Guinness Book record for the number of knitters knitting at the same time. Here is what that dishcloth, a Grandmother's Favorite, naturally, looked like:

Last fall, I tried out Knit Picks Dishie dishcloth cotton yarn, my Dishcloth Experiment, and knit a variation on Grandmother's Favorite, eLoomanator's Diagonal Knit Dishcloth. (I photograph dishcloths in places other than my sink, I really do!)

I recently participated in a dishcloth and recipe swap, and I once again chose two patterns that are based on Grandmother's Favortie. Here is Variation on a Theme, my Turquoise Beauty:

I also knit this darling, and very quick pattern, Grandma's Favorite Heart-Shaped Dishcloth, which not only went into the package for my swap partner, but also to two friends as early valentines.  I called my dishcloth project Pink Hearts (As you can see, I moved from the sink to the dish drainer in one of the photos.)

I am rediscovering the fun of knitting simple dishcloths occasionally. I hope to knit down my very small stash (about 12 balls) of dishcloth cotton over the course of this year, and I'll share the projects with you as they come off my needles. If you are looking for a quick, satisfying project, why not join me, and knit a dishcloth!