Crochet dishcloths can use textured stitch repeats, a double sided scrubby fabric, a bobble textured side, or an alternating single and treble texture. These seven original patterns list their yarn and finished dimensions for practical kitchen projects.
Cotton yarn is the right call for dishcloths specifically, it takes scrubbing and boiling washes far better than acrylic.
Dishcloth patterns to explore
1. Wattle Stitch Washcloth
Debra Field’s Wattle Stitch washcloth repeats a simple sequence of single crochet, chain 1 and double crochet, which makes it beginner friendly and gives the fabric a nice drape. It takes about 5 oz of worsted weight cotton, and she has tried Plymouth Fantasy Naturalle, Universal Cotton Supreme and Lily Sugar’n Cream with good results. For mercerized cotton she recommends an H-8 (5 mm) hook. Since it is a stash-buster, it is a good way to use up leftover cotton and make a matching set.
2. Scrubby Crochet Dishcloth
Kara at Petals to Picots makes a double-sided cloth: a smooth cotton side for gentle cleaning and a scrubby side for tougher jobs. You need about 100 yards each of Lion Brand 24/7 worsted cotton and a scrubby yarn (Red Heart Scrubby is shown), and the pattern has a small size and a larger size in parentheses. The scrubby yarn is worked into the loops left on the ridged side, so the cloth stays a single layer instead of two pieces sewn together.
3. Scrubby Dishcloth
Crochet ‘n’ Create’s cloth is smooth on one side and bobbly on the other, so you get a gentle side and a scrubbier side in one flat cloth. The sample uses 70 g of Patons 100% cotton DK in one color and a small amount of a second, worked with a 5 mm hook. The page has both UK and US formats, and tension is listed as not applicable, so it is forgiving if your gauge is a little off. Chain 34 loosely to start.
4. Textured Pebble Washcloth
EyeLoveKnots updated her textured pebble washcloth in 2024 as part of a mystery washcloth crochet-along, adding multiple sizes and a new yarn, Queensland Coastal Cotton. The page also discusses which yarns work best for washcloths: cotton is the most common, worsted is the usual weight, and she says WeCrochet Dishie has been her preferred yarn because it is colorfast compared with several other cotton brands. It is worked with a 5 mm (H-8) hook.
5. Waffle Stitch Crochet Dishcloth
Rhondda Mol’s waffle stitch dishcloth is rated easy and finishes at 9 by 9 inches, and she says it can be made within an hour. The sample uses Lily Sugar’n Cream in Mod Blue (1.63 oz and about 81 yards for the dishcloth itself, from a 4 oz skein) with a 5 mm hook and an optional stitch marker. Gauge is about 13 stitches and 8 rows per 4 inches, so a quick swatch will tell you whether your finished cloth is close to 9 inches.
6. Textured Crochet Dishcloth
Amanda Saladin’s dishcloth is worked in alternating post double crochet for a woven-fabric look, and it finishes about 8 inches (20 cm) square with an I (5.5 mm) hook. The sample uses Lion Brand Mako Cotton, but she warns it needs hand washing, so she recommends worsted cotton like Lily Sugar’n Cream, Lion Brand 24/7 Cotton or WeCrochet Dishie for a dishcloth. Gauge is 16 stitches and 10 rows over 4 inches, and an ad-free PDF is sold separately.
7. Cottage Dishcloth
Sarah’s Cottage Dishcloth is rated easy and finishes about 8 by 8 inches. It uses about 130 yards of worsted weight cotton (Lion Brand Pima Cotton in the sample) and an H/8 (5 mm) hook, and gauge is 16 stitches and 16 rows of half double crochet over 4 inches. The texture comes from puff stitches worked among half double crochet. She mentions it as a companion to her Country Dishcloth pattern, if you want a matching set.
Scrubbing versus wiping
Two of these have a scrubby side: Crochet ‘n’ Create’s is smooth on one side and bobbly on the other, and Petals to Picots pairs cotton with scrubby yarn. The rest are plain cotton, which is gentler on dishes. EyeLoveKnots gives seven square sizes if you want a set of different ones.