I enjoy knitting dishcloths but am not sure I’d like to ruin them with use.
What do you guys use them for except gifts?
Or do you just keep them for show?
Tamar
Dishcloths
[b][color=indigo]IMHO, part of knitting is making utilitarian items, not just showy items. :teehee: I knit dishcloths to use and to give as gifts. Use doesn’t ruin them, any more than a child wearing out a hand knitted blanket or sweater by loving it too much. :lol: And as they only take a little while to make, the time investment isn’t that great that if they get used up, one can’t make another. I find it takes years, though, to use them up even with daily use.
I have one hand knitted cloth on the counter to catch the drips from my coffee pot when pouring and one draped over the bar between the sinks that is used when washing dishes, cleaning couters and wiping the table. I soak both in a mild bleach solution and interestingly enough the yellow one has never faded. If I had a dishwasher I’d put them in the last cycle of the day to clean them.[/color][/b]
I’m at the point where almost all my dishcloths are handknit. I absolutely LOVE them. I just recently made a 1200 mile move away from all my friends and, and missed out Christmas dishcloth swap. They sent me a box of dishcloths, and now when I use the cloth from that person I pray for them.
There is nothing better than useful knitting. Oh, and you will have to work hard to ruin a knit dishcloth. They are workhorses. If you make them out of linen they will outlast cockroaches.
That is so sweet and thoughtful–I’d have never thought of such a good reminder–your friends are lucky to have you!!
that’s an interesting way of putting it…cockroaches scare me!!! 
I have never gotten into knitting dishclothes although the thought did hit me that making washcloths might be a good housewarming gift for some friends that are about to buy a house nearby. Maybe I can find out what color their bathroom will be…I can’t think of anyone who would like dishcloths other than maybe my parents and grandmother and they all live in the same house…
Oh Tamar, don’t use them! If you do you’ll never use any other and then you will have to make yourself about a dozen, then friend and family and then…more yarn stash to keep. It’s a slippery slope. :teehee:
I use mine and so do the others I’ve given them, too. As long as you aren’t using them for scrubbing cleanser like Barkeeper’s Friend or Comet they seem to last a long time! I love them!
The cotton comes in many pretty colors which makes knitting them fun, but I have discovered that they do stain so I’ll probably stick to “stain colors” like brown ombre or a variegated brown color. :teehee:
Oh and don’t bleach them… :doh:
I make them, I use them, I give them away. Recipients think they are too pretty to use…
I 
dishcloths!!
I’ve made two dishclothes from the Mason Dixon knitting book. I LOVE these!! Even my daughter, who I’m not cool enough to be around most days, likes them.
One of the biggest reasons I started knitting (as opposed to cross-stitching, which I did for years) was the practicality of it.
One of the great things about dishcloths is they are quick and cheap. I used them to practice Continental stitch before I switched over. Who cares whether they are sloppily knit if you’re wipeing egg off a frying pan with them. :shrug:
I’ve made two dishclothes from the Mason Dixon knitting book. I LOVE these!!
I’ve made lots of Mason Dixon Ball Bands. The round ones are harder but I’ve managed it. Such a fun book.
I’ve bleached mine with no problem. They’re made from Peaches n Cream, and the instructions said not to bleach. Mine had reached the point that bleaching could not make it look worse. Stains came out with no problem and no fading, although it was a relatively light blue.
Thanks everyone!
I love your answers.
Keep them coming.
Tamar
[quote=“losnana”]
I’ve bleached mine with no problem. They’re made from Peaches n Cream, and the instructions said not to bleach. Mine had reached the point that bleaching could not make it look worse. Stains came out with no problem and no fading, although it was a relatively light blue.[/quote]
Really!? That’s good to know. Maybe I’ll brave the local Walmart 
and try some Peaches n Cream. Thanks for the info.
I love to make dishcloths, both for practicing stitches (both knit and crochet) and for making gifts. They were perfect last fall for doing during my son’s soccer practice in time for Christmas. I use them too and wonder what I did without them. I also just love the feel of working with cotton yarn. Peaches and Cream and Sugar and Cream are so much fun to knit and crochet. I warn you though: making dishcloths is addictive!
Isn’t everything about knitting addictive?
I know I’m a little slow gettting to this but hey, I was knitting new dishcloths !! I started knitting dishcloths for my garndmother while in high school and for years that was all I could knit. She wanted 100% cotton and all white so she could clorox them…yes, I know other colors seem to bleach well, but for grandma dishcloths, towels, and underwear had to be white and bleachable.
I absolutely love knit dishcloths and that’s all I use. I have 4-5 in the drawer at any given time. I bleach them, throw them in the washing machine with towels… I almost wish they would wear out faster so I could make new ones. Just finally had to knit my mother new ones when I saw her poor ole stretched out ones at Christmas.
Well, I’m really pleased that I can knit dishclothes forever because I’m probably already addicted.
But, I’m afraid that my addiction won’t last for long because I can’t get either Peaches’n creme nor Surgar’n cream. The nearest yarn is a slightly thinner high quality, highly priced 100% cotton ($5 for 150m). I’ve already bought a couple of balls to do an illusion dishcloth but I’ll have to give it to someone special and I don’t know if I’ll be able to afford buying any more these in the future.
My next-door-neighbour is going to NYC for a couple of weeks very soon so may be I can get a special delivery from her.
I’d like to try organic cotton too.
Tamar
Have you tried Ebay for peaches n cream?
I’m in the UK, and I know there are a couple on sale over here (although the postage may make it not worth the effort) but there may be some over there too.
I have a question about gifting dishcloths - I want to make my mother in law a set of kitchenware for her birthday in april, but is it appropriate? Is it not like giving her work to do? :teehee:
Niffer,
You could probably do her a set with a towel and a soap wrap and may be even a bath mitten.
Where are you from in south Wales? I’ve been to Port Talbort and Swansey and I loved it there. The welsh are lovely. (The ones I’ve met)
Tamar
I’m going to try this one next!
Garerlac Dishcloth
I hope you can find some inexpensive cotton for the dishcloths!