A couple of years ago I decided to try to reduce the amount of waste our household was sending to landfill.  One of the things I discovered while doing some research was cotton dishcloths.  I loved the idea of these as the spongy ones that you buy at the supermarket disintegrate after a while and end up in the bin.  The cotton ones can just be thrown in the washing machine and hung on the line to dry.  If they get a bit smelly, I just soak them in a 50/50 solution of white vinegar and water before washing.

I have made a whole bunch of these as gifts over the years and introduced all of my friends and family to the delight of cotton dishcloths.  I have made numerous patterns, including a set of Dr Who themed ones, and a quick search on google will bring up literally hundreds of patterns.  The one I always come back to is the simple Grandma’s Favourite Dishcloth.  I found the pattern online here Grandmas Favourite Dishcloth and it is perfect for beginners and more experienced knitters alike.

They are super quick to whip up and after finishing all of my Christmas Gift making last year, I pulled all of my dishcloth cotton out of the cupboard and embarked on a marathon session of knitting, ending up at the end of 2 weeks with 14 dishcloths.  Christmas presents for 2017 ticked off the list (plus a few might sneak their way into my drawer)