Best Yarn for Dishclothes Guide: Which Is The Safest Pick?

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Shaleena Quinlan

Shaleena is a freelance writer and avid crafter. She knows how to work with her hands and enjoys seeing her beautiful creations. Her goal is to get more supplies for her crafting station. She wants to help you work on your next project, from crocheting to painting or even sewing. In her spare time, she enjoys farming and gardening.

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Yarn art has a practical side to it. More than just frilly baby blankets and itchy Christmas sweaters, this craft can actually be used to produce useful and functional household goods. Dishcloths are an example of one such product that is fun and easy to make using either knitting patterns or crochet patterns.  

Because these items can be personalized, they also make fabulous gifts for weddings, housewarming parties, or hostess gifts.  Crafting crochet or knitted dishcloths is a great way to express your creativity, enlarge your supply of kitchenware, and enjoy your favorite hobby at the same time.  

It is for these reasons that we at Craft & Stitch have created this guide. We want to give you the best information to make the process of yarn selection for this and any type of project as simple and easy as possible so you can straight to the fun part: crafting.

Best Yarn for Dishclothes Guide: The Process of Selection

If you are interested in trying to craft a yarn dishcloth, you may be wondering if certain types of yarn work better for this project than other types. The answer to this query is yes. Dishcloths are designed to work in a particular capacity in a kitchen so it is necessary to pick a yarn that will hold up to the type and amount of work expected from them. When looking for yarn to turn into a dishcloth, we need to look for the following features:

• Capacity to Hold Moisture – The yarn used to create a dishcloth should be able to soak in and hold some water.
• Color – This is a personal preference but since style is such an important factor in many homes, we should not overlook color.
• Durability – Dishcloths do a lot of hard work in the kitchen, then they are washed and dried in machines that can be hard on the material.  We need to look for yarn that can hold up to all the wear and tear of a regular day in the kitchen as well as the process they must go through to be cleaned.
• Pricing – This does not need to be an expensive craft, especially when we consider how inexpensive store-bought dishcloths are.  We need to find reasonably priced yarn that will still fill all our other yarn requirements.
• Workability – This refers to how easy it is to crochet or knit with the yarn.  Some yarn fibers are tight and can be difficult to work with or can cause hand pain when they are used in projects.

Our Favorite Fibers

Now that we know what it is we should look for in dishcloth yarn, we can begin our search for the best skeins of yarn on the market. Here is a list of our favorite yarns and some of our favorite patterns as well.

Acrylic-Cotton Blend

Adding a little acrylic yarn alongside a cotton fiber will enhance the feel of the yarn. The yarn will also be a lot easier to crochet or knit and it should not cause as much hand pain as 100% cotton yarn.

Pros:

• Acrylic-Cotton Blend can be washed and dried in machines
• Acrylic-Cotton Blend can hold up to a lot of hard work
• Acrylic-Cotton Blend absorbs water easily
• Acrylic-Cotton Blend is less painful to work with

Cons:

• Acrylic-Cotton Blend can be pricey

Recommended Yarn:

Lion Brand Twisted Cotton Blend Yarn

Recommended Patterns:

My Dishcloth Pattern by Woods and Wool (Crochet)

Woven Lines Dishcloth (Knit)

Cotton

Cotton is considered the best fiber to use in crafting a dishcloth since it is very durable, capable of holding moisture, and comes in a wide variety of colors.

Pros:

• Cotton can be washed and dried in machines
• Cotton can hold up to a lot of hard work
• Cotton yarn is available in many different colors
• Cotton absorbs water easily

Cons:

• Cotton yarn can be pricey
• Cotton yarn can cause hand pain when used in yarn art such as crocheting or knitting

Recommended Yarn:

Knit Picks Dishie Yarn

Recommended Dishcloth Patterns:

Waffle Crochet Spa Washcloth (Crochet)

Beaded Ribs Dishcloth (Knit)

Recycled Fabric Yarn

If you are conscientious about keeping waste down and protecting the environment around you, consider making your own fabric yarn. This type of yarn will allow you to refocus on what you really need in life and it will cause you to think hard before throwing pieces of fabric into a rubbish bin or purchasing convenient, but ultimately unsustainable, items.  

Growing every part of your life into a focused, conscientious, sustainable, and celebratory experience is what crafting is all about. So, if you would like to go further in your efforts to reduce, reuse, and recycle, consider crafting your own yarn rope using this method:

1. Gather your supplies (listed below)
2. Knot two pieces of fabric together
3. Twist the two pieces of fabric tightly around each other
4. Join new pieces of fabric by twisting them into the yarn rope
5. Keep twisting until you have reached the length your prefer

For a visual aid on how to create a yarn rope from leftover fabric, visit this blog article.

Supplies List:

• Scrap fabric that is 1” at its widest
• Scissors
• Something to wind the yarn rope around (cardboard spools will work)

Pros:

• Recycled Fabric Yarn reduces waste
• Recycled Fabric Yarn can provide a fun project for your family to participate in
• Recycled Fabric Yarn can be made from all types of fabric
• Recycled Fabric Yarn is fun and colorful

Cons:

• Recycled Fabric Yarn takes time to twist and wind
• Recycled Fabric Yarn can cause hand pain while crocheting or knitting

Recommended Dishcloth Pattern:

Seeing Spirals Washcloth (Crochet)

Texturama! Dishcloth (Knit)

Scrubber Cotton

To give your dishcloths a little more texture and empower them to deal with grimy messes, use a scrubber yarn made from cotton. The yarn will have all the positive attributes of a cotton dishcloth but with some extra scrubbing power from the textured fibers.

Pros:

• Scrubber Cotton Yarn comes in multiple colors
• Scrubber Cotton Yarn can hold up to a lot of hard work
• Scrubber Cotton Yarn absorbs water easily
• Scrubber Cotton Yarn can be machine washed and dried

Cons:

• Scrubber Cotton Yarn can cause hand pain while crocheting or knitting

Recommended Product:

Lily Sugar ‘n Cream Scrub Off Yarn

Recommended Dishcloth Patterns:

C2C Moss Stitch Dishcloth (Crochet)

Horizontal Wrapped Stitch Dishcloth (Knit)

Scrubber Yarn

Why not make a dishcloth that is all about scrubbing? This is not another scrubber cotton yarn; this yarn is all about the scrubbing feature. It may not create the ultimate dishcloth, but it will certainly be helpful in the kitchen.

Pros:

• Scrubber Yarn has an excellent texture to use when cleaning food messes
• Scrubber Yarn can be washed in a machine
• Scrubber Yarn comes in a wide variety of colors

Cons:

• Scrubber Yarn does not hold moisture well
• Scrubber Yarn can be difficult to crochet or knit with since it is so thin and it has an odd texture
• Scrubber Yarn can cause hand pain while crocheting or knitting

Recommended Product:

SCYarn for Scrubbies & Dishcloths

Recommended Dishcloth Patterns:

Red Heart Splash of Citrus Scrubby (Crochet)

Red Heart Tomato Scrubby (Knit)

Soy-Cotton Blend

This is the type of yarn you should use if you want something environmentally friendly but you are not keen on making your own yarn. With this yarn, your dishcloths will feel soft and look luxurious.

Pros:

• Soy-Cotton Blend Yarn comes in multiple colors
• Soy-Cotton Blend Yarn can hold up to a lot of hard work
• Soy-Cotton Blend Yarn absorbs water easily
• Soy-Cotton Blend Yarn can be machine washed 
• Soy-Cotton Blend Yarn will not cause as much hand pain as 100% cotton yarn

Cons:

• Soy-Cotton Blend Yarn can be expensive
• Soy-Cotton Blend Yarn can be difficult to find

Recommended Product:

BettaKNit Soy Cotton

Recommended Dishcloth Patterns:

Diagonal Dishcloth (Crochet)

Seed Stitch Checks Dishcloth (Knit)

Weaving In the Ends

Crafting dishcloths is a fun and creative project that anyone can take up. If you are just now learning how to knit or crochet, these are some of the best projects to practice on. They are easy, simple, and they produce a useful product. They offer you the chance to express your style with their ability to be crafted in various colors, textures, and patterns. Don’t miss out on this wonderful opportunity to craft and create functionally.

When I make dishcloths, I like to get several complimentary colors from the same brand and use them with different crochet patterns. In this way, I can make a set of kitchen dishcloths that looks stylish and is unique to me.  My favorite yarn to use when I crochet dishtowels is an Acrylic-Cotton Blend such as Lion Brand Twisted Cotton Blend Yarn. This is because it provides all the positive aspects of cotton but is a little kinder to my hands as I work through the project.

I hope this guide has helped to answer your questions about crafting a dishcloth or a set of dishcloths in the future. Remember, this yarn art is all about you; it offers you the ability to design and create an item that you love and that will look great in your home. You are going to have so much fun making these dishcloths. Happy Crafting!

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