Last year I designed a crochet washcloth that I literally use every day to wash my face. Morning and evening! And yes, in combination with Aleppo soap.
Sustainable alternative
To clean my kitchen counter (or the dishes) I wanted a slightly bigger cloth with even more texture.
I needed a sustainable alternative for sponges in my kitchen. Did you know that the scrubby part of most kitchen sponges is made of nylon or polyester, which are not biodegradable? They have a massive carbon footprint, and will sit in your landfill for centuries.
Sometimes I put the sponges in the washing machine but most of the time we threw them away which felt like a waste.
Even using paper towels to clean your kitchen isn’t eco friendly. They are not reusable, can’t be recycled and millions of paper towels end up in landfills each year.
So I was on a mission!
The perfect crochet stitch
In one of my crochet bibles I found a stitch pattern that I thought would be perfect.. (Maybe a crochet pattern using this stitch already exists! It’s just so perfect.)
This pattern has the look of a bobble stitch and thus a lot of texture but all this without the effort. It’s just a question of alternating single crochet and treble crochet stitches. This makes this pattern also suitable for a beginner. Easy does it!
Cotton for crochet
I always use 100% cotton yarn for my cloths because it absorbs fluids but doesn’t hold the water too much as wool does and it doesn’t stretch out so much in water.
And cotton is biodegradable!
PS In Ancient Greek religion, Hestia is the virgin goddess of the hearth, the right ordering of domesticity, the family, the home, and the state.
Free crochet pattern
You can find the pattern at the bottom of the blog, but there’s also a free PDF download on Ravelry.
So let’s go eco and crochet those cloths!
Pattern Hestia dishcloth
Skill level: easy
Materials needed: -Cotton yarn
-Crochet hook
-Scissors
-Yarn needle
Yarn used: Durable double four
Crochet hook: 5 mm hook Clover amour
Crochet terms US
ch:chain
sc:single crochet (UK double crochet)
tr: treble crochet (UK double treble crochet)
slst:slip stitch
st:stitch
Row 1-Ch30, sc in 2nd ch from hook, sc across, ch1 turn (29)
Row 2-Sc in 1st st, 1 tr in next st, sc in next st Rep** till end, ch1, turn
Rows 3-5 Sc across, ch1, turn.
Rows 6-27-Rep row 2-5
Row 28-Sc across till last st, 3 sc in last st. Do not turn.
Border: Rotate 90 degrees and sc around with 3sc in ea corner. Do not join but work another round of sc, don’t forget 3sc in ea corner. Slst in 1st sc.
Fasten off and weave in ends.
Congratulations!
You’ve just made an adorable dishcloth! This cloth is reusable and compostable and a great alternative for plastic or nylon sponges or cloths and paper towels! Please follow me on Instagram and share a photo of your work using #hestiadishcloth and #knotsosquare That would make me very happy!
