How to Crochet a Dishcloth for Absolute Beginners

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A handmade crochet dishcloth is a great place to start if you are learning to crochet. This post is for an absolute beginner. The dishcloth pattern is for beginners or advanced crocheters. You will learn three different crochet stitches in this tutorial. This post contains affiliate links.

Full Disclosure: I am not a crochet expert, I still have a lot to learn. However, I can make a dishcloth! There are lots of tutorials out there for crochet. It may take some digging around to find the one that you can best learn from. I am including mine here along with a video. This is a crochet dishcloth for an absolute beginner.

Part 1 #HandmadeHomeChallenge

The #HandmadeHomeChallenge was presented by Tara at She’s Rooted Home. Each month for the year of 2021 anyone wanting to participate can follow the prompts for a different handmade item each month. This month was obviously a dishcloth. Next month is a DIY cleaning solution or detergent. I plan to post a tutorial here for each project. I hope you join us!

You can use the hashtag above and also tag Tara @shesrootedhome and myself @theeverydayfarmhouse

Choosing Yarn for a Dishcloth

For a dishcloth, I like to use 100% cotton yarn. I happened to have some cream colored cotton on hand. If you don’t have any, you can get some like mine here or some similar here.

Other Materials Needed for Crochet

The other items you will need are a crochet hook, scissors and some sort of crochet marker or a paperclip, and maybe a tapestry needle.

Learn Three Different Stitches for the Dishcloth

You will learn three different stitches in this tutorial. Don’t worry, it isn’t complicated to learn to crochet, and the stitches just build upon each other. Once you learn to do a single crochet, it will be easy for you to learn double and treble crochet.

I did my best to photograph every step and I made a sort of visual aid for a beginner to refer to. You can download these as a printable pdf by clicking the button below all of the instructions.

There is also a video at the bottom if you learn better that way.

Let’s Learn to Crochet!

How to Make a Slip Knot

To begin any crochet project, you will first need a slip knot on your hook. This is achieved by making a loop with a long tail, about 4 inches or so. Put the hook through the loop grab the yarn that is the tail with the hook, and draw the tail through the loop. You now have a slip knot on your hook, you can tighten the loop by pulling on the tail, or you can loosen it by pulling on the loop.

How to Crochet a Chain

The next step for your crochet dishcloth is a foundation chain. This is pretty quick and simple. The method for holding the yarn can vary from person to person and you really just need to find what is comfortable for you. I hold mine with the yarn over my pointy finger and hold it between my pointy finger and my middle finger. I grasp the tail with my ring finger and my thumb to hold it tight.

Now with the slip knot on your hook, yarn over, which just means hook the yarn and pull it through the loop that is on your hook. You made a chain stitch. For this washcloth, you will crochet 32 chains as the base.

How to Single Crochet

After chaining 32, you will now turn your work, which is simply turning it around and working in the next direction. We are going to now single crochet into the chain. Single crochet is very simple, and you could in fact make an entire dishcloth from single crochet stitches. Single crochet gives a nice tight weave.

To single crochet, you simply insert the hook, with the loop on it into the first chain after turning your work. Next, you hook the yarn and pull it through the chain, you will then have two loops on your hook, you then hook the yarn again and pull it through the two loops. You have completed a single crochet stitch.

For this dishcloth, you will do four rows of single crochet. Each time you turn your work you need to chain one chain between rows. Then you work into the first stitch.

How to Double Crochet

After making four rows of single crochet, you will now do one row of double crochet. To double crochet, you need to chain three and then turn your work. Wrap the yarn around your hook one time, insert the hook into the next stitch, yarn over (grab the yarn with your hook) and pull it through. You will now have three loops on the hook. Yarn over again, and pull it through two of the loops, yarn over again and pull it through the last two loops. You have completed a double crochet. Continue to do this down the entire row.

After completing one row of double crochet, chain four and turn your work, you will now do a treble (triple) crochet

How to Treble Crochet

After turning your work, you will now have four chains, wrap the yarn around your hook twice, insert it into the next stitch. Hook the yarn, and pull it through the stitch, you will now have four loops on the hook. Yarn over and pull it through the first two loops, you will have three loops on your hook. Yarn over again and pull it through the first two loops on the hook, yarn over again, and then pull it through the last two loops on the hook. You have completed a treble crochet.

Work the treble crochet all the way to the end of the row. When you reach the end of the row, chain three and turn your work. You will now do another row of double crochet.

This Dishcloth Pattern

As I stated before, I am no crochet expert, however I am going to do my best to write this out as a pattern.

• Chain 32
• Turn work, skip the first two chains and work a single crochet into the third chain
• Single crochet into each chain
• Mark your first stitch
• Chain one and turn your work
• Do three more rows of single crochet
• Chain three turn your work and do a row of double crochet
• Chain four turn your work and do a row of treble crochet
• Chain three turn your work and do a row of double crochet
• Chain one turn your work and do four more rows of single crochet.
• Continue this pattern until you have a square. There will be four sections of single crochet and three sections of double treble double.
• Weave your tails into the dishcloth.

Crochet Edge Tips

Another thing is that there can be a gap or a bump along the edge between the first stitch and the next stitch in treble crochet. There are several people who have done tutorials on methods to prevent the gap. I am embracing the gap for this dishcloth. Next time I am going to try this method that seems to give a neater look on the edge.

Also, on one of mine, I worked a single crochet border all around the entire edge of the dishcloth. I like that this gave it a neater look. However, this is certainly not required.

Do Crochet Dishcloths Work Well?

Yes! They are some of my favorites to use. I have a friend that says she prefers handmade crochet dishcloths over storebought by far! Plus it just feels good to wash the dishes and wipe the counters with something handmade, doesn’t it?