One of my favourite past-times is op shopping (that’s opportunity shopping, or thrift shopping, or charity shopping to all you Northern Hemispherians out there) and I almost always find left over yarn balls that are too big to leave behind, but not really big enough to make anything substantial. Of course, these yarn scraps can make fantastic scrap blankets (stay tuned for another post about the one I’m working on) but there is another use for them that is much quicker to make and very practical to boot. Particularly because (and let’s be honest here) sometimes the yarn colour is really hideous. I mean, really, who wears that shade of brown??
My Spring Cleaning Cloths pattern is a fantastic project for beginner crocheters and seasoned hookers alike. The come together so quickly, they look great, and they clean surfaces brilliantly. However, there are a couple of things to keep in mind before you rush down to St Vinnies or the Salvos to raid their scrap baskets:
- Use only 100% cotton, or another natural fibre such as bamboo, but definitely not wool. Wool can be greasy and it is naturally water resistant. Which is kind of a problem when you are crocheting a cleaning cloth. If you’re not sure, there’s an easy way to test what kind of fibre you have by using a match or lighter.
- You’ll need about 50 m (55 yards) of yarn to complete a cleaning cloth. This is about a third of a ball of 50g cotton 4 ply. If your yarn scrap is shorter then you’ll need to adjust your number of stitches or rows, or think about combining a couple of colours.
The weave of your cleaning cloth will affect the look and feel of the finished product and so have a play around with both the ply and the hook size. Use a smaller hook and 4 ply for a tighter weave (and more absorbent cloth) and a larger hook and 4 ply for a cloth that behaves more like a scourer.
But wait! You can also combine yarns to increase your ply (that is, two 4 ply together will give 8 ply) and if you use an appropriate sized hook (around 8mm) you can produce a really soft and super absorbent cloth that is like a sponge!
AND if you’re really keen, you can crochet layers of cloths together to create thick and spongy cloths! Really, the options are endless and I’ll show you some photos of my experiments below. Without further ado, read on below for the pattern and tutorial!
Spring Cleaning Cloths | Crochet Pattern
Materials:
- 50 m (55 yards) of scrap 4 ply 100% cotton yarn
- 4 mm (G or no. 6) or 4.5 mm (no. 7) hook
First row: To begin, chain 27 (the last 2 chains will count as the first double crochet).
Make 1 dc in the third chain from the hook. Continue making 1 dc in each st to the end of the row (26 sts).
Rows 2 – 16: ch 2, turn your work, dc in the first st, 1 dc in each st to the end.
To make the border: * turn the work 90 degrees. Ch 1 and make 2 sc on the edge of each row, evenly along the whole edge (32 sts). Turn the work 90 degrees and make 1 sc in each dc along the bottom edge (26 sts).
Repeat from * once more to complete 1 full border of single crochet.
Continue with another full round of single crochets to complete the border.
Fasten off.
Congratulations your Spring Cleaning Cloth is complete!
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