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Tunisian Striped Dishcloth

There are some projects that just lend themselves so well to beginning steps. Scarves are one, blanket squares are another, and then there are dishcloths.

• Dishcloths are a great way to learn a new stitch or technique without investing a huge amount of time or money.
• Dishcloths make great presents.
• Dishcloths are reusable, which makes them a great choice for the kitchen. Unlike sponges, which can’t be cleaned and can harbour germs, a dishcloth can be tossed in the laundry and used again and again.
• You can tailor your dishcloths to the seasons or holidays and create an attractive theme in your kitchen and bathroom.
• You can make little cloths for the bathtub in bright colours, shapes, or designs for bath time with reluctant little bathers. I can’t guarantee it’ll work, but something bright and pretty usually makes cleaning more fun.

Handmade items are very popular right now. Small items like dishcloths, placemats, or hotpads can add a little bit of colour and pop to your environment.

This first dishcloth that I present to you is very basic.

If you’ve never tried Tunisian crochet and are curious, then let’s get started!!!

You will need:

• One Tunisian hook, 6.0mm
• One darning needle
• Two skeins of “dishrag cotton” this is a fairly inexpensive cotton that isn’t heavily processed, has a loose twist, and comes in a variety of colours. This example shows Bernat Handicrafter in Mod Blue and Hot Green.

Pattern notes:

• One row of Tunisian crochet consists of one forward pass, to put loops on the hook, and one return pass to work them off.  At the end of the row you will have one loop (“working loop”) left on your hook.
• Colours are changed at the end of every return pass: work return pass until there are only two loops left on the hook. Yarn over with the new colour, draw through two loops – colour change complete.

I have a photo tutorial with some very short videos demonstrating the Tunisian Simple Stitch on my website.

Video Stitch Tutorial Link: Tunisiancrochet.net/2016/01/31/tunisian-simple-stitch-photo-tutorial/

Pattern:

With Colour A, Chain 20.

Forward pass: Starting with the second chain from the hook, insert the hook and yarn over. Draw up a loop, keeping it on the hook. Work across, drawing up a loop in each chain. 20 loops on hook.

Return pass: Yarn over, draw through one loop on hook. Yarn over, draw through two loops across. When there are two loops left on the hook, switch to Colour B.

Next row:
Work as you just did, only this time, insert your hook behind the vertical bar formed in the previous row. Slide your hook from left to right for the lefties, or from right to left for the righties, yarn over, and draw up a loop. Repeat this across, taking care not to forget about the last stitch. Work the return pass as per normal.

Alternate colours so that you have 10 rows of Colour A and 10 rows of Colour B.

To finish:

Like knitting, Tunisian crochet needs to be finished so that the top row is “closed”. Slip stitch across to bind off your work:

Insert hook to make a Tunisian simple stitch. Two loops are on the hook. Pass the second loop through the first loop to bind off one stitch. Repeat across. Cut yarns, weave in ends.

Happy crocheting!

Thank you for reading!
I’d love to feature your work—share your finished projects and testimonials!

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