Searching for the Perfect Knitted Washcloth
Washcloths are useful. And most of us make washcloths in some way. We knit, we crochet, we weave, we make washcloths out of all kinds of things. As Lunatics, we love our American Maid™ woven washcloths, and our quick and easy Weekend washcloths. But sometimes we are on the go and want to take our yarn to the baseball game, family reunion or day at the beach and don't want to take a loom with us. Knitting a quick washcloth can be a perfect on the go project.
We have had lots of discussions with other fiber enthusiasts about how lovely hemp washcloths are.
- They don’t get stinky.
- They have a nice abrasiveness that works well for scrubbing dishes.
- They hold up well.
- They get softer over time.
Lots of praise for using hemp yarn in washcloths. And we carry several kinds of hemp yarn: Java, 3-ply, Lyte Hemp™. Time to explore!
Several years ago, Michele made a knitted washcloth using one strand of Java Hemp yarn and one strand of 3/2 Tubular Spectrum™ mercerized cotton yarn. The colors that she chose were delightful and the resulting washcloth is super fun! The java hemp yarn paired deliciously with the 3/2 Tubular Spectrum™ Very Light Gray yarn. And the pattern that she chose was pretty. It benefited from a crocheted edge to stabilize the cloth. Overall, a lovely creation.
This washcloth and the discussions about hemp yarn inspired Katzy to quest for her own version of the perfect hemp and cotton washcloth. Here is Katzy’s story of her quest for a perfect washcloth.
By Katzy Luhring
After crocheting the edge on Michele’s washcloth, I decided that I wanted a softer fabric for my washcloths. I wanted to use them in the shower and wanted a little less scratchy washcloth for that purpose. The Java yarn washcloth was great for scrubbing dishes, but not what I wanted in the shower.
So, what to try next? How about the interesting colors of the 3-ply hemp yarn? We had several small balls of 3-ply hemp yarn lying around in the studio and they became my first victims.
3-ply Hemp and 3/2 Mercerized Cotton
I paired one end of Midnight Blue 3-ply hemp with 1 end of 3/2 TS 5 Blue, cast on 30 stitches, using a size 7 needle and knitted away. Two hours later I had a lovely washcloth. I loved the colors and the texture of the knitted and purled blocks is easy to knit, fun and interesting. However, once I washed the cloth, it seemed a little thin for my taste. Jenne and Amber like the thickness of the washcloth so it is all a matter of taste. And the best part of making things for yourself: you get to decide what you like and tailor your projects to suit your taste!
Thicker! And More Color!
A simple way to make it thicker: use two strands of 3/2 yarn with the hemp. This time I used 5 Blue and Sky Blue along with the midnight blue hemp and made the washcloth using 40 stitches. Ohh, be still my heart! There was lots of lovely variegation with the three colors of blue, and it was a delight to knit.
3 strands at one time worked great…I didn’t have problems holding everyone together. I set the two cones of cotton on the floor and put the ball of hemp in a 3D printed yarn holder from my son.
I love the thickness of the washcloth, it feels good and is lovely to hold. Perhaps a bit large, so I made another one that is smaller. Cut down the number of stitches to 35 when I cast on. Loved that size!
And One More. No, Two More!
Then, I went crazy using up small bits of yarn lying around the studio. One skein of 3-ply hemp had exploded when my son untied the skein ties without the skein under tension. Hint…don’t do that! Keep the skein under tension when you go to wind your ball from the skein. If you don’t have a lovely swift, grab a happy volunteer to hold the skein while you wind. Then untie the ties and wind your ball.
Needless to say, when the hemp yarn explosion happened, no one wanted to sort out the mess. So, it was contained in a plastic bag and lived that way for several years. Happily, with my washcloth addiction in full swing, I was now motivated to use the yarn. I sorted out the yarn and then had plenty of yarn to make more washcloths! This gets to be addicting!
3/2 Tubular Spectrum™ colors of Butter and Tangerine joined the hemp yarn to make a soft pastel colored washcloth. It was a bit pale for my taste, so I looked around to see what I had that I could replace the butter cone. Because I only needed small amount of yarn, I found some 4 ply balls that I had from knitting a sweater a few years ago and used up some of those. Even more lovely variegation in the fabric.
Time to Stop and Give Some Away!
I now have a lovely pile of washcloths to use as gifts and to use in the shower! And my need to keep trying new yarn combinations has mercifully slowed down. We might have been up to our eyeballs in washcloths if I kept at it! However, it is so nice to accomplish something and be ready for the next project.
Maybe now it is time to get back to the loom!
