Resize it! This is a dishcloth I made 20+ years ago. Any guess why it’s been sleeping in a drawer?! It’s the size – too big!!
When I used it, the edges flopped everywhere splashing the soapy water on my face! On top of that, the tightly woven cloth never got dry. Yes, it meant it was germ heaven!
As a result, I stopped using it, and it stayed in a kitchen drawer for many years now.
In this article, I’ll show you how to resize an oversized dishcloth.
What you need
- the over-sized dishcloth
- crochet hook (recommend non-plastic ones)
- scissors
How to resize an over-sized dishcloth
Step 1: unravel to resize
To begin with, unravel the yarn. If the dishcloth has been washed a few times, the yarn may be thin, so pull gently as much as you can. Don’t worry if it gets ripped. We can always reconnect two pieces by tying a knot.
Tip: By coiling the yarn, you can save time for untangling. (Since mine became a few shorter pieces, I didn’t coil them.)
Step 2: Start to crochet
Once you finish unravelling the yarn, start to crochet. If you are new to crochet, check here for a tutorial. Like me, you don’t have to be a pro.
Tip: I recommend a non-plastic (metal) crochet hook. The plastic one in the picture broke when I have almost finished the 3rd cloth. On the other hand, the metal one I bought over 30 years ago (currently missing) still works.
Step 3: Keep weaving to resize
Keep crocheting it until its desired size. I usually make a variety of sizes when resizing items. Without having different sizes, I wouldn’t know what’s right for me and my family! (Or maybe that’s just an excuse for my non-professionalism.)
When you have to connect two pieces of yarn, tie them loosely, to begin with. When I’m finished, I usually untie the knots and then re-tie them to avoid the ‘being pulled’ look.
Tip: Crochet loosely so the cloth dries quickly. Funnily enough, a loose weave makes more bubbles with less soap.
Final Step: Cut the yarn & Fasten it Off
When you reach the desired size of your cloth, cut the yarn and fasten it off in crochet. The tutorial video shows you how, and it is pretty easy. Cut all the extra yarn for a clean look.
Tips: Instead of weaving in the end with a yarn needle, I use the crochet hook. (easier for my eyes!) In the video, the length of the yarn you need to leave is 7inches, but 4-5 inches will give you enough to work with.
Mission Accomplished!
I swear that old hidden dishcloth was calling me. For a while now, I have been making small dishcloths with polyester yarn. But whenever I emptied the food waste trap, there were a bunch of pink microfibers… Wait a minute…what?! Have I been letting them go straight into our waterways?
Although I felt guilty about it, I didn’t take any action, because I was too busy, or so I told myself. Then the pandemic happened. There was limited or no access to get cotton yarn, so I had time to finally take action. That’s when I remembered the unusable dishcloth and started this project!
As a result, I was able to make 3 small dishcloths that we can finally use! It’s a great example of how we sometimes need to shift our thinking and reuse/resize items to fit our own needs.