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How to resize an over-sized dish cloth

kozycraft · November 11, 2020 · Leave a Comment

a big dish cloth
an over-sized dishcloth

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

unravel the yarn
unravel the yarn

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

resize an over-sized dishcloth
start crocheting

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.

a big dish cloth
an over-sized dishcloth
resized dish cloths
hand-sized dishcloth

Mission Accomplished!

Kozy Craft Flower

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.

Related posts:

Salvage Wood - How to repurpose it
How to make a repurposed planter
Paper from school - How to repurpose it?

Filed Under: Craft, DIY Tagged With: crochet, dish cloth, eco-friendly, Reduce Reuse Repurpose, resizing, sustainable living

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I’m a proud mom, Early Childhood Educator, Educational Assistant, and a nature lover who wants to help you take meaningful steps towards a sustainable future.

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