Squishy Scrubby Free Crochet Dishcloth Pattern

Red Heart Scrubby Crochet Dishcloth Pattern

This scrubby dishcloth pattern was born out of necessity! I had some beautiful Red Heart Scrubby yarn and tried time and time again to make something out of it. It was impossible!

It was so hard find or finish my stitches evenly or nicely. I DO NOT attribute this to the yarn rather my lack of skill working with textured yarns.

So if you have the same challenges keep reading!

How to Crochet with Scrubby Yarn

Top four tips to working with scrubby yarn.

1. Working with textured yarns no matter what your crochet level can be challenging at times. One of my top tips for those new to crochet is to work with a regular yarn alongside whatever textured yarn you are using. Not only does it add extra bulk making control of the yarn easier but it also makes seeing the stitches much easier as well.

2. My second recommendation is always to go up one hook size from the hook size recommended on the yarn. Of course this can’t be done with every project but when you can, it makes it much easier to see and work through your stitches. So for this scrubby crocheted dishcloth I went all the way up to an 8 mm crochet hook.

3. Crochet with plain and lighter colors. When using variegated yarns it can be difficult to find your stitches, especially if they run with darker colors. If you’re pretty new to crochet I would recommend sticking to solid colours until you get used to working with this yarn. That being said pairing a light yarn with a darker yarn can work well because the lighter yarn will help you to find those stitches.

4. Keep with a fairly simple crochet stitch and always use stitch markers at the end of every row. If you get into intricate design with the scrubby yarn it will be lost in the texture. I recommend keeping to a fairly simple stitch like the one for this crochet scrubby dishcloth.

Makes a great regular dishcloth too!

I used the Caron Cotton Ripple Cakes by Yarnspirations. It was on sale for a really good price so I bought lots of it not even really knowing what I would use it for. Once I made one cloth out of it I fell in love.

The soft squishy cloths are made holding two strands of the yarn together. Then if you want to make a scrubby you can use one strand of the regular cotton and one strand of the scrubby yarn. This is how the pattern was originally written.

More fun crochet patterns for your home!

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Red Heart Scrubby Yarn

What can I say? I love this yarn and was determined to learn how to work with it. The display at the end of the aisle caught my eye with its bright colours many of them which made me crave sorbet. These beautiful bright and vibrant colours were just what I needed after a long long winter – A little pick me up heading into spring.

This yarn is so often associated with dishcloths but about three years ago my neighbour crocheted me a little face scrubby made from it. I loved it and I used it all the time. But, eventually it wore out. It was my intention to make myself another but did not have the skill to work the yarn the way she did. So, I ended up working two yarns together an acrylic and the scrubby yarn and knit myself a washcloth.

I chose to knit one because I find that knitting can be easier while sitting in front of the TV I don’t tend to drop my stitches or add extras and we were settling into a movie for the night.

What I had at the end, was a super soft squishy scrubby washcloth. Not to get into too much detail… but it feels so good in the shower to use something that you feel is really scrubbing your body clean especially in the winter when I have so much dry skin. OK way too much information there. LOL

Of course it must be noted – that although I love to use the scrubby yarn on my body and face – everyone is different. If you have sensitive skin use discretion when trying something new. Just because I have no issue does not mean it is okay for all.

Can you crochet with scrubby yarn?

AN ABSOLUTE YES! There is no question that crocheting with this yarn can be challenging but the results are worth it. Read on for my top 4 tips to make crocheting with this yarn easy.

Is scrubby yarn good for washcloths?

YES! The Red Heart Scrubby yarn is made out of 100% polyester I love this because it keeps it shape and doesn’t fade. I have washed mine many times with all my other laundry but do you tend to take them out and lay them flat to dry. I’m not sure if that is necessary or not, it’s just what I tend to do.

Also because this yarn is 100% I have never had a problem with it holding a smell unlike cotton that you end up having to throw away.

For this crochet dishcloth and washcloth pattern you will only need one skein of the yarn. And we will be balling it together with another worsted weight yarn and you will have some left over. I am going to do up a circular scrubby so let me know if you’re interested in that pattern as well and I can do up a tutorial and post that another time.

Contrasting Yarn

When it comes to yarn for dishcloths I find that people have pretty strong opinions about the yarn they like to use.

I have had no problems using acrylic or cotton in the kitchen or the bathroom. So I will leave this up to you.

I would say, if you’re using an acrylic yarn that’s something like Bernat Super Saver is fantastic. I find that acrylic yarns are great they don’t tend to absorb the water as much as cotton. They keep their colour much better and their shape much better than cotton.

All that being said I am writing this pattern using Bernat Handicrafter Cotton. You will only need one skein and we’ll have a little bit left over. Have fun with this pattern. Use some funky colourful yarns that make you feel happy inside when you look at them.

Substituting Yarn for the Scrubby Dishcloth

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There are so many scrubby yarns out there now – and you may not be able to find the exact one that I used. Let me recommend some others that could work well.

Red Heart Scrubby Sparkle this yarn is 100% polyester worsted weight and a perfect substitute without having to make any modifications to the pattern or hook size. You may even be able to get a second dishcloth out of it as it has 174 yards compared to the 78 yards for the scrubby yarn.

THY Supplies Scrubby Yarn comes in a great price and has stunning jewel toned colours. Their skeins are smaller coming in at 66 yarns but will still be enough to complete one dishcloth. There will be little waste and when you buy a package of 8 you will be making so many more!

Lily Sugar N Cream Cotton Yarn I’m sure this is the yarn many of you use. Being in Canada I don’t see it around too often. I love the yarn and all the colours that are offered so of course this is a great substitute for the Bernat Handicrafter.

Lion Brand Comfy Cotton Blend This yarn is beautiful! I love the colours although more muted they would fit into almost any decor. It is a smaller weight yarn – but would be fine to work alongside the scrubby yarn.

How to Resize the Scrubby Crochet Dishcloth Pattern

Changing the size of this crochet dishcloth couldn’t be easier! The crochet dishcloth made from this pattern will be 9″ x 9″. If you wish to make it smaller or bigger all you need to do is shorten or lengthen your starting chain.

This pattern calls for a multiple of 2 + 1.

For this pattern a starting chain of 21. So written another way would be 20 + 1. So just chain a number divisible by 2 then pop one extra chain on the end.

Now speaking about the starting chain…. Shall we get started?

WATCH VIDEO TUTORIAL BELOW

How to Crochet a Dishcloth with Scrubby Yarn

Skill Level

Beginner

Stitches Used

• ch – chain
• hdc – half double crochet
• sc – single crochet 
• st – stitch
• sts – stitches
• sl st – slip stitch
• rpt – repeat

Gauge

Not required

Materials Needed

• 8.00 mm crochet hook
• Red Heart Scrubby 85 grams
• Bernat Handicrafter Cotton 42 grams
• I used the yarns above but your favourite worsted weight will work well too!
• Yarn Needle to weave in ends

Finished Measurement

Crochet Scrubby Dishcloth measures 9” x 9” 

If you would like to make a different size change the number of starting chains keeping a multiple of 2 + 1

Scrubby Crochet Dishcloth Pattern

Chain 21

If you want a smaller or larger dishcloth you will want to chain more or less for your starting chain.  Just be sure that it is a multiple of 2 + 1.

Row 1: Hdc in 1st st, slst in next st. *Hdc in next st, slst in next st* repeat from *to* until end of row. Ch 1 turn (20)

Row 2: Hdc in 1st slst, *slst in next hdc, hdc in next slst* repeat from *to* until end of row. Ch 1 turn(20)

Continue to repeat row 2 until your dishcloth measures 9” or length is = to width.

That’s it! All you need to is fasten off choose more yarn and keep hooking!

Hope you had lots of fun with this pattern and if you had been struggling with the Red Heart Scrubby Yarn let me know if this scrubby crochet dishcloth pattern helped and if you are happy with the results.

BEFORE YOU GO…