7 BEGINNER DISHCLOTH KNITTING PATTERNS FOR SUMMER

These beginner dishcloth knitting patterns are perfect for summer! They’re the kind of easy and bright knitting PROJECTs that add a sweet TOUCH of summer to your KITCHEN.

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I love wool and winter, but my yarn basket gets a little extra love when it warms up outside. Something about the fresh air through the screen door, the ending of school and teaching, and sunlight splashing in the windows makes me want to knit something cheerful and useful. Enter in beginner dishcloth knitting patterns.

This knit dish cloth collection began on one of those almost summer mornings—coffee in hand, kids playing in the yard with the back door open, and me daydreaming about warm days ahead. I needed new dish cloths. Mine were old, faded, torn, and sad. Well loved, we’ll call it. And spring cleaning was looking me right in the eye. I needed excitement, and I reached for my cotton.

I decided what I wanted were patterns that were simple but not boring. They needed to be rhythmic enough to work on at the park or between turns playing cribbage. But I also wanted something quick to knit and simple for my children to replicate over the summer. They’re working on a summer knitting and crochet challenge right now!

These beginner dishcloth knitting patterns are perfect for anyone needing a quick and joyful knit. With just a few easy rows repeated again and again, these patterns welcome you back every time you pick them up! I finished the collection and am already diving into a summer camping dishcloth collection!

So pull out your favorite bright cotton yarn, and let’s cast on together. I hope these dishcloths bring a touch of summer joy to your home the same way it did to mine!

You can purchase the printable ad-free eBook HERE!

What Yarn Should You Use to Follow These beginner knitting dishcloth Patterns for summer?

When I was picking the yarn for this dishcloth collection, I wanted something that felt cheerful and soft but could still handle the real work of a farmhouse kitchen. My summer kitchen gets dusty, sticky, and just a lot of traffic. I mean, I literally have chicks and ducklings in my sunroom just off the dining room. Talk about dust and pine shavings, and that just spreads through the house!

I’ve used a lot of cotton yarns over the years, but Knit Picks Dishie is one of my favorites. It’s smoother than some cottons can be. Ain’t nobody got time for stiff or scratchy cotton! So five of these patterns I’m sharing are knit with worsted weight Dishie, which I highly recommend.

The other yarn I chose was a new-to-me find from a local yarn shop that was closing, Berroco Pima Soft Cotton (dk weight). This stuff is butter. It’s so lovely to work with, so I included two patterns in this collection.

I chose a summer color palette that made me think of flower buds and popsicles. Just listen to these yarn color names:

Honeydew
Blush
Dewdrop
Creme Brulee
Sunshine Multi
Lemon
Mint

I was thrilled to see they matched so well in person. Sometimes buying yarn online is a gamble, but Knit Picks never disappoints. And with the simple stitch repeats I was going for, both yarns show off the textures beautifully.

If you’ve ever knit a dishcloth that ended up feeling like a crunchy napkin or curled at the edges, Dishie and Pima Soft are lovely alternatives. Soft enough to enjoy knitting, strong enough to be useful.

Want to learn how to knit? Check out the video below or my guide to learning how to knit here!

The only two stitches needed to make these dish cloths are knit and purl, which is delightful. That means nothing intense and you can memorize the repeats. Road trip ready!

beginner dishcloth knitting pattern Sizing

Now dishcloths are typically around 8-10″ squares. Which was what I was going for here. If you just want a small project or you have a total new knitter, go smaller. I love making these in 3″ x 3″ squares to set my contact case out on to dry. Small squares also travel well on picnics and sleepovers at Grandma’s. I’m a mom of four, please trust this!

>>Don’t miss this dishcloth pattern collection as an eBook!<<

How to Knit a dishcloth

If you’re new to knitting dish cloths, let’s just get on the same page here. You’re going to want to knit straight back and forth. That usually means straight knitting needles. However if you also prefer circular knitting needles for everything (they’re harder to drop and lose, don’t poke me in the boob, etc) you can knit back and forth that way too. Check out YouTube and I’ll show you the joyful way to knit flat!

The Patterns

You can purchase all of these pattern in my shop, or scroll down for the links to three of these patterns of free.

Don’t forget that you can purchase the entire eBook HERE. That’s 7 beginner knitting dishcloth patterns for summer, at over 48% off!

Spring fence lines

If you can knit and purl, you can knit this broken rib stitch! To imitate a sweet little picket fence, the ribbed rows alternate between longer and shorter at the top. I kept a garter stitch border all around to keep it flat and framed beautifully. Click here for the free pattern or here for the ad-free PDF.

US Size 7 (4.5 mm) knitting needles
95 yards of worsted yarn (Knit Picks Dishie “Honeydew”)
8″ x 8″ square
14 sts/25 rows= 4″ in pattern

breezy porch steps

The little bumps on this Andalusian stitch dishcloth are actually extremely easy to replicate! You’re basically knitting stockinette with a few purl bumps tucked in here and there. Click here for the free pattern or here for the ad-free PDF.

US Size 7 (4.5 mm) knitting needles
95 yards of worsted yarn (Knit Picks Dishie “Dewdrop”)
8″ x 8″ square
16 sts/24 rows= 4″ in pattern

daylight

The Daylight Dish Cloth is a beginner knitting pattern for new knitters or advanced knitters dreaming of a knitting project as refreshing as the new spring sunlight. Knit with straight needles and DK weight yarn, it is the simplest combination of stitches for new knitters to use. Knit with a soft cotton, the dish cloth’s texture grips messes the best! Click here for the free pattern or here for the ad-free PDF.

US Size 6 (4 mm) knitting needles
95 yards of DK weight cotton (Berroco Pima Soft “Lemon”)
10″ x 10″ square
22 sts/28 rows= 4″ in pattern

lemon waffles

The waffle stitch + this fun punchy lemon yarn was too much fun to knit! I’m talking a crazy amount of joy to knit while I read Jane Austen in the sunroom listening to ducklings. But also just regular stuff like knitting it next to a playground while my kids played. Click here for the free pattern or here for the ad-free PDF.

US Size 7 (4.5 mm) knitting needles
95 yards of worsted yarn (Knit Picks Dishie “Sunshine Multi”)
8″ x 8″ square
15 sts/25 rows= 4″ in pattern

quilted fields

The textured garter checks in this dishcloth remind me of quilts and picnic baskets next to wildflower fields. You literally knit and purl small boxes together but it looks so much more complicated. Click here for the free pattern or here for the ad-free PDF.

US Size 7 (4.5 mm) knitting needles
95 yards of worsted yarn (Knit Picks Dishie “Blush”)
8″ x 8″ square
14 sts/24 rows= 4″ in pattern

garden rows

You’ve heard of granny squares in crochet, right? This square dishcloth is the knit version. Everyone’s Grandma grew up knitting this dishcloth, or having a mom or Grandma who knit this dishcloth. It’s classic, it’s simple, and can easily be knit smaller or bigger while you’re mid-project because you knit corner to corner. That means you increase with a yarn over until you reach whatever you decide is the widest point and then work your way back down. Click here for the free pattern or here for the ad-free PDF.

US Size 7 (4.5 mm) knitting needles
95 yards of worsted yarn (Knit Picks Dishie “Creme Brulee”)
8″ x 8″ square
15 sts/30 rows= 4″ in pattern (measure on a diagonal angle)

herb garden

Written for beginners and seasoned knitters seeking a project as fresh and calming as a kitchen garden in bloom. Knit with straight needles and DK cotton yarn, Herb Garden uses simple stitches perfect for beginners. Its soft, textured fabric makes tidying up a breeze! Click here for the free pattern or here for the ad-free PDF.