Dish Drying Mats or Dish Towels

Hey Everyone!

Please tell me that I am not the only person without a dish washer. Because that would be tragic. Okay, maybe it’s not that bad, but I do have dish washer envy. It seems that with three little boys and a husband, as soon as I finish washing the dishes by hand, walk to the fridge and back to the sink that the sink is full again.  It’s like magic, I tell you!  That or I live in a house full of stealthy ninjas and just don’t know it.  (My boys wish they were secret ninjas, but, in reality, they are more like a herd of elephants.)

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Usually when I wash dishes, the dish drying thingy (technical term 🙂 ) I have in my sink’s second basin fills up pretty fast and I can either leave the rest of the dishes sit or dry the first batch and put them away—which I usually don’t feel like doing—or I can stack the gazillions of cups on the counter. I prefer the latter. So these amazing dish drying mats come in handy when I need them for that extra bit of air drying space.

Before I started making these, I was using dish towels laid out on the counter.  And in all honesty, they just weren’t cutting the mustard.  I used standard sized dish towels that you can buy anywhere and either they weren’t thick enough or when you folded them over to make them thicker, they weren’t long enough.  I had a problem and I needed a solution.

Voila!  My solution!

I love the Dark Taupe and Ecru combination I chose since they appeal more to my “country” side and the stitches I used made each one of them super thick to absorb all that water. That’s why I thought these could double as amazing dish towels—better than store bought in my honest opinion!  If you want larger dish drying mats or towels, you can add more chains to your foundation chain and add more rows until you are satisfied with your finished product.  Don’t be afraid to experiment!  That’s how I learned.

None of these three dish drying mats or dish towels patterns are difficult. They all use basic stitches and I’ve included detailed written instructions for the bobble stitch that is needed for Dish Mat #1 in the Notes section. So be sure to read through everything before you begin. It will make your work a lot less confusing.

So suds up, ladies (and gents), and trust that your dishes and hands will dry nicely and look awesome doing it. Hey, if we have to do the work, we might as well enjoy the tools we use to get the job done, right?

Dish Drying Mats or Dish Towels

Materials Used:

* 3 balls of Peaches & Cream – Ecru 2.5 oz / 70.9 g – 120 yds / 109 m
* 3 balls of Peaches & Cream – Dark Taupe 2.5 oz / 70.9 g – 120 yds / 109 m
* Boye Aluminum 6-Inch Crochet Hook, H8/5mm
* Yarn needle

Finished Size Approximately:

16 ¼”L x 14”W

Gauge:

Not important

Dish Mat #1

Special Stitches:

Cluster Stitch

YO, insert hook in st, YO, draw back through st, YO, draw through 2 loops on hook, (YO, insert hook back into same st, YO, draw back through st, YO, draw through 2 loops on hook) twice, YO, draw through all 4 loops on hook, ch 1.

Abbreviations:

ch – chain
sc – single crochet
st – stitch
sl st – slip stitch
sk – skip
dc – double crochet
YO – yarn over
FC – foundation chain

Notes:

• When making the first cluster stitch of a round, the ch 2 counts as the first stage of the cluster. So, ch 2, (YO, insert hook back into same st, YO, draw back through st, YO, draw through 2 loops on hook) twice, YO, draw through all 3 loops on hook, ch 1. This will be indicated by “complete cluster” after instructions to ch 2.
• Carry the yarn across while stitching over it rather than cutting.

*** American crochet terms used throughout.

Instructions:

With Ecru

FC: Ch 47

Row 1: Hdc in 3rd ch from hook and in ea ch across except the last ch; for the last ch, YO; insert hook into last ch, YO, draw back through the st. You now have 3 ecru loops on your hook. Drop the ecru yarn. Don’t cut. With the taupe yarn, YO your hook and pull taupe yarn through the 3 ecru loops; ch 2 with the taupe, turn. (45 hdc)

Row 2: (Ch 2 counts as first part of cluster st. See Notes) Finish cluster st (Don’t forget to ch 1 after every cluster st); *sk next hdc; cluster st* Repeat from * to * across except last st. For last st, YO; insert hook in st, YO, draw back through st, YO, draw through 2 loops on hook, (YO, insert hook back into same st, YO, draw back through st, YO, draw through 2 loops on hook) twice, now pick up ecru yarn and drop the taupe, YO with the ecru yarn, draw through all 4 loops on hook, ch 2, turn. (23 clusters)

Row 3: Hdc in ea st across for the last ch, YO; insert hook into last ch, YO, draw back through the st. You now have 3 ecru loops on your hook. Drop the ecru yarn. With the taupe yarn, YO your hook and pull taupe yarn through the 3 ecru loops; ch 2 with the taupe, turn. (45 hdc)

Row 4 – Row 29: Continue alternating Rows 2 & 3. At the end of Row 29 don’t change to taupe (finish last hdc in Ecru), ch 1 and sc evenly along the left side of mat. Sl st into the bottom of the hdc of Row 1. Finish off. Weave in end.

Attach ecru yarn on unworked edge of Row 1 and sc evenly along the right side of the mat. Sl st into the top of the hdc of Row 29; ch 1 and continue to sc another row around the entire mat, with 3 sc in ea corner. Sl st into the first sc. Finish off. Weave in end.

Dish Mat #2

Special Stitches:

Suzette Stitch

*(Sc and dc) in same st, sk next st* Repeat from * to * as often as directed.

Abbreviations:

FC – foundation chain
ch – chain
sc – single crochet
dc – double crochet
sk – skip
st – stitch

Instructions:

With Ecru

FC: Ch 46

Row 1: In 2nd ch from hook, (sc, dc) in same space; *sk next ch; (sc, dc) in next ch* Repeat from * to * leaving the last 2 chs unworked. Sk 2nd to last ch and in last ch, sc, ch 1, turn.

Row 2: (Sc, dc) in same sp; *sk next st; (sc, dc) in next st* Repeat from * to * across. Sc in last st, ch 1, turn.

Row 3 – Row 45: Repeat Row 2.

Row 46: Repeat Row 2, but don’t ch 1or turn. Finish off.

Edging

With taupe

Round 1: Attach taupe, ch 1, sc evenly around entire mat, 3 sc in ea corner. Sl st into 1st sc; ch 1.

Round 2: Sc evenly around entire mat, 3 sc in ea corner. Finish off. Weave in end.

Dish Mat #3

Special Stitches:

Back Loop Only

Shell Stitch

5 double crochets in same space

Abbreviations:

FC – foundation chain
sc – single crochet
ch – chain
ea – each
st – stitch
sl st – slip stitch
BLO – back loop only
sp – space
dc – double crochet

Instructions:

With taupe

FC: Ch 46

Row 1: In 2nd ch from hook, sc in every ch across; ch 1, turn. (45 sc)

Row 2: Sc in the BLO of every st; ch 1, turn. (45 sc)

Row 3 – Row 52: Repeat Row 2.

Row 53: Repeat Row 2, but don’t ch 1 or turn. Finish off.

Edging

With Ecru

Round 1: Attach yarn in a corner; 3 sc in ea corner; sc evenly around.

Note: 1 sc per row on the long sides

Round 2: Starting in a corner, ch 3, (counts as 1st dc) 4 dc in same sp (shell made). Sk 1 sp; sc; sk 1 sp; *shell st; sk 1 sp; sc; sk 1 sp* Repeat from * to * around. Sl st in the top of the ch 3 at the beginning of Round 2.

Finish off. Weave in end.

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For more kitchen items, check out the Jumbo Dish Scrubbers pattern and the Ruffle Washcloth pattern.

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