Crochet Cotton Facecloth - free tutorial

This is a lovely textured pattern which is designed in mind to grab your soap or shower gel.  Then you can just chuck it in the washing machine with your towels.

The pattern is written in UK Crochet terms. 

Stitches explained:

Chain Stitch - Yarn around hook (from the back) and pull the new yarn through the loop on your hook.  This is ONE chain.  Repeat as needed.

Double Crochet - Put hook through work, draw yarn back through (2 loops on hook) yarn around hook (from the back) draw yarn through the 2 loops on the hook.

Treble Crochet - Yarn around hook (from the back) put hook through work and draw yarn back through (3 loops on hook) yarn around hook, draw through 2 loops on hook, yarn around hook, draw through 2 loops on hook.

(I have written the tutorial up using a blue yarn, for photographic purposes.  The natural cottons which work well for this project are usually white or cream.)

You will need:

  100% Thick Craft Cotton

  6mm Crochet Hook

Sewing Up Needle

1. Start with a slip knot then make a foundation chain of 28.  Make them quite loose otherwise you will find you have one edge tighter than the others when you have finished.

2. Working back along your foundation chain, make a DC (Double Crochet) into the 4th chain from the hook.

3. Into the next chain work a TR.  (Treble Crochet)

4. Work across the chain row with alternate DC's and TR's, ending on a DC.

5. *** For the next row CH 3 then turn your work so you can work back down the row.

The first stitch is not at the base of the chain (regard that as your first TR) but the stitch next to it as shown in the photo by the metal hook.

Work a DC into this space.

6.  Into the next stitch work a TR then go along the row alternating between DC and TR, ending with a DC.

The end stitch is not always noticeable as it is into the turning chain, but if you miss it you will find that your work starts to creep in.  Always make sure you end on a DC stitch.

Continue from *** until your work is square.

7. Turn your work as if you were going to add another row.

The next row is CH 2 and work a DC into the same space.  Then CH 1 and work 1 more DC into that very same space. This forms a corner.  DC all the way across until the last stitch.

8. Into the last stitch work 1 DC, 1CH, 1 DC - all into the same stitch.

Now work down the side without turning.  There is no real space to place stitches on this row, so just work as evenly as you can down to the last stitch.

9. Into the last stitch work 1 DC, 1 CH, 1 DC then work  across the original foundation chain, working one DC into each stitch, until the last stitch.

Work down the next side as in step 8.

11. The next round is very easy. Do not turn. CH 3 then DC into the same stitch.  After that DC all the way round, but in each corner stitch do 1 DC, 1 CH, 1 DC.  SS to join, then do one single chain, cut of your yarn and pull it up through the loop.  Weave the thread in so it disappears.

Use your facecloth with pride!

How about making a matching soap mat? 

Do the same pattern as your facecloth but this time start with a foundation chain of 14 and make it a rectangle instead of a square.

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