Home Life Washcloth
When you walk through your front door and your body relaxes just a bit at the sights, sounds, and scents… the texture of home. Our Home Life Washcloth, knit up in our very special new Home Life yarn, is a wonderfully soft and squishy knit, inspired by the warm and welcoming feeling of home!
This sweet washcloth is a simple garter stitch square with an I-cord loop to finish things off, but the real delight comes from the yarn!
With short cotton tabs spun into its core, Home Life knits up into a marvelously shaggy texture with a surprise at the end: Loose and relaxed after binding off, if you choose to send it through the washer and drier, the fabric shrinks into a fluffier, fleecier, super-duper-softer washcloth with a very satisfying density and a plushness that perfectly serves its purpose.
The beautiful softness of the finished fabric inspired us to create a palette influenced by the gentle side of nature. Eighteen serene colors, available as individual skeins or in three-color bundles for a lovely trio of washcloths in the same color family.
For example, our beautiful Sweet Pea bundle (above) travels from dreamy Celestial Blue to Pale Lilac to moody Mauve Moor. And our Ocean Air bundle (below) starts with Pearl Blue, an almost-white with a touch of blue, darkens through softly muted Tidal Pool, and finally reaches a shadowy Deep Teal.
Home Life is 100% cotton and made in Japan. It comes in 33-gram, 61-yard skeins, just the right amount for one Home Life Washcloth. Each palette of three is packaged in a cotton drawstring bag, a handy project bag or ready gift wrap!
For yourself or for a friend getting married, a cousin moving into a new home, or your summer-weekend-away hosts, a stack of Home Life Washcloths is a truly thoughtful contribution to the home life of someone you love!
Share your progress and connect with the community by tagging your pics with #PurlSoho, #PurlSohoBusyHands, #PurlSohoHomeLifeWashcloth and #PurlSohoHomeLife. We can’t wait to see what you make!
Materials
- 1 skein of Purl Soho’s Home Life, 100% cotton. Each skein is 61 yards/ 33 grams; approximately 60 yards required.
- US 6 (4 mm) straight or 24-inch circular needles
- If using straight needles: Two US 6 double pointed needles for I-cord
Our Home Life Washcloth Bundle includes everything you’ll need to make 3 washcloths in a cotton pouch. Choose from 6 palettes…
MILLET
Pale Stone, Sand Dollar, Fresh Cream
CAMEO
Petal Pink, Pink Bisque, Sugar Biscuit
LICHEN
Dune Grass, Spicy Mustard, Golden Pear
EUCALYPTUS
Holly Green, Viridian Green, White Cabbage
OCEAN AIR
Deep Teal, Tidal Pool, Pearl Blue
SWEET PEA
Celestial Blue, Pale Lilac, Mauve Moor
Gauge
20½ stitches = 4 inches in garter stitch, unlaundered
NOTE: The row gauge in this pattern is not listed because you are simply knitting to a desired length. Any row gauge will do, as long as your stitch gauge is correct!
Size
Finished Dimensions, Unlaundered: Approximately 7¾ x 7¾ inches
Finished Dimensions, Laundered: Approximately 6½ x 6½ inches
PATTERN
Using a basic Long Tail Cast On, cast on 40 stitches.
Knit every row for 7¾ inches, or until piece is square.
Bind-Off Row: Bind off knitwise until 2 stitches remain (1 on right needle and 1 on left), k1.
MAKE I-CORD
Using same circular needles, or if using straight needles, switching to two double pointed needles, knit a 3-inch I-cord.
Last Row: Pass first stitch over second.
FINISHING
Cut yarn and securely weave tail into base of I-cord, creating a loop.
Weave in the cast-on tail.
Either use your washcloth as is (above left), or launder it in a washing machine and dryer to shrink it into a denser, softer (and smaller!) washcloth (above right).
I find 6-inches to be a little small for a washcloth (especially if I expect my teenage son to use one) so I plan on getting extra yarn and making them larger. I want to mix colors – do they run?
Hi Chantal,
Thanks for reaching out. We haven’t experienced any color running with this yarn yet! But if you’re worried about that, you can submerge a little bit of yarn in water for a few hours to see how the dye holds up. If the water is still clear after that time, then you’ll have nothing to worry about!
All the best,
Lili
Love this yarn! Are there other patterns/projects you would recommend?
Hi Anne,
Thanks for reaching out. I think that many of our other hand towel and washcloth patterns would work well with this yarn! In particular, I’d recommend the Simple Stripe Washcloth and the Colorful Half + Half Washcloths. Hope this helps!
All the best,
Lili
Any thoughts on how this yarn would look with a crochet stitch instead?
Hi Allie,
Thank you for your question. This yarn would look lovely crocheted! You might find our Mother’s Day Washcloths pattern inspiring when making your washcloths.
I hope this helps!
All the best,
Carly
Could this be crocheted? I love the look of this yarn. But I can only crochet. Thanks.
Hi Terri!
Thank you for your question. This yarn can absolutely be crocheted into a dishcloth, and we recommend following the pattern for our Mother’s Day Washcloths for a guide!
I hope this helps, and happy crocheting!
All the best,
Margaret
Will there be a tutorial? I have never knitted but would love to make some of these wash cloths
Hi Karen,
Thanks for reaching out. While we do not plan on making a tutorial for this pattern specifically, I would recommend taking a look at our Learn To Knit tutorial! This tutorial covers the basics, like casting on, the knit stitch, and binding off, which is pretty much all you’ll need to make these washcloths. For the final step of making the loop, check out our I-Cord tutorial. I hope this helps you get started on this project!
All the best,
Lili
Can I buy this yarn in the UK?
Hi Jannie,
Thanks for reaching out. All of our yarn ships from our warehouse in California, but we do ship to the UK! You can read all about our shipping methods here!
I hope this helps, and please let me know if you have any other questions!
All the best,
Carly
I’m thinking of using one 3-skein bundle to knit a baby-sized towel with an ombré effect. I’m think to cast on 2 to 2.5 times the stitches Than net until I have to switch skeins, using all three skeins. But I’m not sure I’d get enough length to use the result as a towel for a new born. What are your thoughts?
Hi Ann,
Thanks for reaching out! If you cast on twice the amount of stitches and use all 3 skeins, you’ll get a width of 13 inches and a length of about 9.75 inches. Since it sounds like you want the length to be larger than the width, I’d recommend using more than 3 skeins for this project! Hope this helps.
All the best,
Lili
Would this yarn work with any of your hand towel patterns?
Hi Hillary,
Thanks for reaching out. Yes, many of our hand towel and washcloth patterns would work well with this yarn! In particular, I’d recommend the Heel Stitch Hand Towel. Hope this helps!
All the best,
Lili
Would it be nice for a baby blanket? If yes how many skeins would it take?
Hi Odette,
Thanks for writing in. This yarn would make a wonderful baby blanket! To make an average sized baby blanket (30 inches by 36 inches) in garter stitch, you would need to buy 26 skeins. Hope this helps in planning your project!
All the best,
Lili
Hello, Purl Soho!
Love the idea. Prefer bright colors. Are brighter colors in the works?
Thanks for your wonderful patterns and yarns. More yearn is the last thing I need. Your offers are so tempting. Your generosity with patterns keeps me looking for a reason to pick up a little something.
Hi Renée,
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on our newest yarn! I’m not certain of the plans we have for it yet, but I’ll be sure to pass along your desire for brighter colors.
All the best,
Lili
Would these be good for a baby gift? Are they soft enough?
Hi Renee,
Thanks for reaching out. This yarn is super soft, especially after it’s been machine washed! I think it would be perfect for a baby. Hope this helps!
All the best,
Lili
I really like the idea of these washcloths. I’m wondering if this yarn sheds?
Hi Janet,
Thanks for writing in! From our experience with Home Life, we have not found that it sheds!
All the best,
Lili
Love the look! Any other pattern suggestions for this funyarn?
Hi Beth,
Thank you so much for reaching out! Home Life would be perfect for some of our other washcloth and towel patterns, like the Colorful Half + Half Washcloths, or the Pebble Dishcloths. I can even imagine an adorable little Linen Vest for Babies worked up in this gorgeous and fun yarn!
I hope this helps!
All the best,
Carly
Good morning,
So I waited too long to purchase the delightful little Home Life Washcloth bundle in the gorgeous Eucalyptus color-way and now it’s sold out! It is just such a perfect trio of yarns and I can’t wait to knit the set. Do you have an anticipated timeframe for restocking?
Thank you so much,
Meg
Hi Meg!
Thank you for your question. We will definitely be restocking Home Life, however we unfortunately do not have an estimated restock date yet. We will be sure to reach out to you when it is restocked, but you can also enter your email on the product page for a notification, too!
All the best,
Margaret
These colors are beautiful, and the fluffy washcloth is very appealing. However, $13 for one very small cloth is rather expensive.
I’m disappointed.
Hi Vicki,
Thank you for writing in. We totally understand that sometimes our yarn suggestions are more of an inspiration than a reality for many people. We are always happy to recommend less expensive (but still beautiful!) alternatives. In this case, we suggest that you try Cotton Pure or Buttercup Cotton! We use these yarns in a few of our other washcloth patterns, including the Soft Cotton Washcloths (which makes 3 washcloths per skein of Cotton Pure) and the Tiny House Washcloths (which makes 12 washcloths per 2 skeins of Buttercup Cotton).
Thank you again for reaching out about this. We’re sure that lots of other readers will thank you, too!
All the best,
Lili
I’m totally cracking up now. You suggested that we would need 26 skeins to make a small baby blanket. Hmmm. That’s over $300 for a blanket that will shrink. Ahhh, life in inflationary times.
Hi Clou,
We hear you! A knit blanket is a large project that uses up a lot of yarn, so the cost can certainly add up. If you’re looking for a blanket pattern that is more cost-effective, I’d recommend the blankets we’ve designed for Cotton Pure. Cotton Pure is priced at $17 per skein (and it’s on sale now for even less!), and you would only need about 5 skeins to make a baby blanket. I hope this gives you some ideas for a future project!
All the best,
Lili
Hi, love these bundles. Bought one. Was wondering what is the weight of this yarn. Dk?
Thanks.
Batbara
Hi Barbara,
Yes, Home Life is a DK weight yarn! Hope this helps.
All the best,
Lili
Good afternoon,
I am slowly building my collection of washcloths. Any hints so that they continue to keep their shape after washing and drying ? Should they be blocked? Or perhaps it is just my knitting technique as I am a beginner.
Thank you!
Hi Renee,
Thanks for writing in! We’ve found that these washcloths keep their shape very well after a trip through the washing machine and dryer. But if you’re finding that the corners aren’t as sharp as you’d like, you can definitely wet block them and pin the corners down so that they hold their shape for sure.
All the best,
Lili
Made these and LOVE the yarn. Any idea how long it will be before you have it back in stock?
Hi Ann,
Thanks for your question! We’re hoping to have Home Life back in stock by mid-September. We’re so sorry for the delay and are anxious to see it back too!
If that’s not too late for you, we’d recommend signing up to be notified when it returns by going to the product page, selecting the color you’re interested in, and entering your email address. This way, you’ll be the first to know!
I hope this helps, and please let me know if you have any other questions.
All the best,
Carly
Do you have any idea how long it will be until you have more of the Home Life yarn in stock? I would like to make lots of these washcloths for gifts. Thank you!
Hi Ann,
Thanks for reaching out! We’re hoping to have Home Life back in stock by mid-September. We’re so sorry for the delay and are anxious to see it back too, especially for gift planning!
If that’s not too late for you, we’d recommend signing up to be notified when it returns by going to the product page, selecting the colors you’re interested in, and entering your email address. This way, you’ll be the first to know!
I hope this helps, and please let me know if you have any other questions.
All the best,
Carly
Hi! I’m visiting Japan in August. I see this is made there. What brand is it listed under in Japan or do they only sell to you?
Thanks! Sarah
Hi Sarah,
Thank you so much for reaching out about this! I’m sorry to say that the mill that produces our Home Life yarn does not sell it to the public, so it will only be available through our website. We are currently out of stock but are expecting to have Home Life fully restocked by mid-September. We’re so sorry for the delay and are anxious to see it back too!
If that timeline is not too late for you, we’d recommend signing up to be notified when it returns by going to the product page, selecting the colors you’re interested in, and entering your email address. This way, you’ll be the first to know!
All the best,
Carly
I’d like to make a slightly larger washcloth. Is there enough yarn in the skein to make a cast on of 44 or 50 sts? Or does the skein just make the pattern size?
Hi Elizabeth,
Thanks for reaching out. Each skein has just enough yarn to make 1 washcloth, so I’d recommend sticking to the pattern size! Alternatively, you could order a second skein of the same color and have much more leeway with the dimensions. Hope this helps!
All the best,
Lili
Hi from Canada 🍁. Do you have a source in Canada where I could order this yarn from? I have see so many wonderful yarns on your site. The fees that I have to pay when I purchase anything from another country make it not feasible to order from your site. I am hoping that you can help. Thank you.
Hi Sharon,
Thanks so much for asking! We know all too well that high costs of international shipping and potential customs fees can be a deterrent when ordering online and completely understand the concern.
While we do offer international shipping on our website, our warehouse is currently based out of California so we’re only able to ship from there at this time. I’m sorry to say that we don’t have any other stockists of our yarn right now, but I’ll be sure to pass your interest on to the rest of the team!
Our apologies again for the inconvenience, and please feel free to send any other questions our way!
All the best,
Carly
Fun yarn! Could I make the scrubbing mitt with this yarn? If so, could you help with the instructions…I would want to shrink it. Thanks so much!
Hi Deb,
Thank you so much for reaching out to us! You can absolutely use Home Life to make our Scrubbing Mitt Project!
The gauge for these two yarns will vary slightly, so I would recommend knitting a gauge swatch and washing it to see how many stitches per inch you are getting with Home Life. We have a tutorial about gauge here that might be helpful for this!
If you do end up needing to reduce the number of cast-on stitches in your project, this will change the amount of knit stitches between your markers for the decreasing section at the top of the mitt. To figure out how many stitches are between the markers, you simply subtract one stitch for each stitch you omitted from the cast on.
An example of this would be if you cast on 44 stitches, your set-up round will read as follows: Set-up Round: K1, ssk, k15, k2tog, place marker, k2, ssk, knit to 3 stitches before end of round, k2tog, k1. [40 stitches]
I hope this helps, and please let us know if you have any questions!
All the best,
Carly
At the risk of sounding like an Idiot, how do I knit a 3″ I-cord with only one stitch left after binding off? Don’t I need 3 stitches to start the I-cord?
Thank you!
Hi Heather,
That’s a good question! The i-cord in this pattern is actually knit with just 2 stitches, rather than the customary 3 or 4. This creates a slightly thinner i-cord, which is a particular design feature that works well with the fluffy nature of Home Life yarn.
When you finish the bind-off, you should have 2 stitches remaining–one of the left needle and one on the right. These are the 2 stitches you will begin the i-cord with! When the instructions say to “k1” at the end of the Bind-Off Row, make sure that you don’t bind this stitch off. That would decrease your stitch count to just 1 stitch, when you do want to still have 2 on your needles. I hope this helps clarify things!
All the best,
Lili
What would the texture of the yarn be like if I were to machine wash + air dry?
Thanks!
Hi Gabi,
Thanks for writing in. The texture would be super fluffy, but it will likely not shrink as much if it doesn’t go through a dryer!
All the best,
Lili
I am finding this yarn very difficult to knit. It is not smooth at all. I like the look of it, but it is going to be frustrating. On every stitch, it catches on the shaggy bits. Do you have any suggestion to make this yarn a smoother knit as I have bought a bunch of this yarn.
Hi Leslie,
I’m so sorry to hear you’re having such a frustrating time working with Home Life! We want our products to provide an enjoyable knitting experience, and we are eager to help bring you back to a happy knitting place. Part of what makes Home Life special are the flecks of cotton throughout each strand, which also aid in its scrubbing power for a washcloth! To make it easier to knit with, we suggest using a metal needle to prevent the yarn from catching on a wood needle, for example, and using a looser tension will help, too! In addition, you could try holding it together with another yarn, like Morning or Cotton Pure, to serve as a guide for Home Life, and to break up the friction between multiple strands of Home Life catching on one another.
If you continue to have trouble, please feel free to send us an email at customerservice@purlsoho.com so we can help find the best yarn for your project!
All the best,
Margaret
Hi
Just received my bundles, but I’m not finding a needle size either in the packet or on the pattern.
Please advise
Hi Joanne,
Thank you for your question. We recommend using a size US 6 (4.0 mm) needle for this pattern. You can also find this information under “Materials” for any of our patterns!
I hope this helps, and happy knitting!
All the best,
Margaret
Just a note for others making this project – I couldn’t make a full square washcloth with this yarn using the exact needle size and number of stitches cast on (it came out 9 inches wide not 7), so mine is a rectangle with no loop as I needed another 2 inches to square it off. Likely it is my loose knitting because of the yarn texture. There is NO extra of this yarn in a skein so plan carefully as there isn’t wiggle room, you need every inch. It knits up beautifully however, I love the texture! Can’t wait to use my rectangle. 🙂
Hi Carin!
Thank you for sharing your tips! It sounds like you may have been knitting your washcloth with a larger gauge, so if you plan to make another washcloth, we suggest double checking your gauge first if you are after a square shape. Washcloths come in all shapes and sizes though, so we hope you enjoy your rectangular washcloth, and thanks again for writing in!
Happy knitting,
Margaret
I’m really enjoying making face cloths with this yarn. I want to use the sets as gifts. Would you suggest washing and drying them before gifting?
Hi Karen,
Thanks for writing in! Yes, I would suggest washing and drying the face cloths before giving them away. Home Life tends to shrink a bit in the wash and also become much softer and fluffier, so I think it would be best to make sure the face cloths go through these changes beforehand. Hope this helps!
All the best,
Lili
I had the same result as Carin. My gauge was correct but my finished width is 9 inches. My options are to rip out and start over casting on 28-30 stitches, or knit to the full 9-inch square by continuing with one of the other colors in my bundle. Option 1–a very small washcloth; option 2–two washcloths rather than three, of two colors each.
Hi Kathie,
Thank you for reaching out, although I’m sorry to hear that your washcloth didn’t turn out as expected! Since your washcloth came out too wide when you cast on 40 stitches, that means that your stitch gauge was slightly too large. It sounds like you have some great solutions though! One more thing you could try is using a smaller needle size. That will tighten up your stitches so that you can achieve the 7 3/4 inch width with the full 40 stitches. Hope this helps!
All the best,
Lili
Hi. What temperature and washing cycle do you recommend the first time washing the project? I want to make it smaller and fluffier. Thank you.
Robin
Hi Robin,
Thanks for reaching out. You can wash and dry this project on your machine’s standard settings (i.e. not the cold or delicate cycles)! It will definitely get smaller and fluffier that way!
All the best,
Lili
I can’t make this gauge work with US 6 needles. Anyone else having this problem?
Hi Amy,
Thanks for reaching out, although I’m sorry to hear that you’re having trouble achieving gauge! Have you tried swatching on a different size needle yet? If your gauge is ending up too large, I’d recommend trying with a smaller needle size, and if your gauge is ending up too small, then you should try a larger needle. If this is daunting, I’d recommend checking out a tutorial called All About Gauge, which covers some incredibly helpful information. I even learned some interesting, new tidbits myself while looking over it, and you may, too!
All the best,
Lili
I like the yarn very much, but oh my getting the gauge was tough unless I wanted to knit with a US2 or 3 needle. I ended up using a size 5 and casted on 30 sets. My washcloth is about 8” wide. Probably could have gone to 28 sts, but simply can’t bear thought of ripping one one more time. I’ve weighed the yarn and if I find I am running low half way, will add a second color or a stripe.
Hi Susan,
Thanks for reaching out, although I’m sorry to hear that you had trouble getting the gauge for this pattern. But adjusting your cast-on is exactly the right solution!
To figure out your cast-on number at any gauge, you can multiply the number of stitches you are getting per inch by 7 inches and then cast on the nearest whole number. Then you can follow the pattern as written, and your washcloth will turn out to be the correct size!
All the best,
Lili
I was so excited to see this yarn back in stock and on sale, so I bought some. When I got it I was thinking “how small this looks!” And as I was knitting the washcloths I kept thinking “this is the most expensive washcloth I’ve ever knit!” BUT and it’s a big BUT, after I washed it and dried it and it came out soft and fluffy and beautiful, I realized I got a lot for my money. It’s a beautiful product!
Hi! If I want to allow for shrinkage, how many stitch should I cast on and should I buy another skein for the same color? Thank you!
~Melissa
Hi Melissa,
To get a 7.75″ square washcloth after washing it, you would need to cast on 48 stitches! I would recommend picking up an extra skein because you’ll definitely need more yardage to do this.
All the best,
Lili
I love these washcloths- the yarn is fun to work with and washes up well and becomes so soft. They make great gifts and working on them is a project that is very easy to take traveling. Light and easy to knit.
Would you recommend this yarn to make a dishcloth for kitchen use?
Thank You~Dona
Hi Dona,
This yarn would make a great dishcloth! It holds up very well to scrubbing and washing, so it’ll make a useful tool for your kitchen.
All the best,
Lili