crochetFirst crochet washcloth: a simple square
Make a small cotton cloth in single crochet, count every row and stop when its measured height matches its width.
In this guide
Choose yarn and a size you can measurePlan enough yarn from a small sampleChain 25, then make 24 single crochetsRepeat rows without adding an edge stitchFasten, weave, wash and checkChoose yarn and a size you can measure
Use smooth washable cotton in a light color, a crochet hook starting at the yarn label’s millimeter recommendation, two removable markers, scissors, a blunt yarn needle and a ruler. Keep the yarn label for care. This project uses US single crochet, called double crochet in UK terminology.
The working width is 24 sc. The foundation is 25 chains, and chain 1 never counts as a stitch. There is no border, hanging loop, joining seam or shaping. Make a short practice strip first if you cannot yet recognize the top V and both edge stitches.
The cloth’s size depends on your gauge. For an arithmetic example, 16 sc per 10 cm makes 24 sc about 15 cm wide; 18 rows per 10 cm needs 27 rows for 15 cm high. Those are planning numbers, not a promised size or tested yarn requirement. Measure your own cloth and work until its height matches its width.
Learn the first chain and single-crochet row →
Plan enough yarn from a small sample
Use the same yarn, hook and stitch for the sample and cloth. Weigh a washed and fully dried swatch, measure its usable area and keep the exact label’s grams and length. The swatch method in the yarn calculator estimates the mass and length for a rectangle of the same fabric. Enter your swatch measurements and the ball size from your yarn label to estimate how much to buy.
If your swatch and cloth are similar in size, the first cloth can be your sample for a set. Record its dry weight, size and yarn label, then use those measurements to plan the rest of the set. Reserve yarn for tails and any swatch you keep separate. Before starting, make sure the available yarn covers your estimate.
Chain 25, then make 24 single crochets
Leave a tail around 15–20 cm and make a slip knot. Chain 25, counting the Vs below the active loop. Do not count the loop on the hook or the slip knot.
Row 1: sc in the second chain from the hook, then sc in each remaining chain. You have 24 sc. Place one removable marker in the top V of the first sc and another in the last sc. Count again before turning. If you have 23 or 25, correct this row now.
Repeat rows without adding an edge stitch
Row 2: ch 1 and turn. The chain does not count. Sc under both top loops of the first marked stitch, moving its marker into the new sc. Sc in every stitch to the other marked edge, including that last stitch. Move the second marker into the last new sc. Count 24 sc.
Rows 3 onward: repeat Row 2. Count 24 stitches before each turn. Keep the beginning chain out of the count and do not work into it at the far end. A paper tally after each completed row helps distinguish the row you are working from the rows already finished.
Lay the cloth flat and relaxed on the ruler. Measure its width across the middle, then its height from the foundation edge to the top of the last row. Continue until the height is as close to the width as one whole row allows. Finish the current row, then stop; do not stop halfway across just to reach a measurement.
In the illustrative gauge above, 27 total rows give about 15 cm by 15 cm. That means Row 1 plus 26 repeats, not 27 repeats after Row 1. If your row gauge differs, the row count changes.
Fix widening or narrowing edges →
Read the difference between total repeats and more repeats →
Fasten, weave, wash and check
Fasten off after the final full row, leaving a 15–20 cm tail. Weave both the starting and finishing tails through the backs of several stitches in more than one direction without drawing the edges tight. Remove both markers.
Wash and dry as the yarn label permits. Do not stretch the cloth to disguise a missing-stitch edge. Once it is completely dry, check the tails, measure width and height again and record the dry weight if you plan to make more. A different ratio after washing tells you how to adjust the next cloth; blocking cannot guarantee that a square before washing stays square.
For the next one, use your finished gauge to choose a stitch count and whole-row height. Keep the same 1-extra-chain rule for this sc rectangle: N stitches need N + 1 foundation chains. Save the exact yarn, color, hook diameter, total rows and care method with the measurements.