The best kind of yarn to use to make scrubbies is tulle, which is a netting fabric normally used in tutus! You can also often buy scrubbies made of tulle, but it is easy to crochet your own from rolls of tulle.
The most popular type is nylon netting yarn. This type of yarn is very sturdy and durable, making it perfect for scrubbing dishes or even cleaning the bathroom. Nylon netting yarn is also easy to find and relatively inexpensive, so it’s a great option for those on a budget.
Another popular type of yarn for scrubbies is cotton yarn. Cotton yarn is much softer than nylon netting yarn, making it better suited for scrubbing delicate items or using on sensitive skin. However, cotton yarn is also more expensive and can be difficult to find in some areas. If you’re looking for a less expensive and more readily available option, acrylic yarn is a good choice. It’s not as soft as cotton yarn, but it’s still gentle enough to use on most surfaces.
Acrylic yarn is also very easy to care for, so it’s a good option for those who don’t want to deal with the hassle of washing and drying their scrubbies.
Another option is to use a textured worsted weight yarn such as Red Heart’s Scrubby Yarn. This is a uniquely textured yarn for either knit or crochet dishcloths or washcloths. It will clean pots and dishes much easier than cotton yarn dishcloths. In addition, it will dry much quicker than cotton as it is made from polyester.
Whatever type of yarn you choose, make sure to select a color that coordinates well with your kitchen or bathroom decor. Bright colors can be fun, but they might not be the best choice for scrubbing dishes. For more subtlety, go with a neutral color like white, cream, or light gray. You can also find scrubbies made from recycled materials, like old t-shirts or jeans. These are usually made from cotton or other natural fibers and are a great way to reduce your environmental impact. Scrubbies can be a great addition to any household, and they’re a fun and easy project for even beginner knitters. So, grab some yarn and get started on your own set of scrubbies today!
Tips for working with Tulle
Preparing Tulle
There are two steps in preparing tulle to be crocheted.
- Measure and mark one and a half inches on your netting spool.
- Cut the spool with a knife using a gentle sawing motion until the knife touches the inner cardboard roll
And then you’re ready to go!
Using Tulle
This is a pretty simple one – if you want your scrubbies to be fun and fluffy, keep your stitches a bit loose. Otherwise, you’ll end up with smaller, bunched up scrubbing pads that will be more difficult to use.
Cleaning Tulle
Your tulle scrubbies won’t stay clean for long. When it’s time to get all that dirt and grime off your scrubbing pads, simply boil a pot of water, take it off the heat, drop your tulle scrubbies in and leave for a few minutes.
Free Tulle Scrubby Patterns
Free Crochet Tulle Scrubbers Pattern at Consumer Crafts
This is a wonderful and easy pattern to make your own scrubby at home. Alexis walks you through turning a couple of yards of tulle netting into one long piece of tulle yarn, and then how to crochet that into cute scalloped scrubby. These scrubbing pads aren’t just cheap and cheerful – they will get your pots looking mirror clean in no time!
The Best Kitchen Scrubbies using Tulle from Crochet Therapy Shop
Angi quickly walks you step by step on how to make kitchen scrubbies using tulle. She has a video tutorial and written directions to really simplify the process and make it easy for all learning types. Follow along as she shows how you can make 2 scrubbies from one 31 yard spool of tulle.
Tips for working with Scrubby Yarn
Hook/Needle size
Scrubby is a worsted weight yarn, so we would recommend:
- Knitting: 5mm / 8 US size knitting needle
- Crochet: 5.5 mm (I-9) size crochet hook
Gauge/Tension
- Knitting: 16 S x 21 R = 4″ x 4”(10 cm x 10 cm)
- Crochet: 13 SC x 15 R = 4” x 4” (10 cm x 10 cm)
The wonderul folks over at Yarnspirations also had the following advice:
Note that if you change your needle/ hook size as recommended above, then you may also alter your gauge. This can change the final size of your finished item. When first working with Scrubby, it is best to try projects where size doesn’t matter so much. You should still check your gauge to get a sense of how closely you are working with what is recommended, but it gives you the opportunity to play with different needle / hook sizes without ruining what you’re creating. Luckily Scrubby is best for washcloths and dishcloths and small variations in size don’t matter to most people when working with those projects.
Choosing Colors
This is a quick tip – this can be a difficult yarn to work with, so bare in mind when choosing dark colors that you may have issues seeing your work.
Cleaning Scrubby Scrubbers
This is where using scrubby is especially practical – you can just toss your scrubbers and dishcloths in the washing machine. When it comes to drying your washed scrubby, all you have to do is tumble dry them on low. Easy! Just remember to rinse them out after each use.
You should keep in mind that scrubbies are polyester-based, meaning you should avoid ironing or bleaching them completely, as that will render them useless. If your scrubby isn’t dirty per se but you want to clean them anyway, just rinse them out rather than washing them. At the end of each use, make sure you wring out your scrubby, even though they don’t retain much water.
Free Scrubby Yarn Patterns
Easy Scrubby Dishcloth Crochet Pattern at Yarn Hook Needles
We’ve featured Yarn Hook Needles before – and for good reason. In this post, guest “feature maker” Caitlin walks you through making this fun and easy scrubby dishcloths. What I like about this post is that in addition to the picture walkthrough, they have provided several videos. Super helpful!
Mijo Disktrasor (Dishcloths) at Mijocrochet
This is a fun one for our international visitors! Johanna provides her instructions in both English and her native Swedish! But that’s not all, this free dishcloth crochet pattern is also available in Dutch, German, Russian and Spanish! These cute and colorful dishcloths are easy to make and will brighten up any home.
Combining Scrubby with Other Strands of Yarn
Combining two strands of yarn can help unlock a wide range of unique possibilities for you. You can combine the smoothness of yarn strands like cotton with the eccentric texture of scrubby to create a whole new project. Keep in mind that you should utilize the recommended hook/needle size for each respective yarn strand rather than resorting to a larger tool size.
Using the recommended hook/needle size will help not only simplify the crafting process, but it’ll also ensure that your project flaunts excellent density. Let’s say, for example, that you’re used to using a size J hook while crocheting a scrubby. You need to use the same J hook for projects that feature two strands. If the size isn’t applicable due to being too tight, for instance, go up a size.
Washcloths or dishcloths are some of the best projects to utilize two strands. For these projects, we strongly recommend using cotton as your second strand of yarn alongside your scrubby because it’s a water-friendly yarn. You can also utilize a secondary yarn to accentuate certain details that wouldn’t have been too prominent if you were to use a single strand of yarn scrubby.
For example, if you’re making a project that flaunts an animal-inspired design, you can use the second strand of yarn to accentuate details such as the eyes of the animal. One of the greatest types of yarn to use for accentuating details is Red Heart Super Saver. It’s especially perfect for creating hanging chains and other similar details.
Tips for Working with Scrubby Yarn
Working with scrubby yarn is a little more challenging than working with smoother strands such as cotton. Make sure you work in natural light so that you’re able to see your stitches clearly. If you’re incapable of seeing your stitches clearly, try feeling them out with your fingers. We highly recommend taking it slow while working with scrubbies to avoid making mistakes.
Even if you make mistakes while working with scrubby yarn, don’t sweat it, as this strand of yarn doesn’t show mistakes as clearly as other strands. If you’re new to using scrubby, you may want to consider using a crochet pattern so that you don’t have to work your way into stitches. Rather, you’d be working into space, which enables you to see where the hook goes a lot clearer.
Conclusion
There are two ideal yarns for making scrubbies – tulle, and Red Heart Scrubby yarn. Both are easy to crochet or knit, and both will give you dishcloths and scrubbers that equal any of the commercial alternatives at a fraction of the price!
Please Comment below and share with us which scrubby you made and any tips or tricks you found while working with your scrubby.
There’s many types of yarn and material out there to crochet and knit with, check out our recommendations for the best yarn to make baby blankets and the best yarn for crochet beginners. Happy crafting!
Hello question I found some leftover comfy cotton by Lionbrand can I use that with a redheart scrubby yarn ( so two strands one of each ) to do a scrubby?
I wasn’t sure if a blended yarn would work.
Thank you
Kay
Hey Kay,
For these projects, we strongly recommend using cotton as your second strand of yarn alongside your scrubby yarn because it’s a water-friendly yarn. Comfy cotton by Lion Brand is 50% cotton, 50% polyester yarn. It’s not the highest consistency of cotton we’d recommend to use but hey, if you have it and wanna give it a go it’s 50% cotton and should work decently. Let us know how it turns out!