In the quest to rid my home of disposables, I was left with a sponge. I prefer sponges to washcloths when it comes to dishwashing, so I searched around on the net until I found a wonderful pattern for washable cotton sponges at Gherkin’s Bucket. So, if you do not crochet, and never wish to crochet, go to her etsy store and buy some.

For everyone else, I will loosely demonstrate (see her pattern for the numbers) how to create a two-step gift from the initial sponge pattern. First, it’s a soapsaver. And when the soap is gone…it’s a washable cotton sponge. MAGIC!

Gherkin’s Bucket’s Cotton Sponge Pattern in Pictures–Plus a Bar of Soap

1. Chain the sponge width you’re interested in and single crochet your way back.


2. Chain one and turn. Half double crochet across using only the front loops….

3. Turn and crochet back to the beginning using the back (now front to you) loops.

4. Join with a slip stitch. Chain one and turn.

5. This is where it gets a bit weird. And it’s the fuzziest picture. (yay.) Half-double crochet all the way around again using the WAY BACK loops of the previous row.


If you use the somewhat back loops, you get a one line scrubbing ridge on your sponge, but if you use the way back loops, you get what looks like a chain across the front, which is more scrubby. (I have such a command of crochet technical vocab, no? See pic in step 8 to see what I’m talking about.)

6. Join with a slip stitch.

7. Chain one and turn.

8. Repeat 5. and 6. until it looks like you could fit your bar of soap in there.

8. Drop in soap.

9. Chain one and single crochet across the top joining the WAY BACK loops of both sides, leaving that chain-ridge-thingy again.

10. Slip stitch across the top, fasten off, and pull in your ends.

WAA-LAA!


And when the soap’s all gone…..

WAA-LAA, washable cotton sponge!
(Not that you can tell from this pic, but trust me. It’s empty.)

Ivory