Van Benschoten: “These dish cloths only take one ball of cotton yarn each and work up quickly. The great textures will get those dishes clean and look great in your kitchen at the same time!”

It’s a funny thing, but people who have used crocheted (or knitted) dishcloths generally want no others. For decades they have been both very effective and extremely eco-friendly (toss them in a hot washer when scungy, and they come right back up). Here are three fine designs for them, which not only give you practical gifts, but can teach various crochet stitches to newbies.