You love those net bath puffs, right? (Also called poufs if you want to be really posh about it.) They’re great for working up lather and daily exfoliating. What they aren’t good at is being washed. Throw them in the washer and they fall apart pretty quickly. Since they aren’t washable, it’s recommended that you replace your puff every 3 to 4 weeks. That’s a big hassle, not to mention the cost and waste. So what’s the alternative? Your average wash cloth (whether store-bought or hand-knit) is washable, but doesn’t have any exfoliating power.
So the good news is that you can now have it all, thanks to Red Heart yarns. Red Heart Scrubby is a polyester yarn with strong texture that gives you both washability and a good exfoliating factor. It comes in quite a few colors; there’s even Scrubby Sparkle, with fancy shine that could be extra nice for gifts. Also, Lion Brand has a yarn called Stitch Soak Scrub. I haven’t tried yet, but Lion Brand is usually a reliable brand, too. (Note that Michaels relabels a lot of the yarn they sell, so you might find Red Heart Scrubby there relabeled as Loops & Threads.)
These puffs (poufs) are fast and easy to make. Pair them with some fancy bath bombs or shower gel and you’ve got a lovely gift. Good news if you need a quick gift idea—once you have the yarn, you could work up a couple of these in an evening.
Now you could just knit an ordinary wash cloth and get fair results. After some experimenting, I found I preferred the doubled material in this pattern to a flat square. Trying to make it significantly thicker, like a store-bought puff, didn’t seem to get better performance, it takes longer to dry out, and uses more yarn and time to make it in the first place. In my opinion, this pattern is the most practical option.
Finished Measurements: 5.5 to 6 inches square (depending on yarn used, Scrubby Sparkle tends to knit a bit larger)
Gauge: 3–3.5 st per inch (gauge is not crucial, though a loose knit is desired)
Yarn: Red Heart Scrubby or Scrubby Sparkle
Needle Size: 10.5 US/6.5mm or 11 US/8mm (depending on how tightly you tend to work)
You will also need a yarn needle for sewing it up.
Abbreviations
K = knit
st = stitch
Notes
Part of the key is the loose-knit texture that mimics the loose weave of the net puffs. That open weave helps hold more suds.
Pattern
Cast on 24 st.
Knit all rows.
Knit until roughly square—23 garter ridges (two rows make one garter ridge).
Bind off loosely.
Sewing up: You’re going to connect all four corners with the center of the puff.
To find the center, fold the square diagonally, then fold it diagonally again (so it’s still a triangle). The center is the right-angle point (as shown in the photo).
Thread one of the tail ends to a yarn needle (this end is already connected to one of your corners). Sew through the center point.
Now unfold the square and sew through each of the other three corners. Tighten to connect all five points. Tie off.
Weave in ends, and you’re done!
If desired, you could add a chain loop for hanging on a wall hook, though I find the knit is loose enough to easily hang on a hook without a loop.
Scaling the pattern
If you’d like a smaller or larger version, you can easily scale up or down. One garter stitch ridge is roughly equal to the width of one stitch.
Cast on the desired number of stitches, then knit that number of garter ridges minus one (the cast-on and bind-off rows will count for one more ridge).
