Working into the front loops only gives a nicely ribbed texture, and it makes the fabric considerably softer. That combination is what makes it so well suited to dishcloths.
What the front loops are
Look at the top of a completed row of stitches and you will see a chain of small Vs lying along the edge. Each V has two strands: the one nearer you is the front loop, the one further away is the back loop.
Normally you insert your hook under both. Working into the front loop only means slipping the hook under just the nearer strand and leaving the back one untouched.
That is the entire technique. Nothing else about the stitch changes.
Why it produces ridges
The back loops you skipped do not disappear. They stay on the surface of the fabric as a free horizontal strand, and a row of them forms a visible ridge.
Do it on every row and you get ridge after ridge – the ribbed texture. The fabric also becomes looser and more flexible, because each stitch is anchored by one strand rather than two.
Why that suits a dishcloth
Two reasons.
Texture. A flat cloth wipes; a ridged one scrubs. The ridges give the cloth something to work with against a dirty pan without needing an abrasive yarn.
Softness. The looser structure makes the cloth gentler on the hands and on whatever you are washing, and it makes it drape rather than sit stiff.
Yarn
Cotton, in worsted weight. This is not preference – a dishcloth’s job is to take up water, and cotton absorbs and releases it as it dries. Acrylic pushes water around and goes slimy.
Cotton also survives repeated hot washing, which a dishcloth needs.
Working it
The front loop is easy to lose track of on the first few rows. If your ridges are not appearing evenly, you are catching both loops on some stitches.
Work a little more loosely than usual. Front-loop-only fabric is naturally looser and a tight tension fights that.
Count your stitches at the end of every row. It is easy to miss the last stitch of a row when only one loop is in play.
Size
Around eight or nine inches square is the usual, and it wants to be square rather than rectangular so it folds neatly.
Cotton shrinks, so make it slightly larger than you want it to end up.
Making a set
Dishcloths are quick and use very little yarn, so this is a good stitch to learn on. A set of three or four in coordinating colours makes a good gift, particularly with a bar of decent soap.
