My Love/Hate Relationship with Dishcloths

I have been the recipient of several gift dishcloths, some knit and some crocheted, and because I feel true gratitude toward the person who put time and effort into creating these tools I begin to use them. That's when I remember what I don't like about them. Some have such a loose stitch that they feel flimsy. Then they start to smell funny. For a long time my husband didn't notice this smell, but recently it was so overpowering that even he could tell. The solution seemed to be to more not fewer of them so each could go into the laundry daily.
But...I'm not really excited about just knitting up a dishcloth when I could use my time and knit socks. Yay, socks!
I have arrived at a compromise, though. About 6 months ago a shop owner asked if I had tried designing my own socks. When I told her no, she replied that I would. I'm a skeptic, but wow, she was right!
And what in the world does that have to do with dishcloths? A bit of knitting in a square with larger cotton yarn is a great way to test a stitch I might want to incorporate into a sock. I can tell if the stitch will look better with solid yarn, flecked, variegated, or self-striping. I can tell if the fit will be loose or snug, and if I need to adjust gauge to compensate.
Two bonuses happen. I get a stockpile of dishcloths to launder regularly, and now I can start sharing dishcloth patterns. Because I know some people DO like to just knit them and seek out new designs.
First view of this pattern. It's not ready for publication since the pattern is too subtle for a variegated yarn to be used as this photo shows.

August 2, 2016 - a bit of an update. This is not ready at all. I've been using the dishcloth, and now the pattern is even less visible. I have some ideas, but right now I'm smack in the middle of another project.