I never knitted a dish cloth, although when I was teaching myself to knit (still don't do it beyond beginner level) a lot of the old instruction books/pamphlets I had recommended starting out with a wash cloth as 'something quickly done and useful, or makes a nice gift for your mother'. I didn't know anyone who would use one, or want one as decoration.

We used sponges for washing plates & flatware, a 'mop' of gathered sponge fingers for glassware, and either Brillo or a plastic scrubber for pots and pans. (Then later we got a dishwasher which always seemed pointless to me- you had to wash the stuff nearly clean before loading it, so where was the labor-saving?)

I think the first thing I did knit was a doll. :^)