Free knitting pattern
Free dishcloth knitting pattern (beginner)
A square cloth in garter stitch with a seed-stitch border: the first thing most knitters make, and still the most useful. It’s a beginner pattern of about 3 hours, and it teaches cast on, knit, purl. Follow it below, or open it in Stitchbay to count it row by row.
You’ll need
- 70 m (77 yd) of medium weight yarn (Worsted), cotton. Cotton holds up to washing; acrylic squeaks on dishes.
- 4.5 mm (US 7) needles
- Tapestry needle
- Gauge: 20 stitches and 40 rows to 10 cm (4 in) in garter stitch
Size: About 21 cm (8¼ in) square.
Before you start
Gauge isn't critical: a cloth a little bigger or smaller works just as well.
Every row is the same on both sides, so there's no right side until you choose one.
Abbreviations
| co | cast on |
| k | knit |
| p | purl |
| bo | bind off |
Cloth
Cast on 41.
Rows 1–4: *K1, p1; rep from * to last 1 st, k1. This is seed stitch: knit the purls and purl the knits.
Row 5: K1, p1, k1, k to last 3 sts, k1, p1, k1.
Rep this row until the piece measures 18 cm from the cast-on edge: about 72 rows in all, ending row 76.
Rows 77–80: *K1, p1; rep from * to last 1 st, k1.
Bind off all sts.
Weave in the ends. A row of crochet chain sewn to one corner makes a hanging loop.