Mitered Hybrid Dishcloth
By Ada Lai Permissiongranted fordistribution to theMadison Knitters Guild forcreation of CommunityProjects donations A quick and fun cloth to knit, mixing garter and stockinette strips in a mitered square.
Gauge
Gauge is not critical for this project.
Finished Dimensions
Approx. 9" x9" before washing, 8%"x8%" after washing. [See Pattern Notes.]
Yarn
Worsted-weight cotton; approximately 44 g or 75 yds, without hanging loop
Needles
US 6 (4.25 mm), or preferred size for knitting cotton [See Pattern Notes.] Optional (for hanging loop): US 5 (3.75 mm) double-pointed needle, for I-cord, or crochet hook size US F-5 (3.75 mm)
Supplies
Stitch markers, yarn needle
ABBREVIATIONS
approx一approximately co-cast on dpn - double pointed ndl g-gram K - knit K3tog - Knit 3 together: Knit 3 sts together. [Decreases 3 sts to 1 st with a right-leaning decrease -seePatternNotes.] LH - left-hand mm — millimeter(s) ndl - needle oz — ounce(s) P一purl pm - place marker RH — right-hand rm - remove marker RS — right side st(s) — stitch(es) tog — together WS — wrong side yd(s) — yard(s)
PATTERN NOTES
If straight needles are used for the dishcloth, short (9") needles will do well. However, the stitches will be a bit crowded on the short needles for the first few rows - good motivation to dive in and get those first dozen rows or so done right away! Gauge is not critical for this project, but if you tend to knit very tightly, you may find it more comfortable to use needles one size larger than specified. Cotton yarn has very little elasticity, so working the k3tog decrease can be difficult to complete. To make it easier to get your needle into all 3 sts, first insert the point of the RH ndl purl-wise into the 3 sts on the LH ndl and "stretch" them out a bit, then remove the RH ndl and immediately insert it knit-wise into the 3 stretched-out sts and knit them together. When knitting back on the Ws row, keep a tight tension as you knit (or purl) through the center sts. You may find the center sts to be slightly distorted or stretched out; this will correct itself after working 1 or 2 subsequent rows and/or when the finished cloth is washed. Have fun and try mixing colors! This makes a good stash buster for odd cotton remnants. This also looks great in variegated cotton yarns.
DIRECTIONS
With larger ndls, CO 39 sts, pm, CO 42 sts. [81 sts] Row 1 (RS): K39, k3tog; rm, k1, pm; knit to end. [79 sts] Row 2 (WS): Knit. Row 3: Knit to 3 sts before marker, k3tog; rm, k1, pm; knit to end. [77 sts] Row 12: Purl. Row 24: Purl. Rows 25-72: Repeat Rows 13-24 four times, checking your stitch counts as follows: After Row 36: 45 sts After Row 48: 33 sts After Row 60: 21 sts After Row 72: 9 sts Rows 73-77: Repeat Row 3 once, then repeat Rows 2 and 3 two times. [3 sts]
Finishing
If you are not going to add a hanging loop to the dishcloth: K3tog; cut yarn, pull through rem st. To make a hanging loop for the dishcloth, use one of the following techniques (or any other method desired): Knitted I-cord: Change to smaller needle and tightly knit three-stitch I-cord for 1%" (or desired length). Cut yarn, leaving a tail for sewing the end of the I-cord to the dishcloth. Crocheted chain: Change to crochet hook and transfer rem 3 sts to crochet hook. Yarn over hook and pull loop through all 3 sts, then continue making a chain for 1%" (or desired length). Cut yarn, leaving a tail for sewing the end of the chain to the dishcloth. Weave in any ends. [Optional] If you wish to block the cloth, wash it in hot water to shrink it and "square" the shape while it isstill wet.
