Knitting

Patterns, projects and techniques

Two-Tone Bias Knit Washcloth

by

two tone bias knit washclothThe bias knit washcloth is a classic knitting pattern, so classic in fact it has a default name: Grandmother’s Favorite.

I like it because it’s super easy, but still fun and quick to knit, and it’s perfect for using just about every scrap of leftover yarn you have.

I had the teensiest little bit of blue yarn left from other projects that I wanted to use, so I stitched the first half of my washcloth with that, and the second half with a coordinating green.

It made a tiny cloth perfect for face washing, but of course you can use this method to make a washcloth or dishcloth of any size you like.

Materials

  • I used about 35 yards of two colors of Lion Brand 24/7 Cotton (colors Aqua and Mint), but you can use as much as you like to make a larger cloth
  • one pair size 6 US/4mm knitting needles
  • yarn needle

Gauge

Gauge is not critical but I got about 5 stitches and 10 rows per inch/2.5 cm in bias Garter Stitch

Size

My finished washcloth is about 6 inches/15 cm square. It’s a perfect little face cloth but just keep increasing a while longer to make yours bigger if you like.

How to Knit a Two-Tone Bias Knit Washcloth

bias knit washclothWith color A, cast on 4 stitches.

Knit 1 row.

Knit 1, yarn over, knit across.

Repeat this row until you are almost out of yarn or the sides of your triangle are the length you’d like a side of your washcloth to be. I had 30 stitches when I began decreasing.

Change to color B.

Knit 1, yarn over, knit 2 together, knit to last 3 stitches, knit 2 together, knit 1. One stitch decreased.

Repeat this row until 4 stitches remain (the last row will end with the decrease, not a knit 1).

Knit 1 row.

Bind off. Weave in ends.

More Knitted Kitchen

Check out my other patterns from the series: Circular Washcloth | Loop Stitch Washcloth | Ridged Ribbon Eyelet | Cartridge Rib Dishcloth | Two-Color Moss Stitch Dishcloth | Vine Lace Dishcloth

You can find the full list of blog hop patterns as they become available on the main blog hop page, or join us on Facebook.

Next Pattern:

Comments

  1. How do you change colors so as to hide the tail of Color A? Thanks, Sarah! I make lot of these superquick (Portuguese purl), look forward to doing the two-color version!

  2. Just start knitting with the second color at the beginning of a row, leaving a few inches of both hanging at the side. When you weave in the ends, make sure you weave the color A to the color A side and the color B to the color B side.

Have you read?

Add a Little Lace to Your Knitting Patterns

If you’re new to lace knitting or just aren’t sure how to incorporate the technique into garments, check out these tops and sweaters that use lace as a decorative element.

The easiest lace out there is eyelets, and you can practice them plenty with this eyelet covered sweater from Knitcro Addict. It uses light/DK weight yarn and is worked in four pieces knit flat. It’s intended to be a little cropped and a little oversized, and includes sizes XS to XXL in the pattern.

If you’re in parts of the world where it’s getting colder as you read this, the Nora sweater from Bummbul might be a good choice. This is actually a great one for learning lace because it’s worked in super bulky yarn, which makes it easier to see what you’re doing and makes the lace super graphic. This one just comes in one size, with a 42 inch (106) cm bust, but that could fit a variety of people depending on how much ease you like.

Minimi Knit Design has a cute allover lace cardigan worked in one piece from the bottom up. It’s worked in lace weight mohair held double, which maybe isn’t the best for those new to lace (because it can be hard to rip out) but it sure is pretty. Sizes range to fit from 30 to 66 inches/76 to 168 cm bust measurements.

If you’d rather not have lace all over your sweater, you can knit the Lumi sweater from Originally Lovely, which has a chevron lace pattern on the yoke and is otherwise worked in reverse stockinette stitch. (It’s worked inside out so you don’t have to purl every stitch.) The pattern has 9 sizes from XS to 5XL and uses worsted weight yarn.

Or try the super romantic sookie blouse from Trust the mojo (available on Ravelry). This sweet top is started working flat from the bottom up and has a V-neck and I-cord edgings. The sleeves are worked separately in the round, and the pieces are all joined together to work in one piece to finish off the top. It comes in eight sizes and is available in English and French.

You can also pair lacy sleeves with an otherwise plain top, like on the Starflower Wrap from Annelise Driscoll Gingrow. This intermediate pattern makes a wrap sweater with generous lacy sleeves and a double wrap belt. The pattern has nine sizes, from XS to 5XL, and is available for free from Hobbi.