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Clean Up with the Hopscotch Washcloth or Towel Knitting Pattern

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My husband and daughter both like using knit washcloths and dishcloths (husband likes them in the kitchen, daughter in the bathroom). Most of the ones I have are many years old, and they’re holding up well, but knitting dishcloths and towels is a great summer activity because they’re relatively small projects and you will use them all year long.

The Hopscotch Washcloth and Towel, designed by Deborah Newton for Purl Soho, is a great addition to your cloth and towel collection. It gets its name from the checkerboard stitch pattern, with blocks of alternating knit and purl stitches and right twists (sort of like a baby cable, but no cable needle required!). It has a simple garter stitch border to keep everything neat.

You can make this pattern as a washcloth or a full on dish towel size, whatever you need. I’m sure you could pretty easily alter the design to make placemats or other gear for the kitchen as well, if you wanted to. Or how about stitching up a bath mat with matching washcloths?

The pattern uses a luscious organic cotton yarn, but you can use whatever you have on hand. Washcloths in particular are a great place to use up all the odd balls of cotton yarn (because a single washcloth never seems to use a whole ball) and no one will ever see the wild color combos and random stripes unless you want them to.

Washcloth knitting patterns are a great way to practice new-to-you stitches, so even if you’ve never worked twisted stitches before, you should give this one a try. There’s also a link to a video tutorial in the pattern post if you need extra help getting the technique down.

You can grab this free pattern from Purl Soho.

[Photo via Purl Soho]

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Bucket Hat Knitting Patterns

As I was starting to write this post I thought that it was true that I’d never done a roundup of bucket hat knitting patterns before. But then I looked, and I actually did one last year (which you can find here) but there are plenty of cute bucket hats to do another post about, right? 

The one that made me want to write about this (again) is the Red Heart Knit Fanfare Bucket Hat from Yarnspirations. This cute striped hat can be worked in team colors, and while I might prefer a non-acrylic yarn for a summer hat, it would be fine when it’s not too hot outside (or try a cotton yarn instead). 

Claire Slade’s Sunlit Bucket Hat has an angled brim to help keep the sun out of your eyes. It’s worked from the bottom up using worsted weight cotton yarn, and comes in three sizes. You can find the pattern on Ravelry. 

Get a little air flow in your bucket hat with the Shady Bucket Hat from Wool & Beyond. This one uses DK weight yarn and an eyelet pattern throughout the body to keep it cool. It comes in sizes ranging from newborn to adult large, and is worked in one piece from the top down. You can grab the pattern (in English or Swedish) on Ravelry. 

If you’re looking for a fun, floppy sun hat for kids or adults, this pattern from Muki Crafts is a little more slouchy than a traditional bucket hat but it’s super cute. It comes in baby, toddler and bigger kid sizes and adult. I uses worsted weight yarn and is worked from the bottom up. 

Another variation on the classic bucket is this one that’s more of a cloche style. Made by branda, it uses bulky yarn so it’s more of a winter bucket hat, but now’s a fine time to knit it if you live somewhere that’s warm right now (or even more so if you live somewhere that’s cold right now). 

Another one to get you ready for colder weather is Tirmety, a two-layer bucket hat from ViTalina Craft, which has a textured stitch pattern on one side and stockinette on the other. You can wear either side out or even make them different colors if you want. The pattern is sized for toddlers, kids and adults. 

And if you want to add some extra cuteness to your bucket hat, I love this (of course totally optional but also totally adorable) embroidered deatila on the New York Bucket Hat from Pauline Fanguin. It uses two strands of DK weight yarn held together for extra sturdiness, and uses changes in needle size to shape the hat. Of course you could also knit stripes or use different textures of yarn to change up the look. This pattern is made to fit your head and is available in French and English.