Knit a Classic Dish Towel

Just yesterday my husband said something to me about the knit washcloths and towels in our kitchen being better for big messes than the storebought ones. (He was cleaning up quite a mess as we’re having tile flooring installed and it has involved huge amounts of cutting/grinding/dust in the house.)

Which makes me think maybe I need to knit some new dishcloths and towels, because I honestly haven’t knit any in years.

The Lily Shaker Knit Kitchen Towel from Yarnspirations is a classic, worked is what they call Shaker Rib, which is like Fisherman’s Rib in that you knit into the row below to make a super squishy (ie, great for cleaning) fabric.

The stripes are unnecessary but add to the classic look.

You can download the free pattern from Yarnspirations.

[Photo: Yarnspirations.]

It’s a common complaint among women and femme dressing folk that our clothes do not include enough (and enough useful) pockets. And even if your clothes do have good pockets, there’s always a chance that you’d rather have another pocket to put some essentials in rather than having to carry a whole bag.

But because we are knitters, we can take this problem into our own needles and knit ourselves some auxiliary pockets.

Beatrice Mase did just that, with a kind of fancy toolbelt pocket accessory that they call VELVET Pockets.

The stitch pattern has a plush, sort of velvet effect, thus the name, but it’s worked with regular fingering/sock weight yarn. (The sample uses wool, but you could experiment with other fibers, too.) It calls for 776 yards of 710 meters, which you might just have in your sock yarn stash.

The pattern includes several pockets of different sizes, with the main body of the pocket worked flat in one piece and the exterior pockets sewn on at the end. You also have the option of adding screw rivets and a coordinating clasp that make it look even more toolbelt chic.

The design is worked with a loop of knit fabric at the top so it can slide onto a belt. The pattern includes explanatory diagrams, photo and video tutorials and is adjustable to fit different sizes of belts.

It’s almost enough to make me want to start wearing belts again, even though I haven’t for years. Because who wouldn’t want a few extra little pockets to hold things when you don’t have enough to really justify carrying a bag around?

The pattern is available in English and French on Ravelry and you can also buy a kit complete with the yarn, rivets and clasp (the pattern is not included in the kit) direct on Etsy.

[Photo: Beatrice Mase]

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