Knitting

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Pinwheel Dishcloth – Free Knitting Pattern

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I’m a sucker for a good dishcloth or washcloth knitting pattern, and especially this time of year it’s fun to make cloths you can use in your spring cleaning.

The Pinwheel Dish Cloth from Craftown is really cute and it’s a great way to practice short rows if that’s something you need to learn.

What’s more, you could also make this a stash-busting project by working each wedge in a different color of leftover yarn. Either way it’s a fun project that is a little more interesting to knit than a square, but still has lots of cleaning power. And cuteness.

 

Pinwheel Dish Cloth (orginally printed at Craftown.com)
Materials: 1 ball worsted weight cotton yarn, size 4mm needles. I used Anchor Magic line

for this cloth, which gave it a lovely effect – it’s a self-striping yarn.

Instructions:
Cast on 18 stitches.
This cloth is made up of 8 wedges, all exactly the same. Then the edge is sewn together,
the threads are sewn in and the cloth is complete. 🙂

Every wedge:
Row 1 and all odd rows: K across to last 3 stitches, p3.
Row 2: K3, YO, K to last st, turn.
Row 4: K3, YO, K to last 2 sts, turn.
Row 6: K3, YO, K to last 3 sts, turn.
Row 8: Bind off 3 sts, K2, YO, K to last 4 sts, turn.
Row 10: K3, YO, K to last 5 sts, turn.
Row 12: K3, YO, K to last 6 sts, turn.
Row 14: Bind off 3 sts, K2, YO, K to last 7 sts, turn.
Row 16: K3, YO, K to last 8 sts, turn.
Row 18: K3, YO, K to last 9 sts, turn.
Row 20: Bind off 3 sts, K2, YO, K to last 10 sts, turn.
Row 22: K3, YO, K to last 11 sts, turn.
Row 24: K3, YO, K to last 12 sts, turn.
Row 26: Bind off 3 sts, K across row.

Why use dishcloths? Dishcloths are re-useable and save on kitchen waste. Most dishcloths are made using cotton yarn and can be thrown into the washing machine when dirty. This makes them very hygienic, especially when compared to kitchen sponges, which sit on the sinks for days if not weeks.  Another great thing about dishcloths is when it comes to knitting the knit up quickly and are great for gift giving. Everyone needs a dishcloth.  For gifting, It’s not something that has to be in fashion or a certain colour for the recipient to like it, though there are so many great dishcloth pattern designs out there.

Looking to knit more dishcloth patterns ? Check out these dishcloth patterns on Etsy 

Comments

  1. I know what you mean. Sewing in ends is the ugly side of knitting and cehocrt. The bit they don’t really tell you about in books… I hate it until you get to that last end. The last one I can cope with 🙂

Have you read?

Knit a Classic Aran Cardigan with this Free Knitting Pattern

Not too long ago I did a test knit for another designer that was for a cabled cardigan. It’s really cozy and nice but it just about broke me in a ton of different ways. I couldn’t get gauge, which I suppose is my own problem, but mainly I was somehow both bored and forced to pay attention at the same time. 

Because it used the same cable all over, I always had to know what row I was on, but nine out of ten of those rows, nothing in particular was going on. So I couldn’t stop paying attention, but what I needed to attend to was boring. 

It may have ruined me for knitting cabled sweaters, but maybe I just need something that’s more engaging. Like this Modern Aran Cardigan pattern from Lion Brand Yarn. 

This is a reworking of an old pattern from their archives, and you can tell that form the classic look of the cables and the oversized feel (nothing cropped about this one!). It has allover cables, but like a classic Aran sweater it’s not the same cable, so you’ll have to pay attention to what row you’re on and what cable turns happen for which cables on that row. 

Because of this, it’s considered an intermediate knitting pattern, but if you’re comfortable working from multiple charts at once it shouldn’t be a problem for you. There are three different charts and seven different cable moves. 

Also because the pattern is so big and boxy there are only two sizes available, with a finished chest measurement of either 49 or 63 inches (that’s 124.5 or 160 cm). It’s up to you to decide how much ease you would like and whether that will work for your body. 

The pattern uses worsted weight yarn (and calls for another classic, Lion Brand Fisherman’s Wool). It calls for six buttons and includes pockets to make it extra cozy. 

This one looks like a great winter project to make and to wear if you’re up for a bit of a challenge. You can grab the free pattern or buy a kit with the yarn needed direct from Lion Brand Yarn. 

[Photo: Lion Brand Yarn]