Welcome to the world of knitting! Humans have been knitting for over a thousand years and it’s a technique that’s found in cultures around the world. Knitwear is functional and beautiful, an expression of self, a part of the slow-fashion movement, and an opportunity to slow down from the busy modern world. It’s my favourite form of art, a necessary part of my self-care, and my community. It’s great to have you be a part of it.
In this guided series, you will learn to knit 20 cm x 20 cm (8x8") cloths that can be used as facecloths or dishcloths. The patterns are numbered and meant to be completed in order because each pattern will help you practice the next, smallest step to improve your knitting. I am an elementary teacher for my day job, so I've put a lot of thought into the sequence of these cloths. You can make multiple cloths of each pattern until you feel ready to move on to the next step.
The hardest part of learning to knit happens all up front. Your first facecloth is going to be a challenge. You will get frustrated, you will make mistakes, and you will want to stop. As you learn you will still get frustrated, make mistakes, and want to quit less frequently, but it will still be part of the process. I have been knitting for twenty years and I still want to throw my knitting across the room on occasion. Keep going. The reason this Learn to Knit series is patterns for facecloths or dishcloths is to take some of the pressure off. It’s a short project and any mistakes will only be seen by you and your dishes. The feeling you’ll get when you hold in your hands something that you made from a bit of string and a lot of persistence will be worth it.
Ideally, you will have a friend or a knitting shop nearby that can help you with this process. This series is designed to help you (and/or your knitting guide) decide what skills to work on next. I will include links to other knitters’ how-to videos, but it is especially helpful to have someone in person who can help you fix mistakes, watch what you are doing, and offer corrections.
If you would like to be able to print the patterns from set 1 (useful for when you're knitting on the go, or trying to watch a video tutorial while also following the pattern), you can download the bundle for FREE from my shop. The pdf has clickable links to all the videos and internal bookmarks for navigation. Each pattern is separated from its introduction and skills and terms sections, and the patterns are formatted to fit on one page, so individual patterns can be printed easily.
Cotton yarn is best for facecloths and dishcloths because it absorbs water, dries quickly, and launders easily. Avoid wool and other animal fibres as they will feel fuzzy and unpleasant on the skin. Animal fibres also felt when used roughly, which means that they shrink, become more dense, and get fuzzier. So the more you used a facecloth or dishcloth made of wool, the less useful it would be. Also avoid acrylic yarns for this project, because acrylic is plastic, which will not absorb water.
Linen and bamboo are other plant fibres that will work well for facecloths and dishcloths. Linen is more durable than cotton but has a rougher texture. Bamboo by itself is so soft and delicious to touch, however, it is slippery to knit with and doesn’t absorb water as well as cotton or linen. If you want to use linen or bamboo, I recommend finding a yarn that is a blend (i.e. a mix of two or more fibres. e.g. linen/cotton, linen/bamboo, bamboo/cotton).
Cotton by itself can also be tricky to work with if the yarn isn’t tightly spun. Look for a yarn that doesn’t have large gaps in between the threads of a strand. With loosely spun cotton, it’s easy to split a stitch by poking a hole through the yarn instead of working through the loop.
All of the patterns in this series will use DK yarn and 4mm (US 6, UK 8) straight knitting needles. Go grab yourself some yarn and needles so you can get messy, make mistakes, and have fun!
Table of Contents
Set 1: Knit and Purl Patterns
Set 2: Shaping
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