Wedding Washcloths
When we got married, my husband and I didn’t register for gifts. We were young and naive and just felt kind of weird asking people to give us stuff. So instead of gravy boats and champagne glasses, we got lots of funky and surprising things, like these salt and pepper shakers. They came from my wonderful Aunt Rosemary who collects vintage treasures wherever she goes. We never could have registered for these!
I have to admit that sometimes I do regret the decision to not register, like in the morning when I eat my cereal out of my Ikea bowl with my Ikea spoon at my rickety kitchen table. But, really, I would trade a thousand silver spoons for the thoughtful, personal and often handmade gifts we did receive.
So, in that spirit, I decided to make my cousin Maria and her soon-to-be-husband, Len, a set of cotton washcloths for their June wedding. Blue Sky’s new Skinny Cotton is organically grown and, in the case of the tan and cream, undyed. It is soft and sturdy, and will just get better and better as Maria and Len grow old together!
These organic cotton washcloths are a cinch to make. The two styles, one seed stitch and the other stockinette with a seed stitch border, are both easy enough for very beginners. But I don’t think the washcloths will be less appreciated for their simplicity. They are beautifully soft and sturdy and will definitely stand out as having been made with love!
I’m also giving them some heart shaped soaps that I got at a store near Purl called Sabon. Weddings are the perfect time for such luxuries! Thanks! – Whitney
Designed by Purl Soho designer, Whitney Van Nes.
Share your progress and connect with the community by tagging your pics with #PurlSoho, #PurlSohoBusyHands, and #PurlSohoWeddingWashcloths. We can’t wait to see what you make!
Materials
- Blue Sky Alpaca’s Skinny Cotton, 100% organically grown cotton. Each skein is 150 yards. 1 skein makes 2 washcloths. The colors here are Organic Clay 31, Pink 305, and Birch 30 (The Clay and the Birch are naturally occurring colors, in other words, undyed).
- US 5 (3.75 mm) knitting needles, straight or circular
- If using straight needles: Two US 5 double pointed needles for I-Cord
- A size E crochet hook
Gauge
21 1/2 stitches = 4 inches in seed stitch
Size
8 inches x 8 inches unblocked size
8 1/2 inches x 8 1/2 inches blocked size
Seed Stitch Washcloths
Cast on 43 stitches. We used a basic Long Tail Cast On.
*k1, p1, repeat from * to end of row.
Repeat this row every row until piece measures 8 inches.
Bind off and finish, leaving a tail about a foot long.
Stockinette Washcloths
Your gauge in stockinette stitch may be different than your gauge in seed stitch, so I suggest doing a gauge swatch in stockinette stitch. When you know how many stitches per inch you’re getting, take that number and multiply it by 8. Cast on the odd number closest to that number. For example, if your stockinette gauge is 5 3/4 stitches per inch, multiplied by 8 is 46, so cast on either 45 or 47 stitches.
Row 1: *k1, p1, repeat from * to end of row.
Repeat Row 1 six more times.
Row 8: [k1, p1] 2 times, knit to last 4 stitches, [p1, k1] 2 times.
Row 9: [k1, p1] 2 times, k1, purl to last 5 stitches, k1, [p1, k1] 2 times.
Repeat the last 2 rows until piece measures 7 inches.
Knit Row 1 seven times.
Bind off and finish, leaving a tail about a foot long.
Crocheted Loop
To make a little loop for hanging the washcloth, insert the crochet hook into the corner of the washcloth. Pull a loop of the tail through.
Chain 11.
Put the crochet hook into the same place the chain originated, and pull a stitch through.
Slip stitch and finish.
Finishing
Sew the tails along the cast on and bind off edges so that they’re nicely hidden.
Blocking
Sometimes I don’t block my finished projects, but, in this case, I think it’s a pretty important step. Cotton is a bit unforgiving, so blocking will definitely help even out your stitches, and also, by blocking, you can shape really neat and even squares.
So, soak the washcloths in a sink or basin of room temperature water. You can add some mild soap to the water if you want (like Ivory dishwashing soap, baby shampoo, or I use a gentle wool wash called Soak which you don’t have to rinse out).
Squeeze the excess moisture out of the washcloths (but don’t wring or twist). Then roll them in a dry towel and squeeze the towel (I even kneel on the towel roll to really get the water out).
Pull the washcloths in all directions, horizontally, vertically, diagonally, shake the stitches around. Then lay each washcloth out on another dry towel and carefully shape each one into a neat square. My squares were 8 1/2 inches by 8 1/2 inches, but if your gauge is a little different that’s okay, as long as they’re all about the same as each other!
They’ll dry exactly in that shape – (almost) perfect!
I love the simplicity of the washcloth patterns and the luscious colors of the yarn. I linked to your post on my blog:
http://cinnamonpink.typepad.com/cinnamon_pink/2008/05/wedding-washclo.html
These are beautiful, and so well photographed.
I love this. I am planning a very small wedding and haven’t found adequate favors but these are perfect!
Entirely possible to make these wedding washcloths with inexpensive cottons. Still a great idea though.
I look for any excuse to make these for gifts. I am not a fast knitter, so they take me a while to complete, but they well worth the effort. I just finished an organic white 11.5 inch seed stitch cloth – its getting blocked right now! Thanks!
I linked to it on my blog http://onbecomingaccomplished.blogspot.ca/2013/01/felted-twig-cuff.html
I thank you from the bottom of my ♥️ for this simple wash cloth that is so easy to make by your directions and you saved me! I need to make 3 tomorrow then send them to my brother with a nice manly soap! Thank you again
Hi Donna,
We’re so glad to hear that you’re a fan of this pattern! Thank you so much for your kind words!
All the best,
Cat
I'm somewhat new to knitting and decided to try this project. Simple, k1, p1…I must be missing something. I tried the pattern and it just looked wrong on the needle and I couldnt move on to the next row. I checked out videos and some of them show wrapping the yarn on the needle before doing the knit/purl stitch. Is this different than how you did it? Could you explain because I'm not sure what I did wrong. Thanks!
Hi Sam,
If you're working on the seed stitch version, then you do need to move the working yarn into position before each stitch. Since the working yarn has to come from the back of the right needle when you make a knit stitch and from the front of the right needle when you make a purl stitch, before you make each stitch you need to move the yarn between the two needles either to the back or to the front of the work, ready for whichever stitch comes next!
I hope this puts you on the right path! Thanks for your questions and please let us know if you have any more!
Whitney
Do you enclose washing instructions with your gift? How do you recommend washing these?
Hi Kerry-
These can just be machine washed and dried like a regular washcloth!
Thanks for your question!
Molly
If I am using your worsted cotton, how many stitches do think I would cast on? Thanks!
Hi Amy-
You’ll have to do a gauge swatch to figure this out. When you know how many stitches per inch you’re getting, take that number and multiply it by 8. Cast on the odd number closest to that number. For example, if your gauge is 4 stitches per inch, multiplied by 8 is 32, so cast on either 31 or 33 stitches.
Thanks for your question!
Molly
Thank you for this wonderful pattern! I am making a few of these for a friend who is about to have a baby. You can never have enough washcloths with a little one around. I’m a novice knitter and these are fantastic for a beginner like me. Your photos are divine. Thanks, again!
i started knitting in 2009. i needed an easy knit to practice my tension. something small, so i wouldn’t feel overwhelmed, i made a seed stitch wedding wash cloth…your pattern. i just folded the laundry a few minutes ago, and there it was. it still looks lovely, showing very little sign of wear after all these years. and though it gets thrown in the washer and dryer with all the other towels, every few days, it comes out of the dryer, smooth, and flat. i love, love, love them!
I am having fun knitting the stockinette wash cloths. Even though I love working on knitted lace projects, the simple and solid look of these cloths attracted them to me. I was going to knit one for myself, but decided to make gifts for my family members and good friends first. There are 9 completed so far! I can’t wait to give them to my recipients! Thank you for this pattern.
Hi,
I just purchased the Pure Cotton Soho yarn. Would that work well for the Wedding Washcloth pattern?
Hi Laura,
Thanks for writing in! Our Cotton Pure would absolutely work for this pattern. You can follow the pattern as written!
Best,
Cassy
I know this is an old post; relatively new knitter here. I’ve done four of these – two each of the seed stitch and the stockinette picture frame, using Cascade SuperPima in two different colors. I’m now pretty sure that the instructions are wrong for the seed stitch version. Row 1 is K1, P1 to the end. For seed stitch, Row 2 would be P1, K1 to the end, no?
Never mind. Odd number of stitches, it’s as written for seed stitch…it’s late, I’m tired…time to put down the needles!
Love, love knitted (or crocheted) washcloths – they feel Old World luxurious to me. I find that when sizing them, I make mine a bit larger, casting on between 35-38 stitches, so that shrinkage in the wash is accounted for – – otherwise, they’re more for kids or just face cloths . . . and even larger than that for men, casting on around 39-42 stitches.