Special without being stuffy, our Farmhouse Dishtowels have the style of an heirloom kitchen linen and the practicality of a true workhorse. They’re also super easy to work up. Going to stay with friends or family this summer? Make a house gift on the way and ace the art of being a good guest!

Farmhouse Dishtowels | Purl Soho

Unmercerized cotton and a lofty (and simple) slip stitch pattern make a wonderfully absorbent fabric, perfect for wiping down dishes or cradling a fresh loaf of warm bread (add that to the gift!).

Farmhouse Dishtowels | Purl Soho

We knit these up in our Cotton Pure, which has undergone a bit of a makeover. No need to panic, we kept all the good stuff but made some choice improvements: same gauge, same spin, same soft touch, but now the cotton is 100% organically grown… Wonderful!

Farmhouse Dishtowels | Purl Soho

Plus, enjoy a whole new palette of colors, each taking its cue from a landscape in full bloom: birch and linden trees, warm rocks, crystalline water, and meadows of wildflowers. You’ll need just two skeins (one for the main color and one for the stripes) and nice, long road trip!

Farmhouse Dishtowels | Purl Soho

Designed by Purl Soho designer, Jake Canton. Click here to see even more of Jake’s designs!

Share your progress + connect with the community by tagging your pics with #PurlSoho, #PurlSohoBusyHands, #PurlSohoFarmhouseDishtowels, and #PurlSohoCottonPure. We can’t wait to see what you make!

Materials

  • Post Image
  • Post Image
  • Post Image
  • Post Image
  • Post Image
  • Post Image
  • Main Color: 1 skein of Purl Soho’s Cotton Pure, 100% organically grown cotton. Each skein is 279 yards/ 100 grams; approximately 279 yards required.
  • Contrast Color: 1 skein of Purl Soho’s Cotton Pure; approximately 22 yards required.
  • US 4 (3.5 mm) 24-inch circular needles

We knit up our Dishtowels in these pretty palettes, pictured above from top to bottom, left to right…

MC: HEIRLOOM WHITE + CC: TOMATO ORANGE

MC: HEIRLOOM WHITE + CC: LINDEN GREEN

MC: HEIRLOOM WHITE + CC: CRYSTAL BLUE

Gauge

31 stitches and 44 rows = 4 inches in stitch pattern

Size

Finished Dimensions: 11 inches wide x 17¼ inches long

Notes

Slip Stitches

Slip all slipped stitches purlwise, unless the pattern indicates otherwise.

Stitch Multiple

This pattern works over a multiple of 4 + 1 stitches.

Turn + Slide

When you work this Stitch Pattern, you either “turn” or “slide” the work at the end of each row.

“Turn work” means to do what you would normally do when knitting rows with circular needles: Transfer the needle from your left hand into your right hand and the needle from your right hand into your left, flipping the work around so the opposite side is facing you.

“Slide work” means to keep the same side of the work facing you and to push all the stitches to the right end of the circular needles. Without turning the work, start the new row as you normally would.

You will know that you’re doing this right if the yarn you need to complete the next row is right there waiting for you!

One-Color Stitch Pattern

Row 1 (wrong side): With Main Color (MC), slip 1 knitwise with yarn in front (wyif), *k1, slip 1 wyif, k2, repeat from * to end of row.

Row 2 (right side): With MC, slip 1 knitwise wyif, *k3, slip 1 wyif, repeat from * to last 4 stitches, k4.

Two-Color Stitch Pattern

Row 1 (wrong side): With Contrast Color (CC), slip 1 wyif, *k1, slip 1 wyif, k2, repeat from * to last 4 stitches, [k1, slip 1 wyif] twice. Slide work.

Row 2 (wrong side): With Main Color (MC), slip 1 knitwise wyif, *p3, slip 1 with yarn in back (wyib), repeat from * to last 4 stitches, p3, k1. Turn work.

Row 3 (right side): With CC, slip 1 wyib, *p1, slip 1 wyib, p2, repeat from * to last 4 stitches, [p1, slip 1 wyib] twice. Slide work.

Row 4 (right side): With MC, slip 1 knitwise wyif, *k3, slip 1 wyif, repeat from * to last 4 stitches, k4. Turn work.

Pattern

With Main Color (MC), use a Basic Long Tail Cast-On to cast on 85 stitches.

With MC, work One-Color Stitch Pattern (see Notes) until piece measures 1 inch from cast-on edge (repeat Rows 1 and 2 six times), ending with Row 2.

Work Two-Color Stitch Pattern (see Notes) for 1 inch [repeat Rows 1-4 three times], ending with Row 4.

Do not cut CC. Instead, can it carry up the selvage to the next time you need it.

With MC, work One-Color Stitch Pattern for 1/3 inch [repeat Rows 1 and 2 twice], ending with Row 2.

Work Two-Color Stitch Pattern for 1/3 inch [repeat Rows 1-4 once], ending with Row 4.

Cut CC.

With MC, work One-Color Stitch Pattern for 13 inches, ending with Row 2.

Work Two-Color Stitch Pattern for 5/8 inch [repeat Rows 1-4 twice], ending with Row 4.

Cut CC.

With MC, work One-Color Stitch Pattern for almost 1 inch (repeat Rows 1 and 2 five and a half times), ending with Row 1.

Bind Off (right side): K1, *[k1, slip first stitch over] 3 times, p1, slip first stitch over, repeat from * to last 4 stitches, [k1, slip first stitch over] twice, k2, leaving 3 stitches on right needle.

Make I-Cord

With the remaining 3 stitches, work an I-cord for 3 inches, working the last row as follows…

Last Row: K1, k2tog, pass first stitch over second stitch and off the right needle. Cut yarn, leaving an 8-inch tail and pull through remaining stitch.

Thread the tail onto a tapestry needle. Make a loop with the I-cord and weave the tail into the fabric of the Dishtowel at the base of the I-cord, then weave it through the looped I-cord, and back into the fabric of the Dishtowel.

Weave in the remaining ends and block as desired.

Farmhouse Dishtowels | Purl Soho