Sunday Dinner Dishtowels
With their vintage charm and casual elegance, the Sunday Dinner Dishtowels, designed by Catherine Li-Abrams, are right at home in a bustling kitchen full of chatter, chopping, and children sneaking a taste… There’s such joy in sharing something we made with those we love!
Catherine designed these dishtowels using our beloved linen stitch. We can’t get enough of that smooth, woven texture on one side and satisfyingly nubbly feel on the other!
Turning everything on its side, Catherine has us knit these towels lengthwise, using the rows to create beautiful, long lines in a variety of striped patterns. The stripes have extra subtlety and beauty with a two-color linen stitch that’s more spaced out than usual, but just as easy to do!
The main fabric of the Sunday Dinner Dishtowels is our Santolina, a mix of cotton, rayon from bamboo, and hemp. It’s durable but soft, with a slight luster and a lovely drape. The colorwork sings in our undyed Sweetgrass, which combines cotton and superfine alpaca.
Both Santolina and Sweetgrass have a gently heathered look that comes from the mix of fibers in the yarn. They play well together, creating a fabric with a wonderful hand and a gorgeous depth of color. Our Sunday Dinner Dishtowel Bundle includes two skeins of Santolina in your choice of color (we used Pewter Blue!) and one skein of Sweetgrass, all the yarn you need for the whole set of three towels!
Yarn lovers, if you adore the yarn used in this project, you’ll love exploring all of our other yarn collections! Discover over 45 thoughtfully designed yarns in nearly every natural fiber and in every spectacular color you can imagine. Only available here at Purl Soho’s online yarn store, where every skein is created with care and your creativity in mind!
Designed for Purl Soho by Catherine Li-Abrams. Based in Toronto, Catherine is a photographer and longtime-knitter-turned-knitwear-designer. She seeks (and creates!) beauty in the world around her, especially through her love of yarn and knitting!
Share your progress and connect with the community by tagging your pics with #PurlSoho, #PurlSohoBusyHands, #PurlSohoSundayDinnerDishtowels, #PurlSohoSantolina, and #PurlSohoSweetgrass. We can’t wait to see what you make!
Materials
Our Sunday Dinner Dishtowels Bundle has enough yarn for all three dishtowels. It includes…
- Yarn A: 2 skeins of Purl Soho’s Santolina, 70% organically grown cotton, 20% rayon from bamboo, and 10% hemp. Each skein of this fingering weight yarn is approximately 328 yards/ 100 grams; approximately 650 yards required.
- Yarn B: 1 skein of Purl Soho’s Sweetgrass, 65% organic cotton and 35% superfine alpaca, undyed. Each skein of this fingering weight yarn is approximately 437 yards/ 100 grams; approximately 60 yards required.
Choose from more than 20 elegant combinations of Santolina and Sweetgrass. We used the Pewter Blue + Rye Flour palette for our samples!
You’ll also need…
- US 6 (4 mm), 16-inch or longer circular needles
GAUGE
28 stitches and 52 rows = 4 inches in linen stitch
SIZE
Finished Dimensions: Approximately 11 inches wide x 17½ inches long
NOTES
TURN + SLIDE
When you work the Two-Color Spaced-Out Linen Stitch Pattern, you either “slide” or “turn” 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!
STITCH MULTIPLE
This pattern works over an odd number of stitches.
SLIP STITCHES
Slip all slipped stitches purlwise.
STITCH PATTERNS
UPDATE August 15, 2022: We accidentally posted this pattern with some slipped stitches worked knitwise, when all should be worked purlwise. We’re so sorry for any trouble this has caused!
ONE-COLOR LINEN STITCH
Row 1: (wrong side): Slip 1 with yarn in front (wyif), *p1, slip 1 with yarn in back (wyib), repeat from * to last 2 stitches, p1, slip 1 wyif.
Row 2 (right side): *K1, slip 1 wyif, repeat from * to last stitch, k1.
TWO-COLOR SPACED-OUT LINEN STITCH
Row 1 (wrong side): With Color A, slip 1 wyif, *p1, slip 1 wyib, repeat from * to last 2 stitches, p1, slip 1 wyif. Turn work.
Row 2 (right side): Crossing Color B below Color A (A is in front of B), use Color B to *k1, slip 1 wyif, repeat from * to last stitch, k1. Slide work.
Row 3 (right side): With Color A, slip 1 wyib, *k1, slip 1 wyif, repeat from * to last 2 stitches, k1, slip 1 wyib, Turn work.
Row 4 (wrong side): Crossing Color A below Color B (B is in front of A), use Color A to *p1, slip 1 wyib, repeat from * to last stitch p1. Turn work.
Row 5 (right side): With Color A, repeat Row 3. Turn work.
Row 6 (wrong side): Crossing Color B below Color A (A is in front of B), use Color B to *p1, slip 1 wyib, repeat from * to last stitch, p1. Slide work.
Row 7 (wrong side): With Color A, slip 1 wyif, *p1, slip 1 wyib, repeat from * to last 2 stitches, p1, slip 1 wyif. Turn work.
Row 8 (right side): Crossing Color A below Color B (B is in front of A), use Color A to *k1, slip 1wyif, repeat from * to last stitch, k1. Turn work.
PATTERN
BEGIN
NOTE: You will knit these dish towels lengthwise, casting on for the long edge.
With Yarn A, cast on 123 stitches. We used a basic Long Tail Cast On.
WORK MAIN FABRIC
LAYOUT 1
With Yarn A, work Rows 1 and 2 of One-Color Linen Stitch (see Stitch Patterns) until piece measures 3 inches from cast-on edge, ending with Row 2.
Joining Yarn B, work Rows 1–8 of Two-Color Spaced-Out Linen Stitch (see Stitch Patterns) 1 time, ending with Row 8. Cut Yarn B.
With Yarn A, work Rows 1 and 2 of One-Color Linen Stitch 5 times, ending with Row 2.
Joining Yarn B, work Rows 1–8 of Two-Color Spaced-Out Linen Stitch 4 times, ending with Row 8. Cut Yarn B.
With Yarn A, work Rows 1 and 2 of One-Color Linen Stitch 5 times, ending with Row 2.
Joining Yarn B, work Rows 1–8 of Two-Color Spaced-Out Linen Stitch 1 time, ending with Row 8. Cut Yarn B.
With Yarn A, work Rows 1 and 2 of One-Color Linen Stitch for 3 inches, ending with Row 2.
With wrong side facing you, bind off purlwise to last 2 stitches, k2, leaving 3 stitches on right needle.
Continue to Make I-Cord Loop section, below.
LAYOUT 2
With Yarn A, work Rows 1 and 2 of One-Color Linen Stitch (see Stitch Patterns) 12 times, ending with Row 2.
**Joining Yarn B, work Rows 1–8 of Two-Color Spaced-Out Linen Stitch (see Stitch Patterns) 1 time, ending with Row 8. Cut Yarn B.
With Yarn A, work Rows 1 and 2 of One-Color Linen Stitch 2 times, ending with Row 2.
Joining Yarn B, work Rows 1–4 of Two-Color Spaced-Out Linen Stitch (see Notes) 1 time, ending with Row 4. Cut Yarns A and B and slide work (see Notes).
With wrong side facing you and rejoining Yarn A, work Rows 1 and 2 of One-Color Linen Stitch 11 times, ending with Row 2.
Repeat from ** 2 more times.
With Yarn A, work Rows 1 and 2 of One-Color Linen Stitch one more time.
With wrong side facing you, bind off purlwise to last 2 stitches, k2, leaving 3 stitches on right needle.
Continue to Make I-Cord Loop section, below.
LAYOUT 3
With Yarn A, work Rows 1 and 2 of One-Color Linen Stitch (see Stitch Patterns) until piece measures 2 inches from cast-on edge, ending with Row 2.
**Joining Yarn B, work Rows 1-8 of Two-Color Spaced-Out Linen Stitch (see Stitch Patterns) 1 time, ending with Row 8. Cut Yarn B.
With Yarn A, work Rows 1 and 2 of One-Color Linen Stitch 4 times, ending with Row 2.
Joining Yarn B, work Rows 1-8 of Two-Color Spaced-Out Linen Stitch 2 times, then repeat Rows 1-4 one more time, ending with Row 4. Cut Yarns A and B and slide work (see Notes).
With wrong side facing you and rejoining Yarn A, work Rows 1 and 2 of One-Color Linen Stitch 10 times, ending with Row 2.
Repeat from ** 1 more time.
With Yarn A, work Rows 1 and 2 of One-Color Linen Stitch 3 more times, ending with Row 2.
With wrong side facing you, bind off purlwise to last 2 stitches, k2, leaving 3 stitches on right needle.
Make I-Cord Loop section, below.
MAKE I-CORD LOOP
With remaining 3 stitches, work an I-Cord for 3 inches, working 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.
FINISHING
Weave in the ends and wet block, or wash on a cold cycle and gently machine dry.
Learn About Sweetgrass + All Our Beautiful Yarns
Sweetgrass brings true natural beauty to this project! A mix of 65% organic cotton and 35% superfine alpaca, Sweetgrass comes in 6 undyed colors, each one reflecting the color of the alpacas who grew the fiber… Amazing! And when that alpaca fiber is mixed with creamy white cotton, you get a soft and lovely heathered quality that adds depth and fascination to the yarn. A fingering-weight yarn, Sweetgrass is absolutely beautiful for three-season scarves, sweaters, and sweet hats, or double it for super cabin-y blankets. At 437 yards per skein, you’ll go far with just a few skeins!
More Free Knitting Patterns
- Be sure to explore our inspiring collection of (mostly free!) Sweetgrass knitting patterns and cast on!
More Fingering-Weight Yarns
- Shop our entire collection of fingering-weight yarns
- If you want to use a different yarn, be sure to take the time to get the correct gauge. Need help? Check our All About Gauge Tutorial!
More Yarns With Similar Fiber
- Shop cotton yarn
- Shop alpaca yarn
Looking for more inspiration? Explore all of our free knitting patterns and knitting tutorials, buy one of our many knitting kits and yarn bundles, and shop for beautiful yarn. We have over 35 gorgeous natural fiber yarns in 100’s of magnificent colors, designed to bring integrity, beauty, and joy to your next knitting project and only available at Purl Soho!
They look beautiful. Can they be machine washed and at what temperature?
Hi Bee!
Thank you very much! We recommend hand washing these towels and laying them flat to dry, since Sweetgrass contains superfine alpaca fibers that are best washed by hand. If you would like to make a machine washable towel, you could replace Sweetgrass with another skein of Santolina in this pattern, since Santolina is safe to machine wash in cold water and tumble dry low.
I hope this helps, and happy knitting!
All the best,
Margaret
Hi Bee!
After some investigation, we are happy to report that these dish towels, when knit in Santolina and Sweetgrass, are safe to wash in the machine on a cold, gentle cycle, and tumble dry low! We have added a note to the pattern indicating these recommended care instructions as well, and we appreciate you asking about this!
All the best,
Margaret
Thanks! The first Q&A answer my question, too. Hmmm…more than coincidence, I’d bet. Thanks for great Q&A curation, too.
I would like to use this pattern to make placemats. Could you recommend yarn that could be used or is this yarn suitable?
Hi Peg!
Thank you for your question! This yarn and pattern would make lovely placemats! All you’d need to do is omit the I-Cord loop section at the end of this pattern.
If you would like some more inspiration for your placemats, you could also check out our Ready, Set, Placemats! made in Blackbird Linen.
I hope this is helpful!
All the best,
Margaret
Thank you! Also for the other pattern suggestions.
Thank you so much and kind regards.
You are very welcome, Peg!
Happy knitting,
Margaret
Love this towel – and I’m planning on make a long runner using the yarns in this pattern.
Looks lovely – and I love linen stitch. Looking forward to receiving the yarns.
Thanks!
Elaine
Thank you very much, Elaine! We are excited for you to make your own variation on this project, as I think a table runner would be beautiful in this design!
Happy knitting,
Margaret
I’m inspired by your idea for making a table runner from this bundle. ( I did purchase 2 bundles ( enough for the equivalent of 6 dish towels.) Can you tell me more about your table runner? Which pattern of the three did you use? What were the dimensions of your runner? I’m trying to figure out if I should just keep working without binding off – or if I’ll need to join the separate pieces.
Thanks so much,
Michelle
Was wondering if I can use Purl Soho Cotton Pure for the dish towel.
I have quite a bit of it. Thank you.
Hi Barbara!
Thank you for your question! Cotton Pure is a sport weight yarn, so it might be a little too thick to use for these dishtowels, however we have the Colorfield Hand Towels in Cotton Pure that have a similar design and would work with the yarn you have!
I hope this helps, and happy knitting!
All the best,
Margaret
Thank you Margaret. I will check out that pattern.
You are very welcome!
All the best,
Margaret
I ordered the bundle and am looking forward to making these towels. I wonder if the pattern will be included with yhe yarn? I have trouble printing the pattern.
Thank you
Lynne Patera
Hi Lynne,
Thanks for reaching out. While we generally don’t include printed free patterns with an order of yarn, I’ve made a note on your order to include one!
Alternatively, here is a good way to download a printer-friendly version of any of our free patterns: If you’re on your computer, you’ll find a “print” icon in the right column just below the “Save To Favorites” button. If you’re on a mobile version of the site, you will find the “print” icon below the pattern and above the comments.
Click on this button, and a window will pop up where you can delete whichever parts of the pattern you don’t want to print. When you hover over any image or a text block, it will be highlighted in yellow and a “trash” icon will appear. Just click on this icon to delete anything that’s not necessary to the pattern! For example, you may decide to shorten the pattern by omitting certain images or the list of materials. Then, just click on the “Print” button in the upper left-hand corner of the pop-up window!
All the best,
Lili
Call me crazy, but I’m thinking about making this lovely kit into a linen stitch scarf instead of dishcloths. 😅 Any suggestions? Thanks!
Hi Elizabeth,
What a wonderful idea! You may just need to change the number of stitches you cast on at the beginning, to make sure your scarf comes out to your preferred width. To figure out your cast-on number, you will want to first knit a gauge swatch in pattern. Once you make sure your gauge matches the gauge of the pattern, you can multiply the number of stitches per inch (7) by the width that you would like for the scarf and cast on the nearest odd number. Then you can follow the pattern as written, though you may want to distribute the contrast color differently to account for the difference in length!
All the best,
Lili
These are beautiful and I’m really interesting in doing them. However, I think of “dish towels” as being what I use to dry dishes. But I’m not sure how absorbent the Santorini would be given the rayon content. To me, the best dish towels are the ones most absorbent, and also machine washable (I noted the response suggesting using all Santorini for the towels). Can you tell me about this?
Typo: santolina, not santorini
Also, is it possible to buy the kit but substitute a skein of Santolina for the Sweetgrass normally included? (At additional cost?)
Thanks!
Hi Karen,
Thanks for reaching out. Santolina is still very absorbent due to its cotton content! The decision to use Sweetgrass in these towels was a design choice because the colors of that yarn provided higher contrast with the colors of Santolina. But you can absolutely use a third skein of Santolina in place of the Sweetgrass if you prefer to make a machine washable towel! To order that, you can purchase all three skeins of Santolina individually here. I hope this helps!
All the best,
Lili
Hi Karen!
After some investigation, we are happy to report that these dish towels, when knit in Santolina and Sweetgrass, are safe to wash in the machine on a cold, gentle cycle, and tumble dry low! We have added a note to the pattern indicating the recommended care instructions as well, and we appreciate you inquiring about this!
All the best,
Margaret
Was thinking about buying the Sunday Dinner Dishtowels with 3 skeins of Santolina so that the towels are machine washable and dryable. The pattern for the towels suggests size 6 needles while the information given with the Santolina yarn recommends size 2 or 3 needles? Which is correct.
Hi Ann,
Thanks for reaching out. The needles we recommend on the product page for Santolina are just suggestions, since the needle size will depend on the specific pattern as well as each individual knitter’s tension! This pattern calls for size 6 needles because it’s entirely in linen stitch. Linen stitch is an inherently tighter stitch, so patterns will often use larger-than-expected needle sizes so that the fabric isn’t too dense. I hope this helps clarify things!
All the best,
Lili
Hi, my kit is ordered. But also I was wondering how Linen Quill might work for this pattern. I have quite a bit left over from a Nature’s Palette blanket.
Hi Ethel!
Thank you for your question! Linen Quill would be a beautiful choice for these towels, as it has a similar gauge to Santolina and Sweetgrass. However, the fiber content of Linen Quill might not be the most absorbent or practical for a dishtowel in terms of drying hands and dishes, as the wool might felt over time with agitation. A Linen Quill version of this pattern could certainly make for lovely for placemats, pot protectors, or decorative towels though!
I hope this helps!
All the best,
Margaret
I’m knitting a dish towel in Linen Quill on size 6 needles and am wondering whether I am following the directions right. When on the right side I slip purlwise, I find the wrong side row is set up to twist the purl stitch. I can’t tell from the photo whether the pattern intends for alternate rows to have a twisted stitch. I prevent the twisting by, on the right side, slipping the back loop purlwise. Having made a bit of progress, I think the pattern now seems to be more open than pictured. I may be using too large needle for Linen Quill, but am curious whether by eliminating the twisted stitch I’ve changed an integral feature of the pattern.
Hi Susan,
Thanks for reaching out. Are you finding that all of your purl stitches on the wrong side row are twisted? Or just the edge stitches? The edge stitches should be twisted, but there should not be any twisted stitches in the main body of the knit fabric! If you are finding that the interior stitches are also twisted, that could have occurred for a number of reasons: Either you’re actually slipping all the slipped stitches knitwise instead of purlwise, or you’re twisting your purl stitches when you work them on the wrong side (and this carries over to the subsequent wrong side row).
In answer to your other question, the twisted stitches are likely not related to this problem! This sounds like a gauge issue to me, that your gauge is measuring slightly larger than the pattern indicates. I’d recommend swatching with a smaller needle to see if that helps you achieve the correct gauge!
All the best,
Lili
Hi Lili,
Thanks for the feedback. And heck, I’m not twisting my edge stitches. All of my purl stitches would be twisted if I didn’t slip the back loop purlwise on the knitted row. The swatch I made with the twisted purl stitches didn’t have enough give so I experimented to find a work-around. I’m using the larger needles for my first dishtowel to give the linen room to bloom—I’m using Field Linen, not Linen Quill.
Cheers!
Susan
Hi again, Susan,
I’ve just checked in with our design team, and they’ve confirmed that there were actually some errors in the pattern as we had originally published it. All stitches should be slipped purlwise (even the edge stitches), and we’ve now updated the pattern to reflect this!
We’re so sorry for any trouble this has caused, and thank you again for bringing this to our attention.
All the best,
Lili
I am getting ready to start my dish cloths and was looking over the pattern. I see where it says to slip all stitches, purl wise, but in many of the row instructions, it says to slip with yarn in the back. Should that be ignored? Should all stitches be slipped purl wise regardless of what the pattern says?
Hi Karen,
All the stitches in this pattern are slipped purlwise! However, they differ as to whether they’re slipped with yarn in front (wyif) or with yarn in back (wyib). You should slip all your stitches purlwise, and at the same time, follow what the pattern says to determine where to hold your working yarn (either in front or in back)!
All the best,
Lili
I began the pattern today and am having the same twisted stitch problem. If I slip the yarn knit wise on row 1(wrong side) that stitch will be over the needle the wrong way on the front (ie. back to front rather than front to back and unless you knit into the back of the stitch on the front row the stitch will be twisted. I have never seen a linen pattern where the stitches are slipped knitwise. Also does the alternating yarn in front and back slipped stitch on the wrong side form a thicker fabric? Love the yarn. Thank you.
Hi Mary,
Thank you so much for reaching out to us about this. I’ve checked in with our design team, and they’ve confirmed that there were some errors in the pattern as we had originally published it. All stitches should be slipped purlwise (even the edge stitches), and we’ve now updated the pattern to reflect this!
We’re so sorry for any trouble this has caused, and thank you again for bringing this to our attention.
All the best,
Lili
hello! would love to make a dishcloth from this pattern. i have already purchased and received the yarn. any suggestions as to how to modify the pattern? thank you!!
peace,
tami
Hi Tami,
Thanks for reaching out! I’d be happy to help you customize the size of your dishtowels.
This stitch pattern is worked over an odd number of stitches, so as long as your gauge is the recommended 28 stitches and 52 rows = 4″ in linen stitch, you can multiply your desired width in inches by 7 stitches per inch, then round to the nearest odd number to get your cast on number. For example, if I want a dishcloth that is 10″ wide, I would multiply that by 7 and get 17 stitches for my cast on.
I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions.
All the best,
Carly
I am working Layout 1 and about the add in color B. Do I tie it in or just leave a tail that gets cut later. This may seem silly but I’m having a hard time doing this part. I’m usually braver, but I don’t want to get 2 rows in and have to back out of this part of the pattern.
Hi Lin,
Thanks for reaching out. When you join in a new color, you can leave the tails hanging loose for the time being! When you finish your project, you will need to weave them in (so that they don’t unravel), and then you can trim them shorter after they are woven in. I hope this helps!
All the best,
Lili
Help!I cannot figure out how to TWO-COLOR SPACED-OUT LINEN STITCH. Is there a video anywhere or can you send me more detailed instructions? Making all 3 for presents and am stuck, thanks!
Hi Kim,
Thanks for reaching out. I’m sorry to hear that this stitch pattern is giving you trouble though! I’m afraid that we do not have a video, but I’m happy to help troubleshoot what could be going wrong. Can you let me know in more detail, what’s confusing about this stitch?
I’ll keep an eye out for your reply, and then I can help out more from there!
All the best,
Lili
Hello! I’m doing the Layout 1 & I am also confused as to how to handle the Two-Color Linen stitch. If If I join the new color on the wrong side, as directed & knit across the 1st row of pattern with yarn A, the original color, what do I do with yarn B? Do I bring it across with me, weaving it in so I can use it in the second row of the pattern? I must be missing something or I haven’t done this type of weave before. Can you help??
Hi Peggy!
Thank you for writing in. When working Two Color Spaced-Out Linen Stitch, you will be using your main color (Color A) for the first row, and then joining and using Color B for Row 2, leaving Color A hanging off the right-hand side of your work. At the end of Row 2 after working with Color B only, you will have your Color B working yarn attached to the left-hand side of your work, and Color A still attached to the right-hand side of your work. Looking ahead for Row 3, you will slide your stitches back down your needle and use Color A for Row 3!
I hope this helps clarify things!
All the best,
Margaret
I was also having the same question about changing color yarns and how to work with both, I wasn’t sure how to join the Yarn A and Yarn B. I am glad I came in the comments to find the answers! Thank you purl soho
I had the very same issue! So glad someone asked and this was clarified! Thanks!
Yes, it seems to me that you don’t actually join B until you are working the right side?
I was wondering the same thing! I didn’t join on row 1, because it didn’t make sense. I got caught up on “cross ins Yarn B under Yarn A. No idea what that means. Is that only to anchor it somewhat?
Hi Mary,
Yes, you will begin working with Color B on Row 2 of the TWO-COLOR SPACED-OUT LINEN STITCH pattern! And you’re also correct that crossing the yarns at the edges serves the purpose of anchoring both colors.
All the best,
Lili
Thanks, Margaret – That makes sense now & clarifies the instructions. I appreciate your quick response!
Peggy
You are very welcome, Peggy!
All the best,
Margaret
Hi Margaret,
I have another question re the pattern. I’ve had to undo some of the knitting with my mistake on the two-color pattern. I am back to the beginning of it- 3 inches in on the 1st plan- and I have even number of stitches – one short at 122. I can’t figure out how to add on without disturbing the overall pattern which I think I have already done with my undoing of my two-color attempt. (the resulting knitting is still lovely, so perhaps I shouldn’t strive for perfection?) Have you ever seen this problem? I’m not sure how best to proceed. Thanks for any advice!
Hi Peggy,
Oh no, I’m sorry to hear that you’re down a stitch! I’d recommend subtly working an increase stitch to get back to 123. You can work an increase of your preferred type (I like make-one increases, personally!) right after the first stitch on any row. Then, just continue in the linen stitch pattern, making sure that your slipped stitches occur in the correct locations, relative to your previous row (i.e. not directly on top of the previous row’s slipped stitches, but rather, one stitch over).
All the best,
Lili
Yes, it seems to me that you don’t actually join B until you are working the right side?
Hi Stephanie,
Yes, you’re correct! You will start using Yarn B on Row 2 (right side) of the TWO-COLOR SPACED-OUT LINEN STITCH pattern.
All the best,
Lili
I have a question. When transitioning from the main fabric, after 3 inches, the instructions say to “Join Yarn B and work rows 1-8 of two-color spaced out stitch, but you really don’t need to join Yarn B until you get to Row 2 of the two-color spaced out stitch, right?
Thank you.
Hi Susan,
Thanks for reaching out. You’re correct–you will not begin working with Yarn B until Row 2 of Two-Color Spaced-Out Linen Stitch! We included that in the instructions though since we don’t write out all the rows of this stitch pattern in the pattern itself, just the Notes section. Hope this helps confirm your thoughts!
All the best,
Lili
Hi!
Having finally mastered the two-color pattern & it’s lovely,
I am having trouble again with the linen stitch, getting bumps where there shouldn’t be any. Frankly, the counting is driving me crazy. Is there any way of correcting the knitting if one gets off? (I’ve ripped out and tried to correct this several times but it keeps happening!) I find it hard to see if I am slipping the right stitch of the row before, ie the knitted stitch. Any advice for this mishap?
Thanks!
Hi Peggy,
We’re so sorry to hear that you’re still running into trouble with this pattern! It’s a bit hard for me to envision what’s going on from your description, so would you be able to send a photo of your work to [email protected]? If we see a photo, it’ll really help us troubleshoot the issue!
All the best,
Lili
That keeps happening me to me too. I’ve ripped it and keeps happening in same place. I get a big, bumpy ridge on the linen side.
So frustrating.
Hi Allise,
I’m so sorry to hear that you’re running into difficulty at the same spot! If you send a photo of your work to [email protected], we’d be happy to take a deeper look into the issue. I can’t quite visualize what you’re describing right now, so having an image to work from would help me give much more specific and useful advice!
All the best,
Lili
Hi! First of all, thank you so much for this fantastic site. I’m enjoying it immensely. Yesterday I started this project as I love the linen stitch and created a beautiful looking few inches. But now I realize that I can’t figure out what “crossing colour b below colour a” means. It’s probably because I’m not well versed in knitting language 🙂 Do I simply start knitting with colour b and leave a tail dangling there? I really want to be able to complete this beautiful project so any help will be hugely appreciated. Thank you!
Hi Aylin,
Thanks for reaching out. I’d be happy to clarify what that means! Basically, crossing the colors over “locks” them in place at the selvedge, creating a neat edge. When you finish each odd-numbered row, you’ll end up with both working yarns on the same side, one attached to the second-to-last stitch (since you slipped the last one) and the other attached to the last stitch. The color you need to begin working with for the next row is the one attached to the last stitch, so you will bring it to the left, underneath the other working yarn (it will help to also move this one further over to the right), and begin knitting with it from there. This will keep the other working yarn securely positioned while it’s not in use!
I hope this helps, and please let me know if you have any other questions!
All the best,
Lili
Thank you so much for such a detailed response. I really appreciate the time and effort you put into answering everyone’s questions 🙏 …and, of course, I’m loving your patterns!
Purl Soho: I was reading the pattern, and unfortunately, found the following errors:
slip 1 wyib s/b slip 1 wyif
in Two Colors Spaced Out Linen Stitch Rows 1, 4, 6, 7
and One Color Linen Stitch Row 1 has two instances of slip 1 wyib in the row.
Then, all Slip Stitches will be fine. 🙂
Love your patterns!
Hi Jean,
Thanks for reaching out. I took a look over this pattern and can confirm that it’s correct as written! The selvedge treatment was designed with slipped stitches that have the yarn on the opposite side you might expect it to be in linen stitch, but all the slipped stitches within the main fabric are correct. Hope this helps clarify things!
All the best,
Lili
While working layout 2, my question is after completing the pattern rows 3 times, the instructions say to work rows 1 & 2 of one color linen stitch once. But will the towel be symmetrical as you start with 12 rows of the one color linen stitch?
Hi Heidi,
Thanks for reaching out. That final repeat of Rows 1 and 2 of One-Color Linen Stitch is what makes the dishtowel symmetrical! At this point, right after you’ve finished the last repeat from **, you will have just finished working 11 repeats of Rows 1 and 2. Therefore, you need to repeat them once more to reach 12 in total!
All the best,
Lili
Hi again. I sent a question yesterday about the pattern for layout 2. I am embarrassed to say I misread the pattern!!! I love these towels and am making a couple sets for gifts. Thank you for your wonderful patterns and beautiful yarns. So glad I found you!!!!😊
Hi, can you recommend a good method for weaving in the ends with this pattern? I’m particularly wondering how to weave in the color B ends cleanly so that they’re not visible on the front. Thanks!
Hi Rachel,
That’s a great question! The back of linen stitch kind of looks like seed stitch (with alternating purl bumps). On patterns like this, we recommend weaving in your ends on the diagonal! We demonstrate this method for garter stitch in our tutorial, but it will be very similar for the wrong side of linen stitch or seed stitch. Hope this helps!
All the best,
Lili
Thanks, will give that a try!
I started these beautiful towels but I have a question – should the Sweetgrass be knit using two strands? It’s pretty using one, but should it be thicker? Thank you!
Hi Diane,
Thanks for your question! The Sweetgrass should just be knit using one strand; this will ensure that the gauge matches up with Santolina (both yarns are fingering weight yarns) and provide an even look to your fabric! When you block your project after it’s finished, the yarns will bloom a bit and that will also help the Sweetgrass contrast color pop as well. I hope this helps!
All the best,
Cat
Please help. I love these dish towels but it’s making me nuts! 123 stitches makes it 20 inches long, not 17.5 on size 4 needles, then I’m having problems with its construction in some rows aren’t flat, they get bumpy so the linen stitch doesn’t look exact anymore. You never know what the stitch is supposed be ….any helpful hints? Vicki
Hi Vicki,
Thanks for reaching out about this! It sounds like your gauge may be a bit large if you’re noticing that the length of yours is about 20 inches long. Based on the gauge of this pattern (28 stitches and 52 rows = 4 inches in linen stitch), 123 stitches would come to exactly 17.57 inches, which we rounded to 17.5 in the pattern. If you do the calculations, that would be 28 stitches / 4 inches = 7 stitches per inch. Then 123 stitches / 7 stitches per inch = 17.57 inches.
If you haven’t already done so, I would recommend knitting a gauge swatch before casting on. You will probably need to size down your needles in order to get the correct gauge! If you would like to learn more about this, we have a handy tutorial called All About Gauge, which you can find right here.
I’m afraid I can’t quite envision what you mean when you say the rows are bumpy though! Would you mind sending a photo of your work to [email protected] so we can take a look? That way, we’ll be able to visualize exactly what’s going on!
All the best,
Lili
Hi,
I’m making the Sunday Dinner Dishtowels and am trying to figure out the 2 color spaced-out linen stitch. The pattern says to cross color B behind color A. Is this just to begin the row? Because if I bring color B to the front…A will be behind B on the slipped stitch.
A video would be helpful.
Thanks for any advice/clarification you can give me.
Hi Mary Ann,
Thanks for reaching out! Yes, the instruction to cross the two yarns around each other is just at the beginning of the row. This helps lock the inactive yarn at the selvedge so the edges are neater. Hope this helps clarify things!
All the best,
Lili
Hi, I’m about to start this pattern (the yarn arrived today. Yay!) and I’m having trouble bringing it into KnitCompanion, which I use to keep track of my projects. I’ve imported it into my Ravelry library, but it doesn’t show up on KnitCompanion because I haven’t purchased it (which I’d be happy to do, but it’s free). Failing finding the secret to importing a free pattern, is there a way to make the pattern into a PDF? Thank you. (I know it’s not about knitting, exactly, but the info might help some other knitters, too.)
Hi Theresa,
Thanks for reaching out. Here’s how you can download a PDF version of this pattern: If you’re on your computer, you’ll find a “print” icon in the right column just below the “Save To Favorites” button. If you’re on a mobile version of the site, you will find the “print” icon below the pattern and above the comments.
Click on this button, and a window will pop up where you can delete whichever parts of the pattern you don’t want to print. When you hover over any image or a text block, it will be highlighted in yellow and a “trash” icon will appear. Just click on this icon to delete anything that’s not necessary to the pattern! For example, you may decide to shorten the pattern by omitting certain images or the list of materials. Then, click on the “PDF” button in the upper left-hand corner of the pop-up window. Once your PDF has finished downloading, just click the “Download PDF” button, and it will be saved to your computer! (You can also click the “Print” button if you’d like to print the pattern.)
I hope this helps!
All the best,
Lili
Thanks, Lili. On my iPad, when I click print, which icon is on the side of the pattern, the only thing I can do is print as is. No editing, no PDF possibility. And it’s 33 pages! On my laptop, it’s only 17 pages and thankfully omits all the comments. No ability to edit, but I was able to save the document as a PDF and bring it into KnitCompanion, which was my goal. Thanks again.
Huh, that’s so strange that it’s not working for you! I’ve gone ahead and done this process from my end, and I’ve emailed you the shortened PDF.
All the best,
Lili
I purchased the Sunday Dinner Dishtowels Bundle and can’t wait to get started on these. I received the yarn and it feels and looks wonderful but I was wondering if there is some way to get a pdf of the pattern. Thank you!
Hi Karen,
Thanks for reaching out! Here’s how you can download a PDF of this pattern: If you’re on your computer, you’ll find a “print” icon in the right column just below the “Save To Favorites” button. If you’re on a mobile version of the site, you will find the “print” icon below the pattern and above the comments.
Click on this button, and a window will pop up where you can delete whichever parts of the pattern you don’t want to print. When you hover over any image or a text block, it will be highlighted in yellow and a “trash” icon will appear. Just click on this icon to delete anything that’s not necessary to the pattern! For example, you may decide to shorten the pattern by omitting certain images or the list of materials. Then, click on the “PDF” button in the upper left-hand corner of the pop-up window. Once your PDF has finished downloading, just click the “Download PDF” button, and it will be saved to your computer! (You can also click the “Print” button if you’d like to print the pattern.)
Hope this helps!
All the best,
Lili
It worked! Thank you!
Hi, I love these patterns and have finished Layout 1.
Now starting on Layout 2 and am stuck in the 4th paragraph of instructions. It says to work just the 1st 4 rows of the two-color linen stitch. The picture looks like it should be more rows to give the design pictured. Please help!
Hi Mary Ann,
Thanks for writing in! I looked over the pattern, and I can confirm that it’s correct as written. Working through Rows 1 – 8 of Two-Color Spaced-Out Linen Stitch creates 4 of those dashed lines from Yarn B, and then working through just Rows 1 – 4 creates 2 dashed lines of Yarn B. I hope this helps clarify things!
All the best,
Lili
Hello,
I am using the pattern, but having alot of difficulty. I don’t know if it is because I use continental. Usually, my stitches are super tight, but now they are the opposite, and I think that I’m having trouble distinguishing the actual stitches from the slip stitches. Do you have any suggestions – I’m trying to use the pattern for placemats and right now it will not lay “heavy”
Hi Joan,
Thank you for writing in! We would suggest knitting a small swatch to get familiar with the stitches before starting your larger project. This will help you better identify the slip stitches as you are working on a smaller piece in shorter rows. Slip stitches tend to make your work a little less dense as you are only working stitches every other row rather than on each row so you might find you like the fabric better on smaller needles. I hope this helps but please let us know if you have any other questions!
All the best,
Gavriella
Thank you. I will give that a try. I also have another question. You mentioned that the slip stitches are every other row. The pattern indicates every row. Ah – is that because the piece is worked lengthwise?
Thanks
Hi, I am so sorry I was not clear! What I meant to say is that since not every single stitch is worked one after another, this can cause the fabric to feel slightly less rather than if you were knitting each individual stitch.
Doing layout 1. Did 3 inches of OCLS in color A. Directions then say to join color B Then work rows 1-8 rows of TCSOLS, row 1 which is in color A. That makes no sense to me. Wouldn’t I start color A on row 2 where it calls for it? Am I missing something here? Thank you for your help.
Hi Mommo,
That’s a great question. The instruction is letting you know to join color B into this section as you work rows 1-8 of the two color linen stitch. You will still want to to follow the color instructions as written but the pattern is just indicating that this is where color B comes into the pattern. I hope this helps but please let me know if you have any other questions!
All the best,
Gavriella
Thank you. You clarified the instructions for me. But I have another question. I am beginning row 4 of the TCDOLS. My working yarn, color A is one stitch in from the edge, edge stitch being a slipped stitch from the row before. To begin row 4 I am supposed to purl 1. How do you do that and keep it looking good when the working yarn isn’t at the edge?
Hi Mommo,
You will use color A to purl the first stitch and work the remaining stitches in the row. This is what helps create the neat edge. I hope this helps!
All the best,
Gavriella
I finished the towel and am very unhappy how the bind off edge looks. I used the old work your stitch then pull the right hand stitch over. Is there a different bind off that would look better? The towel body is fabulous. Love it. Thank you.
Hi Mommo,
Thank you for writing in although we are sorry to hear you are running into issues here. Could you please send a photo of your project to [email protected] so we can have a deeper look? We’ll be able to better visualize what’s going on that way!
All the best,
Gavriella
Sorry, I already sent my finished towel off to someone. I was just hoping you’d have a recommendation for a different bindoff. Thanks for your reply.
We are always happy to help! Happy making!
Hello! Could I make this pattern with Oleander? Would I need different needles? Thanks for your advice 🙂
Hi Amahl,
Thank you for writing in! Oleander would be perfect for this pattern! You can use the same needles as long as you are able to get the same gauge as pattern! I hope this helps!
All the best,
Gavriella
Thank you!
I have had my eye on these dish towels for a while & finally bought a lot of yarn to make them, but was careless in not noticing that they were for a hook. I don’t have a hook to hang them but a bar. They would be too short to fold over. Do you think I could make a buttonhole at the top of the towel & place a button on the i-cord or would the i-cord be too thick for that to work? Any suggestions on what to do? ( Going forward, I can make the towel longer). Thanks for any ideas. Mary
Hi Mary,
I think a button should work fine on these towels! I’d just suggest making a quick gauge swatch to see how you like the new construction and if it works for your idea!
All the best,
Gavriella
Thank you!