Catty-Corner Washcloth + Hand Towel

Our Catty-Corner Washcloth + Hand Towel, designed by Alexis Hughes, give a little diagonal twist to color blocking, so fun and fetching we want to knit them left, right, and center!

Alexis knit these retro charmers on the bias, from the bottom corner up to the little I-cord loop. 

Scooching simple increases and decreases to the outer edge, she covers the entire surface of the fabric with a super easy textured stitch… adding a bit of visual depth and making the towel and washcloth more absorbent, as well!

Knit up in lovely Cotton Pure, our 100% organically grown, unmercerized cotton, these cuties are perfectly poised to soak up spills and wipe down everything from countertops to faces.

Cotton Pure’s soft feel and supple hand make the knitting as wonderful as the result… Quite a statement, since Cotton Pure’s smooth, strong strands are also durable enough to knit an heirloom!

Our six Catty-Corner Towel Bundles have all the Cotton Pure you need to knit a full two-towel, two-washcloth set. Try the sweet summer Peach Tree palette above, or the cool and calm Ocean Jetty below, or make a bundle of your own from over two dozen colors of Cotton Pure! 

If you love the yarn used in this project, you’ll love all of our other yarn, too! Explore our 35+ lovingly created yarn collections, in nearly every natural fiber and spectacular color you can imagine… Only available here at Purl Soho’s online yarn shop!

Alexis Hughes is the designer behind the company, cold comfort knits. She is passionate about knitting for mental health and strives to create patterns that are interesting for the hands yet relaxing for the mind, guided by the belief that knitting doesn’t have to be difficult to be beautiful and that moving forward is always possible…even if it’s just one stitch at a time. Alexis also designed the beautiful Bramble Wrap for us!

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

Materials

You will need one Catty-Corner Towel Bundle, which includes (NOTE: The Catty-Corner Towel Bundle is no longer available)…

• 6 skeins of Purl Soho’s Cotton Pure, 100% organically grown cotton yarn. Each skein of this sport weight yarn is approximately 279 yards/ 100 grams.
  • Color A: 2 skeins; approximately 405 total yards required
  • Color B: 1 skein; approximately 255 total yards required
  • Color C: 1 skein; approximately 255 total yards required
  • Color D: 2 skeins; approximately 405 total yards required

You will also need…

• US 3 (3.25 mm), straight or 24-inch circular needles
• If using straight needles: Two US 3 double-pointed needles for I-cord

Choose your favorite palette (We used Peach Tree and Ocean Jetty for our samples)…

(NOTE: Some of these colors are no longer available.)

TOP ROW

• FIESTAWARE: Color A: Crystal Blue, Color B: Tomato Orange, Color C: Lemon Mint, Color D: Jonquil Yellow

• DIANTHUS: Color A: Tomato Orange, Color B: Teacup Pink, Color C: Beach Rose, Color D: Lavender Rose

MIDDLE ROW

• PEACH TREE: Color A: Lemon Mint, Color B: Peach Peony, Color C: Shiso Green, Color D: Heirloom White

• STEPPING STONE: Color A: Silver Quartz, Color B: Alabaster Cream, Color C: Gray Shale, Color D: Gray Birch

BOTTOM ROW

• GULF COAST: Color A: Peacock Teal, Color B: Linden Green, Color C: Hemlock Green, Color D: Gray Birch

• OCEAN JETTY: Color A: Coastal Blue, Color B: Alabaster Cream, Color C: Moonflower Blue, Color D: Heirloom White

GAUGE

22 stitches and 49 rows = 4 inches in stitch pattern

SIZES

Washcloth (Hand Towel)

Finished Dimensions: 7½ inches wide x 7½ inches long (15¾ inches wide x 27½ inches long)

NOTES

BIASING

This stitch pattern has a tendency to bias (or to slant to one side). Not to worry, this is normal and a good wet-block will do the trick!

RIGHT + LEFT EDGE MAKE 1

To maintain sleek and tidy edges, use the following special increases…

REM1 (Right Edge Make 1)

Identify the purl bump just below the first stitch on the left needle (look for the little frown!). Insert the right needle into this stitch from front to back, and slip it to the right needle…

… then insert the left needle into this same stitch from front to back, and slip it to the left needle.

Knit this stitch as usual. [1 stitch increased]

LEM1 (Left Edge Make 1)

Identify the purl bump right beneath the last stitch on right needle. With left needle, pick up this stitch from front to back and knit this stitch. [1 stitch increased] 

KNITTING INTO THE STITCH BELOW

NOTE: For more information about this technique, be sure to visit our Working into the Stitch Below Tutorial!

K1b (Knit One Below)

Insert the tip of the right needle into the stitch below the next stitch from front to back, knit normally (wrapping the yarn around the needle and pulling it back through the stitch below) and let the stitch above fall from the left needle.

SLIP STITCHES

Slip all slip stitches with yarn in back.

PATTERN

NOTE: To make a set, knit one Washcloth and one Hand Towel in each Layout.

LAYOUT 1 FOR WASHCLOTH + HAND TOWEL

With Color A, use a basic Long Tail Cast On to cast on 3 stitches. 

Set-Up Row (wrong side): Knit to end of row. 

INCREASE SECTION

Row 1 (right side): REM1 (see Notes), *k1, k1b (see Notes), repeat from * to last stitch, k1, LEM1 (see Notes). [2 stitches increased]

Row 2 (wrong side): Knit to end of row.

Repeat Rows 1 and 2 until there are 65 (131) stitches, ending with Row 2.

Cut Color A.

WORK-EVEN SECTION

WASHCLOTH ONLY

Continue to Decrease Section.

HAND TOWEL ONLY

Join Color B.

Row 1 (right side): REM1, *k1, k1b, repeat from * to last stitch, slip 1 purlwise (see Notes), pass second-to-last stitch on right needle over last stitch.

Row 2 (wrong side): Knit to end of row.

Repeat Rows 1 and 2 nineteen more times.

Cut Color B.

Join Color C. 

With Color C, repeat Rows 1 and 2 twenty times.

Cut Color C.

Join Color D.

DECREASE SECTION

With Color B (D)…

Row 1 (right side): Slip 1 knitwise, k1b, pass first stitch on right needle over second stitch, *k1, k1b, repeat from * to last stitch, slip 1 purlwise, pass second-to-last stitch on right needle over last stitch. [2 stitches decreased]

Row 2 (wrong side): Knit to end of row.

Repeat Rows 1 and 2 until 3 (5) stitches remain, ending with Row 2. 

With remaining 3 (5) stitches, work an I-cord for 2¾ (3) inches.

Bind-Off Row: K1, [knit 2 together, pass first stitch over second stitch and off needle] 1 (2) time(s).

Go on to Finishing section, below.

LAYOUT 2

WASHCLOTH ONLY

Work as for Layout 1, using Color D for Cast On, Set-Up, and Increase sections, and Color C for Decrease section.

HAND TOWEL ONLY

Work as for Layout 1, but reverse color order: Use Color D for Cast On, Set-Up, and Increase sections; Colors C, then B, for Work-Even Section; and Color A for Decrease section.

FINISHING

Cut yarn, leaving an 8-inch tail. Pull through remaining stitch.

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

Weave in all ends and wet block to finished dimensions.

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!