Kid’s Bathtime Towel

Our Kid’s Bathtime Towel adds super soft, handmade beauty to the splish-splashing fun of a dip in the tub!

This cute-as-can-be towel is so easy a baby could make it (okay, maybe not an actual baby, but a fledgling knitter… Absolutely!). We started at the bottom and knit back and forth to make the body of the towel in simple garter stitch.

Nearing the top of the rectangle, we added increases to create flaps, which, folded over and bound off, become those cutie little hand pockets. Another rectangle at the top gets bound off to make the hood, and done, you have all the essentials for aprés bath!

One hundred percent Pima cotton, our new Serif makes this towel ridiculously soft, and with the fiber’s long staple, wonderfully absorbent, as well! 

Serif’s unique structure, a soft single ply wrapped by a thin thread, enjoys some of the loftiness you’d expect from single ply yarn but with a boost to durability and texture.

Add to that the knobbly fabric that comes from Serif’s wavy strands, and this delightful garter-stitch knit has a cushiony goodness perfect for getting cozy. 

Each of Serif’s sixteen colors has its own glowing beauty, so pick the one with meaning for your little munchkin and soak up some bathtime fun!  

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!

Designed by Purl Soho designer, Keith Foster. Click here to see even more of Keith’s work!

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

Materials

• 10 skeins of Purl Soho’s Serif, 100% Pima cotton. Each skein is 164 yards/ 100g; approximately 1570 yards required. We used the color Heirloom White.
• US 6 (4 mm) 47- and 60-inch circular needles
• Scrap yarn

GAUGE

19 stitches and 38 rows (19 garter ridges) = 4 inches in garter stitch

SIZE

• Finished Width: 50 inches
• Finished Length From Shoulder: 25 inches
• Finished Hood Depth (from neckline to hanging loop): 9½ inches

NOTES

CONSTRUCTION

You will knit this piece from the bottom up, creating Hand Pockets by increasing at the edges. You then fold the triangular increased sections and work a Modified 3-Needle Bind Off to seam. You will then continue knitting in rows for the Hood, and finish by folding the stitches in half and working a Modified 3-Needle Bind Off to join at the top.

SLIPPED STITCHES

Slip all slipped stitches knitwise with yarn in back unless otherwise specified.

PATTERN

Cast 238 stitches onto shorter needles. We used a basic Long Tail Cast On.

BODY

Row 1 (wrong side): Slip 1 (see Notes), knit to end of row.

NOTE: At end of second row, mark that side with a removable stitch marker or piece of scrap yarn to indicate the right side.

Repeat Row 1 until piece measures approximately 16¼ inches from cast-on edge, ending with a wrong-side row.

NOTE: Switch to longer needles when necessary.

Increase Row (right side): Slip 1, k2, knit front and back (kfb), knit to last 5 stitches, kfb, k4. [2 stitches increased]

Next Row (wrong side): Slip 1, knit to end of row.

Repeat last two rows 41 more times, ending with a right-side row. [322 stitches]

BIND OFF FOR HAND POCKETS

Bind-Off Row (wrong side): K42, fold 42 stitches toward you so wrong sides of fabric are together and needles are parallel with tips pointing to the right; using one end of the shorter needles, work a Modified 3-Needle Bind Off to bind off 42 stitches; use a standard bind-off to bind off next 37 stitches, slip last stitch from right needle to left needle; cut yarn and place next 80 stitches onto stitch holders or scrap yarn for Hood; rejoin yarn and bind off next 37 stitches, slip last stitch from right needle to left needle; fold remaining 84 stitches in half so 42 stitches are on each end of needles and wrong sides are facing each other with needle tips pointing to the right, then using one end of the shorter needles, work a Modified 3-Needle Bind Off to bind off 42 stitches to end of row. [80 on-hold Hood stitches remain]

WORK HOOD

Returning to 80 on-hold Hood stitches, slip stitches onto longer needles and join yarn, ready to work a wrong-side row.

Row 1 (wrong side): Slip 1, knit to end of row.

Repeat Row 1 for approximately 9½ inches, ending with a right-side row.

Bind-Off Row (wrong side): Fold fabric in half with wrong sides facing each other and 40 stitches at each end of needles; using one end of shorter needles, work a Modified 3-Needle Bind Off until 3 stitches remain (one stitch on each end of working needles, and one on shorter needles); slip last stitch on front working needle purlwise to shorter needles, turn work and slip remaining stitch on back working needle purlwise to shorter needles. [3 stitches remain on shorter needles]

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

Bind-Off Row: K1, knit 2 together, pass first stitch over second stitch and off 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 hood at the base of the I-cord, then weave it through the looped I-cord, and back into the fabric of the hood.

Weave in the remaining ends on the wrong side and block as desired.

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!