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Knit + Purl Washcloth
Go on a cheerful exploration of color with our beginner-friendly Knit + Purl Washcloth pattern… You’ll mix and match 25-gram balls of our winsome Cotton Chirp DK Minis yarn for tons of colorful fun!
Machine wash- and dry-able Cotton Chirp DK yarn is made with exceptionally soft, durable, water-absorbing Peruvian Pima cotton. This round, lustrous yarn knits up quickly and looks amazing in nubbly seed stitch! It comes in 4-color bundles, and we made 4 sets of 4 washcloths, combining 2 bundles to create each set.
From top to bottom above, you can see what happens when you mix the reds of the Wild Poppy bundle with the greens of Inchworm, pink and purple Meadow Phlox with rosy Apple Blossom, fresh Mint Citrus and neutral Weathervane, and the cool blues of Ebb Tide with the deeper blues of Blue Jay.
One bundle of Minis is enough to make four washcloths, using each yarn once as the main color and once as the contrast, or go a little wild like we did by combining bundles!
Everyone will enjoy the feeling of these Cotton Chirp DK Minis and their amazing colors, but beginner knitters may also get a kick out of the fact that alternating 1 knit stitch with 1 purl stitch creates both the ribbed border and the main seed stitch part of the washcloth. What?! Even expert knitters can marvel at that!
A contrast color bind off makes a neat edge, and you’ll finish up with an I-cord loop. We’ll walk you through the I-cord step by step, if you haven’t worked one before!
Whether you’re a beginner looking for a super simple pattern or an experienced knitter looking for something fun to knit and enjoyable to use, the Knit + Purl Washcloths will bring you so much colorful joy!
Yarn lovers, if you adore the yarn used in this project, you’ll love exploring all of our other yarn collections! Discover over 55 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!
UPDATE: KITS NOW AVAILABLE
APRIL 2025
Our Knit + Purl Washcloth Kits include everything you need to knit this easy free pattern, making it a simple way to cast on for a set of washcloths and a perfect gift for knitters in your life, including brand-new beginners! Each kit includes eight 25-gram balls of Cotton Chirp DK Minis in fun, coordinating colors, a circular knitting needle, a tapestry needle, and a printout of this pattern.
Designed by Purl Soho designer, Keith Foster. See even more of Keith’s work on his website!
Story written by Andrea Lotz for Purl Soho.
Want to print this pattern? On desktop, find the “print” icon in the right margin, and on mobile, scroll to the end of the pattern for it. Use the on-screen instructions to remove anything you don’t want to print!
Materials
To make a set of eight Knit + Purl Washcloths…
- 2 of Purl Soho’s Cotton Chirp DK Minis Bundles, 100% Peruvian Pima cotton yarn. Each bundle includes four 58 yard/ 25-gram balls of light worsted/DK-weight yarn; approximately 55 total yards required per washcloth: approximately 40 yards for the Main Color and 15 yards for the Contrast Color.
- US 6 (4mm), straight knitting needles or 16- or 24-inch circular needles
- If using straight needles: Two US 6 double pointed needles for I-cord
NOTE: If you only want to make four washcloths, 1 Cotton Chirp Bundle contains all the yarn you’ll need!
Here are the bundles we used (we used each color once but could have swapped MC and CC to make 4 more washcloths)…
Wild Poppy + Inchworm
- MC: Green Pomelo, CC: Firecracker Red
- MC: Fresh Guava, CC: Dill Pickle
- MC: Campfire Orange, CC: Lawn Green
- MC: Glacial Lake, CC: Warm Maple
Mint Citrus + Weathervane
- MC: Heirloom White, CC: Yellow Parakeet
- MC: Golden Honey, CC: Warm Pewter
- MC: Chartreuse Yellow , CC: Winter Sky
- MC: Pale Celadon, CC: Black Licorice
Meadow Phlox + Apple Blossom
- MC: Wild Boysenberry, CC: Mineral Rose
- MC: Pink Ice, CC: Purple Crocus
- MC: Hibiscus Pink, CC: Prairie Aster
- MC: Pink Lily, CC: Peach Bisque
Ebb Tide + Blue Jay
- MC: Deep Verdigris, CC: Nickle Blue
- MC: Azure Sea, CC: Soft Blue
- MC: Clear Turquoise, CC: Ultramarine Blue
- MC: Seven Seas Blue, CC: Deep Sea Blue
GAUGE
20 stitches and 35 rows = 4 inches in seed stitch
SIZE
Finished Dimensions: Approximately 6½ x 6½ inches
PATTERN
RIBBING
With Contrast Color (CC), cast on 33 stitches. We used a basic Long Tail Cast On.
Set-Up Row (wrong side): *P1, k1, repeat from * to last stitch, p1.
Row 1 (right side): *K1, p1, repeat from * to last stitch, k1.
Row 2 (wrong side): *P1, k1, repeat from * to last stitch, p1.
Continue in 1×1 rib, repeating Rows 1 and 2, until piece measures 1 inch from cast-on edge, ending with Row 2.
Cut CC.
BODY
Join Main Color (MC), ready to work a right-side row.
Row 1 (right side): *K1, p1, repeat from * to last stitch, k1.
Continue in seed stitch, repeating Row 1 for every row, until piece measures approximately 6½ inches from cast-on edge, ending with a wrong-side row.
Cut MC.
Bind-Off Row (right side): Rejoining CC, bind off knitwise to last stitch, k1, leaving 2 stitches on right needle.
MAKE I-CORD
With remaining 2 stitches and still using CC, work an I-cord for 2 inches, working last row as follows…
Bind-Off Row: K2, pass first stitch over second stitch and off right needle.
Cut yarn, leaving an 8-inch tail, and 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 the looped I-cord, and back into fabric.
Weave in remaining ends and block as desired.
Share your progress and connect with the community by tagging your pics with #PurlSoho. We can’t wait to see what you make!
Learn About Cotton Chirp DK Minis + All Our Beautiful Yarns
Our 25-gram Cotton Chirp DK Minis are the perfect cotton yarn for your most cheerful knitting! Think playful colorwork, like stripes or log cabin projects, and also piles of small knits, like baby booties and washcloths. In bundles of 4 coordinating colors, this light worsted/DK-weight yarn is made from 100% Peruvian Pima cotton, which has a lustrous finish and an incredibly soft and supple hand. And for larger amounts of the same yarn in the same colors, be sure to pick up our 100-gram balls of Cotton Chirp DK!
More Free Knitting Patterns
- Explore our growing collection of free Cotton Chirp DK knitting patterns and cast on!
More Light Worsted/DK-Weight Yarns
- Shop our entire collection of light worsted/DK-weight yarns (What does DK-weight yarn mean, really? Our guide to DK yarn will answer your questions and demystify.)
- 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, our Yarn Substitution article, and our Complete Guide To Yarn for lots of helpful information.
More Yarns With Similar Fiber
- Shop cotton yarn (What helps cotton keep its cool? Learn all about this soft, natural fiber in our guide to cotton yarn!)
- Shop plant-based yarn
- Shop machine-washable yarn
Looking for more inspiration? Explore all of our knitting patterns (including tons of 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!
The link from Ravelry for this pattern leads to “page not found” error at Purl Soho.
Hi Jan,
I’m sorry the link was giving you trouble! It seems our team has fixed the issue now though so please let us know if you have any questions!
All the best,
Gavriella
tried to print pattern but purl sho inf printed over top aftercason instructions
Hi Eileen,
If you’re on a desktop version of the site, you will 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 a “print” icon below the pattern and above the comments.
You can follow the easy on-screen instructions to delete whichever parts of the pattern you don’t want to print or save. For example, you may decide to shorten the pattern by omitting certain images or the list of materials. To remove images, click the drop down next to the image icon and change from 100% to 0%. You can also hover your mouse over any portions of the pattern you wish to delete, and click the trash can icon that appears. Then, you can click “Print” or “PDF” along the top left of the pattern preview box to print or save the pattern!
I hope this helps but please let us know if you have any other questions!
Happy knitting,
Gavriella
Thank you. Love the bright colors!
I just received my order of Cotton Chirp yesterday-Yippee!
I will be making the knit + purl washcloths. The skiens are center pull. Should I use them as is or wind into cakes? Just wondering. Love the yarn and bright colors.
Hi Sara,
Thanks for writing in! You can knit with Cotton Chirp directly from the ball–no need for winding!
All the best,
Lili
Can I purchase Cotton Chirp 100g colors? I would like to knit the towels with only 2 colors (instead of 4 (5) with the bundle offer)? Thanks, Esther
Hi Esther,
I’m afraid we don’t currently offer Cotton Chirp in 100g skeins outside of the Heirloom White at this time. You can definitely make 2 towels out of a single bundle though!
All the best,
Gavriella
Any tips on weaving in ends for the cotton chirp? I’m loving my washcloths but the little ends keep escaping. Thanks!
Hi Johanna,
With slippery yarns we tend to leave about an inch of a yarn tail on the wrong side after weaving in the end. The ends will be totally secure since they’re woven in already, but leaving the extra length on the wrong side ensures that the ends won’t pop out onto the right side! You could also weave the last bits of the end in between your threads on the wrong side for added security. I hope this helps!
Happy making,
Gavriella
Do you have stocklists of your lovely yarns here in Australia?
Hi Ana,
Thanks for reaching out! We don’t have any stockists overseas, but we do ship internationally. We ship to Australia fairly often, in case you were curious about that too. I recommend going through our shipping page for more details on pricing and average delivery times.
Please do not hesitate to let us know if you have any other questions or concerns, as we are always happy to help our global community of makers!
All the best,
Lili
I love your patterns! I have a quick question about the I cord. In the last section of the pattern it says to work the I-cord with the last 2 stitches but when I follow your instructions for making the I-cord it says to use 3. How should I do it?
Hi Marie,
Thanks for writing in! You can make an i-cord with any small number of stitches. You can still follow the tutorial, but just use 2 stitches instead of 3!
All the best,
Lili
I would like to make the washcloth squares into a patchwork blanket. Would that work? How would you join them? Or, can you recommend a pattern whereby squares can be knit continuously (for example using that intarsia joining method of color switching you show in a video with pink/white yarn)?
Thanks!
Isabel
Hi Isabel,
That’s such a fun idea, and you could definitely do that! I would recommend joining the washcloths using mattress stitch and/or whipstitch. We also have a number of patterns that feature join-as-you-go motifs! Here are links to a few of them I think you might enjoy:
Prism Blanket
Color Brick Road Blanket
Fenestra Blankets
True Stripes Blanket
Alternatively, you could certainly use intarsia to knit many squares of different colors together! We haven’t designed a pattern quite like that yet, but I’m happy to give you guidance along the way if you decide to try it out yourself.
All the best,
Lili
I’m wondering if there is a misprint in the printed instructions that come with the kit. When making the I cord it says to cast off leaving two stitches on the right needle then it says to move the stitches to the right side of the needle. This doesn’t make any sense with a circular needle that came with the kit. I was able to figure it out with your tutorial, but I thought you’d want to know and take a look at the printed instructions. Thanks
Hi Elizabeth,
Thanks for writing in, and I’m happy to help out! Are you referring to the instruction that says “Row 1 (right side): Slide stitches to right end of needles, bring yarn behind work and k2”? If so, then I can confirm that this is correct as written! Since circular needles have two pointy ends (just like DPNs), you can slide the stitches along the cord from one needle tip to the other. We demonstrate that technique over a larger number of stitches in our Turn + Slide tutorial, but it works for just a few stitches as well!
I hope this helps clarify things, but please let me know if you have any other questions!
All the best,
Lili
Hi, Yes this helps — The instructions do not say to switch to double pointed needles — which is the issue I was having. I need very literal instructions as I’m just an advanced beginner.
Wonderful, I’m glad I could help! You do not need DPNs for this project, just circulars! I’ve fixed the typo in my previous comment, so hopefully that’s clearer now.
All the best,
Lili
If we wanted to make this without making the I-cord, would I just bind it off fully at the end with the CC?
Hi Viviana,
That is exactly right! If you’d like to skip the i-cord loop, you can just continue to bind off the entire row with your contrasting color.
Happy making!
Gavriella
My ribbing is pulled in compared to the body of the cloths. Should I use larger needles next time on the ribbing?
Hi Momo,
You could definitely use larger needles for your ribbing if your stitches don’t seem to even out with blocking. I hope this helps!
Happy knitting!
Gavriella
Hi!
I love this pattern. I am thinking g of using this for a dish towel instead of wash cloth. Do you think that would work? What would you recommend for dimensions? How many cast ons?
Thank you!!
Hi Linda,
Thank you for asking! To modify this pattern you will want to multiply the stitch gauge per inch by your desired width and this will give you your cast on number. For example, to get a washcloth that measures 8 inches, you will multiply 5 (the stitch gauge of this pattern) by 8. This results in 40 stitches but since you will want an odd number of stitches, you can round that up or down to 41 or 39 stitches to cast on. I hope this helps and happy knitting!
Warmly,
Gavriella
Thank you Gavriella.
Any tips for knitting washcloths that are actually square? For some reason mine always end up off.
Hi Jodie,
Thanks for reaching out! The most important thing to consider if aiming for the same dimensions of our listed measurements is your gauge. If you are able to get both the stitch and row gauge, your project will result in the same as the ones you see here. I also wanted to share that if you’d like something that always results in a square, our Corner to Corner wash cloth would be a great option as well.
Happy knitting!
Gavriella
How can I make these if I only bought 1 mini kit?
Hi Julia!
Thank you for your question! One Minis bundle is all you need. It makes four washcloths total, using each color once as the main color and once as the contrast. You’re all set!
Warmly,
Megan
Hi,
I love this project, I’m a beginner. I’m so confused on the contrast bind off, I did cut the MC, added the CC and bound off? My edge doesn’t look anything like the photos.
Also, my ribbing is loose and pulls in, any advice???
Thank you so much, I’m enjoying the process of learning a new skill.
Hi Gale!
Thanks so much for reaching out! I am so glad the Knit + Purl Washcloth caught your eye, and I’m sorry to hear you’re running into trouble.
It can be a little tricky to picture this through words alone, I would suggest sending a photo of your work to [email protected] and we would love to take a look and help you get back on track. We also have 1-on-1 Help sessions where we can walk through it together.
I hope this helps and please don’t hesitate to reach out with any other questions you might have…We’ll keep an eye out for your email!
Happy knitting!
Hills
Thank you for such a fast response. I think I’ll email the photo.
Look forward to finding out where I went wrong!!!
Gale
hey
I got this pattern and kit and started it for body it says row 1 or k 1 p1 and than it says continue in seed stitch repeatind row 1 till it is 6,5 inches. So I am have been doing every row k1 p1 but I thought seed stitch was one row k1 p1 and next row p1 k1
Please explain
Hi Rene!
Thanks so much for reaching out. I’m so glad to see you’re working the Knit + Purl washcloths.
I think I may see where the hiccup is, and I’m happy to help! Your instinct is right… to create the seed stitch pattern you do have to have alternating stitches. Great work! If you were knitting in the round, you would need to follow the directions you posted (alternating the pattern you follow on each round). Since this project is worked flat, following the same stitch pattern on the wrong-side as you did the right-side (with an odd number of stitches cast-on) will create this seed stitch pattern. You, essentially, need to knit your purls and purl your knits on either side for seed stitch.
I hope this helps, and please feel free to reach out with any other questions you might have!
Happy knitting,
Hills
hi
oh I am using circular needles and have done about 3 inches and was thinking it wasn’t right. At this point I can try doing rest in true seed stitch.. Its funny because knit came with circular needles I thought
Hi Rene!
Thanks so much for your reply! I understand completely how this could be tricky… we often knit projects flat on circular needles! There’s more flexibility with long, circular needles for the width… but with straight needles, you usually can only hit around 100-150 stitches before your project is too scrunched to work with. (Even for smaller projects, we usually prefer writing patterns for flat knitting on circular needles).
It sounds like you’re on the right track!
I hope this helps, and happy knitting!
Hills
Can I make a dishcloth by adding 11 rows?
Edit: I meant casting on an additional 10 stitches and adding a few rows.
Hi Karen,
This sounds like such a great idea! I’m happy to help!
You would have a dishcloth about 8.5 inches wide if you cast on an additional 10 stitches. If you were to add about 8 or 9 rows, you would have a dishcloth one inch longer, so your dishcloth would be a little over an inch longer with this modification.
Let’s say you would like to make a dishcloth 16″ wide and 28″ long. We used 55 yards total (40 for MC and 15 for cc) to make a washcloth 6.5″ by 6.5″ (or 42.25 square inches). For this modification, you would need 448 yards…325 yards of MC, and 122 yards of the contrast color for ribbing. If you were interested in working a dishcloth this size, you would need to cast on around 81 stitches.
I hope this helps, but please feel free to reach back out with any other questions!
Happy knitting,
Hills