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Hot Springs Towel Set
Whether after a quick morning rinse or a long, steamy soak, these towels wrap you in soft comfort, a moment made all the more special because you knit them yourself. Cast on for our free Hot Springs Towel Set knitting pattern and meet June Worsted, our new cotton and linen yarn that’s absolutely perfect for handknit towels!
Create a springy, waffle-y texture with an easy stitch pattern of knits and purls that feels plush against the skin and absorbs water beautifully. Your Hot Springs Towel will dry you off quickly but will also invite you to linger, like slipping into a hot thermal bath and never wanting to get out.
The pattern includes instructions for a whole set of towels: a little washcloth (complete with an I-cord hanging loop), a medium hand towel, and a big bath towel. Make a whole set or just pick your favorite to knit and enjoy.
Our June Worsted yarn is as good as it gets for knitting towels, with its laid-back feel and hardworking character. Made with 70% organically grown Tanguis cotton (a Peruvian cotton known for its strength and durability) and 30% Belgian linen (amazing for absorbing water), this worsted-weight yarn has a soft, lived-in character that just gets better and better with every trip through the washer and dryer.
Pick from June Worsted’s palette of beautiful sun-warmed colors, inspired by early summer and barefoot afternoons. We made our Hot Springs Towel Sets in Pale Denim and Peach Canyon, serene colors that look like they were drawn straight from a geothermal spring. Choose whatever shade speaks to your own daydreams… You could even mix and match!
Take the plunge and knit a Hot Springs Towel Set… You won’t believe how much you love using towels you made yourself! Whether at home or out on an adventure, these towels turn even a quick dip into a moment of calm, comfort, and beauty.
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!
Pattern designed and written by Purl Soho designer, Gianna Mueller. See even more of Gianna’s work on her Instagram!
Share your progress and connect with the community by tagging your pics with #PurlSoho. We can’t wait to see what you make!
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
- 1 (3, 9) balls of Purl Soho’s June Worsted, 70% organically grown cotton and 30% linen. Each ball of this worsted/aran-weight yarn is 164 yards/ 100 grams; approximately 65 (480, 1395) yards required. We used the colors Pale Denim and Peach Canyon.
- US 7 (4.5 mm), straight or 24-inch circular knitting needles
- If using straight needles, for Washcloth and Hand Towel: Two US 7 double pointed needles for I-cord
GAUGE
21 stitches and 26 rows = 4 inches in stitch pattern
SIZES
Washcloth (Hand Towel, Bath Towel)
Finished Dimensions: 6¾ inches wide x 9 inches long (17¼ inches wide x 30 inches long, 29½ inches wide x 50 inches long)
NOTES
STITCH MULTIPLE
This pattern works over a multiple of 3 stitches.
PATTERN
Cast on 36 (90, 156) stitches. We used a basic Long Tail Cast On.
Row 1 (right side): K2, *p2, k1, repeat from * to last stitch, k1.
Row 2 (wrong side): K1, *p1, k2, repeat from * to last 2 stitches, p1, k1.
Row 3: Knit to end of row.
Row 4: K1, purl to last stitch, k1.
Repeat Rows 1–4 until piece measures 9 (30, 50) inches from cast-on edge, ending with Row 2.
FOR WASHCLOTH + HAND TOWEL ONLY
With right side facing you, bind off knitwise to last 2 stitches, k2, leaving 3 stitches on right needle.
MAKE I-CORD
NOTE: If using straight needles, switch to double pointed needles.
With remaining 3 stitches, work an I-cord for 3 inches.
Bind-Off Row (right side): K1, knit 2 together, pass first stitch over second stitch and off right needle.
Cut yarn, leaving an 8-inch tail. Pull it 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.
FOR BATH TOWEL ONLY
With right side facing you, bind off all stitches knitwise.
FINISHING
Weave in ends and block as desired.
Learn About June Worsted + All Our Beautiful Yarns
This project is the perfect mix of cool, cozy, and soft, thanks to our June Worsted yarn! Made with a mix of organically-grown cotton and Belgian linen, this worsted-weight yarn has the wonderfully soft and knit-able feeling of an animal-fiber yarn, but rest assured, it also has the cooling, vegan, and anti-allergen properties of a plant-based yarn. It’s also super beautiful, incredibly endearing, and machine washable, too… You will love it for everything from towels to garments to blankets!
More Knitting Patterns
- Be sure to explore our collection of (mostly free!) June Worsted knitting patterns and cast on!
More Worsted/Aran-Weight Yarns
- Shop our entire collection of worsted/aran-weight yarn (What does worsted-weight yarn mean, really? Our guide to worsted-weight yarn will answer your questions and more!)
- 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 linen 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 55 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!
Hi: Could you tell me what each option (washcloth/hand towel/bath towel) requires in yarn amounts? Lovely gift for friends who don’t use washcloths, but need bath towels, etc.
Thanks!
Duitch Sloane
Hi Duitch,
Thank you so much for reaching out! The washcloth requires 65 yards of June Worsted, the hand towel requires 480 yards, and the bath towel requires 1395 yards. If you’d like to make just the bath towel, you’ll need 9 balls of June Worsted! If you’d like to make one hand towel, you’ll need 3 balls of June Worsted, and for one washcloth, you’ll just need 1 ball. Since each ball of June Worsted has 164 yards, you could make two washcloths with 1 ball of this yarn!
I hope this helps, and please let us know if you have any other questions at all!
All the best,
Cat
I love, love, love Purl Soho!
Hi MJ,
Thank you so much for your super kind comment! We truly appreciate it and hope you are having a wonderful day!
All the best,
Cat
How many skeins for the towel only?
Hi Regina,
Thank you for asking! You’ll need 9 balls of June Worsted to make the bath towel. To make the hand towel, you will need 3 balls. I hope this helps, and please let us know if we can be of any further assistance!
All the best,
Cat
Question please. I confess I am the worst regarding weaving in ends. Will spare the ugly details. Which weaving in ends technique would you recommend for this waffle pattern? Thank you!
Hi Judy,
I’m sure many knitters can relate! I would recommend weaving in your ends on the diagonal for this stitch pattern. That tends to be a very secure method and can also be adapted for many stitch pattern variations. We show it for stockinette and garter in our Weaving In Your Ends tutorial, but it’ll work the same way for any stitch pattern that has garter bumps on the back!
All the best,
Lili
Yippee! Just received notification my package has been delivered. Running to the mailbox now! Fast and timely delivery, thank you PURL SOHO!
Do you recommend June worsted for a baby blanket?
I’m looking for a Tulip cotton substitute (such a perfect yarn!) which I used to make an Aran pattern baby blanket that is truly special. Alas, Tulip cotton is discontinued.
Thoughts?
Hi Cynthia,
Thank you for writing in! You can definitely use June Worsted in place of Tulip Cotton. I’m also happy to share that we will debut a very similar yarn next year so please be sure to keep an eye out for that! In the meantime, please let us know if you have any other questions!
All the best,
Gavriella
Could you do this project in a 100% linen yarn?
Hi A!
You could definitely knit this pattern in a linen fiber if you prefer. We think that sounds like a lovely idea!
Happy knitting,
Gavriella
Would the bath towel size make a good baby blanket or summer throw?
Hi Peg,
Thanks so much for reaching out. What a creative idea! I think the bath towel size would work up to be a lovely stroller sized blanket or lap blanket for the summer. We’d love to see the final result!
Happy knitting!
Hills
Does this yarn make an absorbent towel? I love the idea, but want to make something that will truly be nice for the recipient. 🙂
Hi Yvonne,
Thanks so much for reaching out! I am so glad to see you’re considering the Hot Springs Towel Set as your next project. This sounds like a truly lovely gift.
This towel should be nice and absorbent! It’s made with 70% organically grown Tanguis cotton (a Peruvian cotton known for its strength and durability) and 30% Belgian linen (amazing for absorbing water!). The waffle stitch pattern also enhances the fabric’s ability to absorb (a little bit of clever engineering with knits and purls!).
I so hope this helps, and happy knitting!
Hills
I am looking for patter for kitchen towels. Towels to dry the dishes. Do you have such a pattern? or Can I use this patter – what size and yarn do you suggest?
Hi Gabriela,
Thanks so much for reaching out! I am so glad to see the Hot Springs Towel Set caught your eye!
The hand towel size should be nice and absorbent and a good size for a kitchen towel. The yarn is made with 70% organically grown Tanguis cotton (a Peruvian cotton known for its strength and durability) and 30% Belgian linen (amazing for absorbing water!). The waffle stitch pattern also maximizes the fabric’s ability to absorb through its beautiful texture.
I so hope this helps, and happy knitting!
Hills
I so love this pattern and idea, but just did the math and it would cost $175 for a set. Hmmm. I’ll have to ponder this idea a bit more. Thank you for all of your lovely patterns and yarns.
Hi Elizabeth,
I’m so sorry to read that you’re feeling held back on the Hot Springs Towel Set!
There’s no denying that the featured yarns for our patterns are often a bit pricey, and not everyone can afford every project we post. We understand how frustrating that feels, though, and pay a great deal of consideration to our many readers and customers who can’t afford bundles of yarn that are well over a hundred dollars. To address these financial concerns, we offer the vast majority of our patterns (and all of our tutorials) for free. Additionally, many of our Purl Soho brand yarns are priced under $25 a skein, with many projects using less than four skeins.
We work to offer everything, including our yarns, in as wide a range of prices as possible, without sacrificing quality. Sometimes, we do introduce some luxury items into our collection, but we always try to balance them out with equally beautiful, but more affordable, alternatives. With that in mind, we hope you continue to visit our site and encourage you to reach out with probing questions like these should they ever come up again. Your feedback really helps us think about where we may be falling short, so thank you very much for offering it!
Please know that we are always very happy to suggest less expensive options for any of our projects, so we hope you don’t hesitate to let us know if you’d like any internal ideas or suggestions. We would love to brainstorm with you… Please feel free to reach out to us at [email protected] to explore more options!
Thank you for being here with us, and we hope to find the perfect project and yarn for your next knitting adventure!
Kindly,
Hills
Hi,
I would like to make this bath towel in a baby blanket size. I would like to make the width a bit larger so it wouldn’t look like a narrow bath towel size. I am not sure how to figure this out. I see it is a multiple of three stitches, could I add multiple stitches in 3 increments?
Thank you.
Hi Pam,
This pattern would make a lovely baby blanket… what a great idea!
The “Bath Towel” size is actually already pretty close to a typical crib-sized blanket dimension of 30in x 40in (though perhaps a bit longer). If you would like to widen it slightly to meet those dimensions, you’re absolutely right that you will increase the stitch count in multiples of 3! I recommend casting on 165 stitches to widen it another inch and then working until your desired length.
I hope this helps, but please reach back out if you have any other questions!
Kindly,
Sam
Hi Sam,
That sounds perfect, thank you so much for your help especially the cast on amount that’s most appreciated . I can’t wait to get started, thanks again.
You’re very welcome, Pam! I hope you enjoy your project, and happy knitting.
All the best,
Sam