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Handmade Hand Towels
Knitters know that the things we make with our hands are no less special because they get used every day… Take, for example, our Handmade Hand Towels pattern, exploring rich color fields and graphic stripes through the medium of our stunning new Field Notes yarn—half French hemp, half Sicilian cotton, and all elegant, earthy beauty.
Field Notes has a hearty character and rustic texture tempered by touchable softness. And both plant-based fibers are naturally absorbent, making these towels as practical as they are lovely.
Clockwise from top left: Layout 4, Layout 2, Layout 3, Layout 1
You work the Handmade Hand Towels lengthwise in rhythmic, easy-knitting seed stitch, plush and satisfying to the touch every time you dry your hands. You have four layouts to choose from, each creating delicate stripes across the length of the fabric in different arrangements. Finish with a handy I-cord loop to hang and display your handcrafted work.
We absolutely recommend machine-washing and drying your towels to discover how Field Notes plumps up and softens to create the perfect balance of density and drape… And the fabric will just get more beautiful with every wash!
Pick from a palette inspired by the earth’s natural pigments, like Fresco Red, Brown Ochre, and Orange Oxide. You need four balls of your main color to make one towel, plus a bit of a contrast color… Have a wonderful time mixing and matching to create your uniquely made-by-you set of Handmade Hand Towels!
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!
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 one Hand Towel you will need…
- Purl Soho’s Field Notes, 50% Sicilian cotton and 50% hemp. Each ball of this light worsted/DK-weight yarn is 104 yards/ 50 grams; approximately 410 total yards required.
- Main Color (MC): 4 balls; approximately 380 (400, 390, 345) yards required for Layout 1 (2, 3, 4)
- Contrast Color (CC): 1 ball; approximately 30 (10, 20, 65) yards required for Layout 1 (2, 3, 4)
- US 3 (3.25 mm), straight or 24-inch circular knitting needles
- If using straight needles: two US 3 double pointed needles for I-cord
NOTE: 2 balls of CC, plus 4 balls of MC for each towel (16 total MC balls), is enough to make all 4 layouts.
We used the following colors for our towels (see Pattern, below, for images of each layout)…
- Layout 1: MC Brown Ochre + CC Cocoa Bean
- Layout 2: MC Orange Oxide + CC Night Storm
- Layout 3: MC Red Bean + CC Ocean Teal
- Layout 4: MC Fresco Red + CC Rain Cloud
GAUGE
20 stitches and 38 rows = 4 inches in seed stitch
NOTE: When you run Field Notes through the gentle cycle of a washing machine and dryer, it gets softer and even more amazing!
SIZE
Finished Dimensions: 17¼ inches wide x 24½ inches long
NOTES
CONSTRUCTION
You will knit these hand towels lengthwise, casting on for the long edge.
STITCH MULTIPLE
This pattern works over an odd number of stitches.
CARRYING YARN UP
When instructed, carry non-working yarn up the selvage by holding it in front of the working yarn as you knit the first stitch of the row.
PATTERN
With Main Color (MC), cast on 123 stitches. We used a basic Long Tail Cast On.
Row 1: *K1, p1, repeat from * to last stitch, k1.
Place a removable stitch marker or scrap yarn on previous row to indicate wrong side.
Now choose your Layout and follow its instructions.
LAYOUT 1
Beginning MC Stripe
Continue in seed stitch with MC, repeating Row 1 for every row, until piece measures 2 inches from cast-on edge, ending with a wrong-side row.
CC Stripe
Join Contrast Color (CC), but do not cut MC.
With CC and carrying up MC (see Notes), work 6 rows in seed stitch, ending with a wrong-side row.
Cut CC.
MC Stripe
With MC, work in seed stitch for 5½ inches, ending with a wrong-side row.
Continue
Work a CC Stripe.
Work an MC Stripe.
Work a CC Stripe.
Ending MC Stripe
With MC, work in seed stitch for 2 inches, ending with a right-side row.
Continue to Finishing section, below.
LAYOUT 2
Beginning MC Stripe
Continue in seed stitch with MC, repeating Row 1 for every row, until piece measures 1½ inches from cast-on edge, ending with a wrong-side row.
CC Stripe
Join Contrast Color (CC), but do not cut MC.
With CC and carrying up MC (see Notes), work 2 rows in seed stitch, ending with a wrong-side row.
Cut CC.
Continue
With MC, work in seed stitch until piece measures 15½ inches from cast-on edge, ending with a wrong-side row.
Work a CC Stripe.
Ending MC Stripe
With MC, work in seed stitch for 1½ inches, ending with a right-side row.
Continue to Finishing section, below.
LAYOUT 3
Beginning MC Stripe
Continue in seed stitch with MC, repeating Row 1 for every row, until piece measures 1¼ inches from cast-on edge, ending with a wrong-side row.
CC Stripe
Join Contrast Color (CC), but do not cut MC.
With CC and carrying up MC (see Notes), work 2 rows in seed stitch, ending with a wrong-side row.
Cut CC.
MC Stripe
With MC, work in seed stitch for 1¼ inches, ending with a wrong-side row.
Continue
Work a CC Stripe.
With MC, work in seed stitch for 11¼ inches, ending with a wrong-side row.
Work a CC Stripe.
Work an MC Stripe.
Work a CC Stripe.
Ending MC Stripe
With MC, work in seed stitch for 1¼ inches, ending with a right-side row.
Continue to Finishing section, below.
LAYOUT 4
Beginning MC Stripe
Continue in seed stitch with MC, repeating Row 1 for every row, until piece measures 1¼ inches from cast-on edge, ending with a wrong-side row.
CC Stripe
Join Contrast Color (CC), but do not cut MC.
With CC and carrying up MC (see Notes), work 2 rows in seed stitch as established, ending with a wrong-side row.
Cut CC.
MC Stripe
With MC, work in seed stitch for 6 inches, ending with a wrong-side row.
Cut MC.
Continue
Join CC.
With CC, work in seed stitch for 2¼ inches, ending with a wrong-side row.
Cut CC and join MC.
Work an MC Stripe.
Work a CC Stripe.
Ending MC Stripe
With MC, work in seed stitch for 1¼ inches, ending with a right-side row.
Continue to Finishing section, below.
FINISHING
MAKE I-CORD LOOP
With wrong side facing you, bind off in stitch pattern (knitting the knit stitches and purling the purl stitches) to last 2 stitches, k2. [3 stitches remain]
With remaining 3 stitches, work an I-cord for 3 inches.
Bind-Off Row: 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.
WEAVE + BLOCK
Weave in ends and gently machine wash and dry.
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 Field Notes + All Our Beautiful Yarns
Wild and earthy, artistic and elegant, Field Notes brings an adventurous summertime spirit to this project. A DK-weight yarn made in Italy with a 50/50 mix of French hemp and rare Sicilian cotton, Field Notes has a handsome hempen texture and surprising softness, with an appealing matte finish to every rich, beautiful color. This plant-based yarn is conveniently machine-washable, too… Amazing for so many things you’ll want to knit!
More Free Knitting Patterns
- Be sure to explore our collection of Field Notes 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 Fibers
- Shop cotton yarn (What helps cotton keep its cool? Learn all about this soft, natural fiber in our guide to cotton yarn!)
- Shop hemp yarn
- Shop machine-washable yarn
- Shop plant-based 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!
I’m not able to see any washing instructions for the field note yarn. Can the hand towels be washed? If so by hand or machine, is there a heat restriction. Like many I machine wash my hand towels in hot water because of bacteria concerns. Are these hand towels functional or are they for more decorative purposes?
Hello Holly!
Thank you so much for reaching out with this fantastic question! I totally understand your hesitation here, and I’m happy to assuage your fears.
Field Notes lists its care instructions as “Gently machine wash and dry.” I can confirm we have tested our swatches on a warm wash cycle and drying on regular heat with no issues.
Functional and beautiful! We hope you enjoy this project as much as we have!
Happy knitting,
Hills
I would like to knit your dish and hand towels . Very nice they are
Hi Anna,
Thank you so much for reaching out! Thank you for your kind words… I’m really glad to see you’re looking into the Handmade Hand Towels as your next project!
Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions as you work.
Happy knitting,
Hills
Hello, Is the Field Notes yarn easy on the hands when knit or crocheted? I have arthritis in hands/wrists and have difficulty making items with the kitchen cotton found at local big box stores. I love the earthy colors of this yarn and would like to make a table runner. Thanks! 😊
Hi Christina,
I totally hear your need for comfortable yarn, and I’m happy to consult on this with you.
We recently swatched with Field Notes, and a couple of folks on our team also have some hand arthritis or hand pain. With their feedback in mind, I’d suggest working at a loose tension to increase comfort and taking lots of breaks (either full rest or working on switching back and forth with a project that is easier on your hands). I’d also recommend using a pillow to prop up your project, especially as it grows.
I’d suggest reaching out to us at customerservice@purlsoho. We would love to assist further with this concern and have a few options to consider!
Kindly,
Hills