I love giving wash cloths as gifts. They are quick, and add a little touch of heartfelt luxury to the morning ritual. This one was for a friend’s birthday, and doubles as wrapping for a piece of handmade soap. I can’t really say that I wrote the pattern; I’m more like a scientist, splicing the genes of two compatible knits: the Chinese Waves Dishcloth, and the classic Grandmother’s Favorite. I love the Chinese Waves stitch pattern, but knitting it in a plain old rectangle never seemed to have that well-finished look that the diagonal knit Grandmother’s Favorite has, while the usual garter stitch of the latter lacks the satisfying weighty thickness of Chinese Waves. Because Chinese Waves has some intrinsic diagonal lines to it, the end result almost looks like it wasn’t knitted on the diagonal at all (at least to the untrained, un-knitter’s eye). As an added bonus, for all you purl-shy, this is a no-purl pattern.
Nai Nai’s* Favorite Dishcloth
Gauge: really not critical. Just knit to your desired diagonal width, or until you’ve used half your yarn, whichever comes first. Sample was made with Knit Picks’ Comfy Worsted on #7 needles, but you should use whatever yarn you have handy (cotton is best) on whatever size needles make a nice solid fabric.
Pattern notes:
kfb – knit into the front leg, and then the back leg of the same stitch before dropping it from the needle
yo – yarn over needle, from front to back
sl1 – slip one stitch purlwise, with yarn to the back of the work
k2tog – knit two stitches together as one
ssk – slip next two sts as if to knit, transfer them back to the left hand needle, and knit them together through their back loops. If you’re just starting out and don’t know this decrease yet, it’s no big deal to substitute a k2tog for the ssk’s in this pattern.
centered decrease: sl1 as if to knit, k2tog, pass slipped stitch over. Beginner alternative: k3tog (knit three stitches together).
Directions:
Cast on 3 stitches
Row 1: knit 3
Rows 2&3: k1, kfb, k to end
Row 4: k2, yo, k1, yo, k2
Row 5: k3, sl1, k3
Row 6: k2, yo, k to last 2 sts, yo, k2
Row 7: k3, (sl1, k1) to last 2 sts, k2
Repeat rows 6&7 until desired diagonal width, ending with row 7. In the wash cloth shown, I had 65 sts at the maximum width.
Row 8: k1, k2tog, yo, k2tog, k to last 5 sts, ssk, yo, ssk, k1
Repeat rows 7&8 until 9 sts remain, ending with row 7.
Row 9: k1, k2tog, yo, centered decrease, yo, ssk, k1
Row 10: k3, sl1, k3
Rows 11,12,13 & 14: k1, k2tog, k to end
Draw yarn through remaining sts and fasten off.
*Nai-Nai is Chinese for “grandmother”
April 7th, 2011 at 10:52 am
What a clever idea! This is a beautiful cloth.
May 9th, 2011 at 7:55 pm
I can’t wait to try this, it looks beautiful and practical too.
June 1st, 2011 at 12:43 pm
I had this pattern a long time ago, but couldn’t find one where it started with 3 stitches,
Thank you
Trudy
June 10th, 2011 at 8:37 am
You’re welcome. You must’ve had a Grandmother’s Favorite pattern, but I’m glad I could help!
June 10th, 2011 at 6:12 am
absolutely fantastic! i’ve just finished making a chinese waves and a normal grandmother dishcloth – and you are exactly right – i love the weight of the waves, but i like the form of the granny – this is a perfect mix and there’s now the PERFECT dishcloth, pretty and functional!!!
October 24th, 2011 at 9:30 am
I started to knit this pattern. It’s beautiful! But, it’s the first one I’ve knit with English directions and I think I’m doing something wrong. I got a row of holes on the end of the rows from the ‘yarn overs’, but there is no holes on the picture. Any ideas about what I might be doing wrong? Thanks!
February 28th, 2012 at 11:36 am
There are, in fact, yarn over ‘holes’ on the washcloth pictured, they are just not very prominent. Try blocking the finished product or tugging on it as you go, or alternatively, be extra careful when knitting your yarn overs to not stretch them open more than other stitches (since this is easy to do by accident.)
November 28th, 2011 at 6:21 pm
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December 8th, 2011 at 11:43 am
I love, love, love the way this pattern works up. I, too, have just completed a chinese waves dishcloth and a normal grandmother’s favorite dishcloth and was not satisfied with the edges. This pattern takes care of this for me. Thank you for sharing your expertise.
December 10th, 2011 at 10:48 pm
I’m on my third dishcloth in this pattern, as I really love its thick texture.
It’s a pleasure to knit too. But I do have a problem – the final corner ends up too pointed and distorts the shape of the dishcloth. I’ve tried finishing it earlier, but that doesn’t help. I’m going to have to crochet a loop onto this corner and pretend the dishcloth’s meant to hang fron it. Can you please advise me how I can keep this pattern square? Thanks very much.
February 28th, 2012 at 11:33 am
I don’t have this problem too much… it could be that I am using a tighter bind off than you are. But You might try rounding up the corner a bit as you sew in the end when finishing.
January 8th, 2012 at 11:56 am
This is a beautiful cloth. What yarn brand color and weight did you use?
February 28th, 2012 at 11:31 am
I believe I used Knit Picks Comfy Worsted in Creme Brulee.
January 15th, 2012 at 6:22 am
I love this washcloth! I will be making a lot more. Thanks for sharing the pattern..
January 27th, 2012 at 2:34 pm
I am making this right now. I like the looks of it very much BUT am not sure i am doing the “sl 1″ right.
I am assuming the front is facing me and the “back” is literally at the back.
The front and back do not look the same. Am i doing it right?
February 28th, 2012 at 11:29 am
It sounds like you are doing it correctly. The front and back of this pattern do not look the same, even though both sides are presentable.
February 27th, 2012 at 10:36 am
How do you know what type of cast one to use?
February 28th, 2012 at 11:27 am
I used the long-tail cast on, but since you are only casting on a few stitches, just about any will work (except provisional cast-ons, of course.)
April 2nd, 2012 at 6:46 am
thanks for sharing your talent!
April 2nd, 2012 at 10:23 am
Such fun! Yes, dishcloths make wonderful and thoughtful gifts. I companion mine with a homemade dish towel. For the gift wrapping, I attach a small, kitchen gadget to the bow. The recipients love them!
May 11th, 2012 at 6:16 am
thanks so much for this pattern! a group of us are making squares to make up a blanket for a friend, and this little pattern was wonderful. i’ve tweaked mine to add a slip stitch selvage edge (german method) to make it easier for the seamers. thanks again for sharing!
June 27th, 2012 at 6:11 pm
Love this pattern! It knits up tight and thick.I am knitting the wash cloths in spa colors and pairing them with soap and lotion for Holiday gift giving!
Thank you!!
July 16th, 2012 at 7:23 am
I love this pattern and am dying to get it going, but I am having a problem. When I get to line 4, I don’t have enough stitches to finish the row. Any clues to what I am doing wrong?
July 16th, 2012 at 2:31 pm
Hi Beth. Let’s see, you should be starting row four with five stitches. You should be starting with three from the cast on, and then knitting two rows which each add a stitch (3 + 1 + 1 = 5). Maybe you missed either row two or row three, and only did one kfb?
July 16th, 2012 at 4:20 pm
Thank you for your quick response, That makes sense and I will make another attempt tomorrow.
July 18th, 2012 at 4:32 pm
Wouldn’t I need 7 stitches to start row 4? I am sorry, but I just can’t seem to get it…
July 19th, 2012 at 9:45 am
Row 4 is: k2, yo, k1, yo, k2
This consists of a total of 5 knit stitches, and 2 yarn overs. A yarn over is a kind of increase that doesn’t “use up” a stitch from the previous row. So *after* row 4, you should have 7 stitches, but before, you only have 5.
Have you actually tried to knit row 4 yet? If you just go ahead and do it, even if you don’t think it is supposed to work, it should just work itself out.
July 19th, 2012 at 12:04 pm
Ooooh, I see. Thank you so much!! I am progressing as a knitter but still get a little confused at times. Can’t wait to give it a whirl!
August 16th, 2012 at 2:17 am
Reblogged this on Diane's Thoughts and commented:
Love it!!!
September 25th, 2012 at 9:24 am
I love this pattern, it looks beautiful and the directions are so straightforward. I can’t wait to start it. Thank you!
October 19th, 2012 at 4:43 pm
I run an after-school knitting club for the middle and high school students where I work. This is definitely going to be a winner I am knitting a sample now and cannot believe how easy it knits up and how wonderful it looks. Thank you for sharing.
October 20th, 2012 at 5:42 am
I have enjoyed making these dishcloth/washcloths so much. My friends love to get them, but I only have one for me! Maybe after Christmas…? Thank you so much for sharing this pattern; it makes the perfect dishcloth.
November 17th, 2012 at 9:26 am
This is a great pattern! It is going to be my go to for a quick gift with a nice bar of soap. And your photo is lovely!
December 2nd, 2012 at 8:40 pm
I am on my sixth cloth. The texture, weight and and modern look–perfect!
Thank you for sharing your innovation.
Rosalind
January 29th, 2013 at 6:00 pm
Thank you for this pattern! I wanted to make these for years, just never put the needles in my hand…it came out lovely!