First make · Knitting
Garter-stitch dishcloth
The first thing to knit, chosen because nothing in it can go permanently wrong. Every row is the same row, the size does not have to be exact, and if the edges come out uneven you will use it to wash up anyway.
First make
Uses one skill, in one repeated action, with nothing to shape and nothing to fit. A mistake costs a few rows, not the project.
You will need to be able to:
- Can cast on
- Can work a knit stitch
- Can cast off
About 2–4 hours, as an estimate.
Worsted-weight cotton yarn
50g (about 85m)
Cotton rather than wool: this is going to get wet daily and wool felts. One 50g ball makes one cloth with a little left.
4.5mm knitting needles
1 pair
A size below what the ball band suggests, deliberately — a dense cloth scrubs and a loose one sags.
Blunt darning needle
1
For the two ends.
Tape measureoptional
1
Gauge and measurements
The numbers this pattern was worked at. Your gauge is your own; see what the pattern says about matching it.
- Yarn weight
- Worsted
- Needle or hook
- 4.5mm
- Gauge
- 18 sts and 34 rows to 10cm
- Cast on
- 38 stitches
- Finished size
- 21cm × 21cm
- k
- knit
- st / sts
- stitch / stitches
- RS / WS
- right side / wrong side
Garter stitch is what you get when you knit every stitch of every row. Worked flat it produces a fabric of horizontal ridges that looks the same from both sides, does not curl at the edges, and is almost impossible to get wrong — which is why it is where nearly everyone starts.
The gauge below is what this cloth was knitted at. If yours is looser the cloth comes out larger and thinner, and if it is tighter it comes out smaller and stiffer. Neither matters here. It is a dishcloth. Knit it, and use the number you get as the honest starting point for the next pattern, where it will matter.
What this was knitted at:
- Gauge
- 18 sts and 34 rows to 10cm in garter stitch, on 4.5mm needles
- Finished size
- about 21cm square, before washing
- Cast on
- 38 stitches
Step 1: Cast on 38 stitches
Any cast-on you know. A long-tail cast-on gives a tidier edge than a knitted-on one, but the cloth works either way.
You will know it worked when: 38 stitches on the needle, not twisted round it.
Step 2: Knit every stitch of every row
Work until the piece measures 21cm from the cast-on edge, which is about 72 rows. Measure rather than counting rows — your gauge is not this gauge.
You will know it worked when: A square of ridged fabric, as tall as it is wide.
Step 3: Check it is square before you cast off
Lay it flat without stretching it and measure both directions. A centimetre out is fine; five is a rectangle, and it is easier to add rows now than to explain the shape later.
Step 4: Cast off
Cast off all 38 stitches loosely. A tight cast-off pulls the top edge in and gives the finished cloth a fluted top, which is the single commonest way this project goes wrong.
You will know it worked when: A top edge the same width as the bottom one.
Step 5: Sew in the ends
Thread each tail on to the darning needle and weave it through the bumps on one side for about 5cm, then trim. Do not knot it — a knot works its way to the front over a few washes.
Cotton shrinks on its first hot wash, mostly in length. Expect to lose a centimetre or so. Machine wash it with everything else and replace it when it stops smelling clean between washes, which for a cloth in daily use is a matter of months rather than years.
Every row is identical, so there is nothing to keep in your head and nothing to lose your place in. Usable without counting rows at all if you measure instead.
Knit it as often as you like, for yourself or to sell. We ask only that the pattern text is not republished elsewhere — link here instead.
Written for HobbyHQ in Phase 2. The stitch count derives from the stated gauge and the intended 21cm width; the gauge itself is a plain garter-stitch gauge for worsted cotton on 4.5mm needles, consistent with the Craft Yarn Council weight-category range for worsted yarn. No third-party pattern text was consulted or adapted.
- Two-by-two ribbed headbandA stretchy band worked flat and joined into a ring. The first thing that has to fit.
- Garter scarf with a slipped edgeA long garter rectangle with one small change: the first stitch of every row is slipped, which gives it a proper edge.
- Moss-stitch blanket squareA 15cm square in moss stitch, sized so that a set of them makes a blanket without arithmetic.
- Chunky ribbed cowl, worked in the roundA tube of two-by-two rib on a circular needle. The first project with no seam and no wrong side.
Sources for this section
- Standard Yarn Weight System (opens in a new tab) — Craft Yarn Council · Standards body · read — supports the claim