4 Free Washcloth Patterns

I have been hearing so much about how wonderful crochet washcloths are, so I decided to try some out for myself.  WOW!  Talk about luxury.  The soft scrubby feel is just fabulous. 

I made these from Lion Cotton in fabulous spa colors.  Everyone in the family gets their own color and their own stitch.  This would be great for a wedding shower gift too - just throw in some fancy spa soap and it's done and done.  Or switch the colors up to some fun rainbow ones for a baby shower - add some baby wash, voila! 

Use 100% cotton yarn - I love Lion Cotton.  Nice and absorbent with a great range of colors.  Lily Sugar n' Cream would also work nicely for this project.
These patterns will make a 10 inch square washcloth.  Because this project is just based on a standard measurement, any gauge, any hook, and any yarn weight will work.

Grit Stitch washcloth (seaspray):
Chain out 10.25 inches ending with an even number. 
Row 1: (Dc, sc) in second ch from hook, (sk next ch, (dc, sc) in next ch) repeat across.
Row 2: Ch 1, turn, ((dc, sc) in next sc, sk next dc) repeat across.
Repeat Row 2 until your washcloth is a ten inch square.

Hdc Shell washcloth (my fave!) (natural):
Chain out 10.25 inches ending with an even number.
Row 1: (Hdc, ch 1, hdc) in second ch from hook, (sk next ch, (hdc, ch 1, hdc) in next ch) repeat across.
Row 2: Ch 1, turn, ((hdc, ch 1, hdc) in each ch 1 space across.
Repeat Row 2 until your washcloth is a ten inch square.

Hdc Cross Stitch washcloth (navy):
Chain out 10.75 inches, ending with an odd number (a little bit longer chain is needed here to compensate for the squished stitch)
Row 1: Hdc in 3rd ch from hook, hdc in 2nd ch from hook in front of st just made, (sk next ch, hdc in next ch, hdc in skipped ch in front of hdc just made) repeat across.  I know this row is really annoying, but once you get through it the rest is a breeze!
Row 2: Ch 1, turn, sk first st, hdc in next st, hdc in skipped st in front of st just made, (sk next st, hdc in next st, hdc in skipped st in front of hdc just made) repeat across.
Repeat row 2 until your washcloth is a ten inch square.

Granite Stitch washcloth (clove):
Chain out 12 inches, ending with an even number (a lot longer to compensate for all the chains)
Row 1: Sc in 2nd ch from hook, (ch 1, sk next ch, sc in next ch) repeat across.
Row 2: Ch 1, turn, sc in first sc, (sc in next ch 1 space, ch1, sk next sc) repeat across to last st, sc in last st.
Row 3: Ch 1, turn, sc in first sc (ch 1, sk next sc, sc in next ch 1 sp) repeat across to last two stitches, ch 1, sk next sc, sc in last sc.
Repeat rows 2 and 3 until your washcloth is a ten inch square.

Tip:  A trick for figuring out if you're piece is square: fold the piece diagonally, if the sides line up while the corners are touching, then you've got a square, no measuring needed!

Want tea towels, dish cloths, or hand towels instead? They measure about 20 in x 30 in. Just increase your initial chain and number of rows to fit the measurements.

Enjoy!

All days should be this great . . .

The first truly warm day of 2012 in Portland and it was spectacular.  Woke up early with crochet inspiration for a Nordic style toboggan hat.  Allright, so my inspiration is not always on track with the seasons . . . but oh well.  Got my yarn ready and took Laney to swim lessons.  I love swim lessons because I get to sit on the pool deck and relax with my crochet and every once in awhile look up and smile and give a thumbs up to little Laney as she blows bubbles for 5 seconds in a row with her nose or whatever.  Progress made on the hat . . . got the ribbing done.

After swim lessons I got a huge cup of coffee and some scones on the way home at the drive through Starbucks.  Mmmmmm . . . . scones. . . . coffee.  At home kids played outside while I fiddled with the hat pattern . . . coming along.  Picnic lunch, more play, bubbles and then . . .  Nap time! Yeah!!!  Nap time = crochet time in my house.

After naps we went to the Willamette river beach to bask and play in the sun. 

The kids had a ball checking out the ducks, throwing rocks in the water, filling buckets with sand.  The kids were busy!  I just love that feeling of the kids being so entertained by their natural surroundings, just busy busy busy, breaking only for a quick snack.  This beautiful park is a 5 minute drive from my house.  This park is a blessing I count often.

What was I doing?  You guessed it, working on the hat.

The hat features my favorite stitch . . . the granite stitch [sc, ch 1, sk next st] and has the appearance of a complicated color work pattern.  If you know my work, you know I don't do complicated . . . easy only please!  Wanna see it?  Drum roll please . . . .

Ta dah!!! The ribbing is hdc in blo, I'll probably change that to sc in blo so it's a little stretchier.  But otherwise it's just getting the sizing and testing done and I think it's a go!  Maybe someday my creativity will coincide with the correct season . . . one step at a time.

Love that Calm Cowl

Finished the Calm Cowl and tooks some pics.  I just love the "Granite Stitch" so much (I just learned that sc1, ch1, sk1, repeat is called the Granite Stitch).  I think the main reason is that it looks so much like knit or Tunisian.  It has that drapey, fabricky, knitty feel and look. 

This one is for my Aunt Maggie who has made almost everyone in my entire extended family a beautiful quilt.  She made one for my wedding and one for the birth of my daughter and countless others.  So this is my meagre thank you to her for her generous craftiness.