Five Heart Knit Washcloth Pattern

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It's Not Difficult to Knit a Decorative Washcloth

As of late I have been having fun knitting patterns using hearts in a variety of displays to create an array of delightfully unique washcloths. This 5 heart pattern is now one of my favourite craft projects. Knit in 100% cotton yarn it creates an absorbent cloth that is both strong and durable.

Once complete they can be used in the kitchen as a dishcloth or in the bathroom as a washcloth. I have always used handmade cloths for my dishes but last year also added them to my bathrooms. They are enchantingly old fashioned, wonderfully soft, and to my surprise they have proven to be very durable.

I have gifted quite a few to friends and family. Once completed these hand knits are a sweet gift for wedding or new baby shower gifts, actually they are ideal for most holiday gift giving occasions. If you are looking for a money maker for craft fairs these are also perfect for that as well. Their low cost and attractive design make them a highly popular item for summer farmer's markets or for seasonal Christmas fairs.

5 Heart Knit Washcloth Pattern

Using 100% cotton yarn and size 4mm needles Cast on 41 stitches

Rows 1 to 4: K1 P1 across row
Row 5: K1, P1, K1, P1, Knit to last 4 stitches P1, K1, P1, K1
Row 6: K1, P1, K1, Purl to last 3 stitches K1, P1, K1
Row 7: K1, P1, K1, P1, K5, P1, K21, P1, K5, P1, K1, P1, K1
Row 8: K1, P1, K1, P5, K3, P19, K3, P5, K1, P1, K1
Row 9: K1, P1, K1, P1, K3, P5, K17, P5, K3, P1, K1, P1, K1
Row 10: K1, P1, K1, P3, K7, P15, K7, P3. K1, P1, K1
Row 11: K1, P1, K1, P1, K1, P9, K13, P9, K1, P1, K1, P1, K1
Row 12: K1, P1, K1, P1, K11, P11, K11, P1, K1, P1, K1
Row 13: K1, P1, K1, P12, K11, P12, K1, P1, K1
Row 14: K1, P1, K1, P1, K11, P11, K11, P1, K1, P1, K1
Row 15: K1, P1, K1, P6, K1, P5, K11, P5, K1, P6, K1, P1, K1
Row 16: K1, P1, K1, P2, K3, P3, K3, P13, K3, P3, K3, P2, K1, P1, K1
Row 17: K1, P1, K1, P1, Knit to last 4 stitches P1, K1, P1, K1
Row 18: K1, P1, K1, Purl to last 3 stitches K1, P1, K1
Rows 19 to 24: *Repeat rows 17 and 18* 3 times
Row 25: K1, P1, K1, P1, K16, P1, K16, P1, K1, P1, K1
Row 26: K1, P1, K1, P16, K3, P16, K1, P1, K1
Row 27: K1, P1, K1, P1, K14, P5, K14, P1, K1, P1, K1
Row 28: K1, P1, K1, P14, K7, P14, K1, P1, K1
Row 29: K1, P1, K1, P1, K12, P9, K12, P1, K1, P1 K1
Row 30: K1, P1, K1, P12, K11, P12, K1, P1, K1
Row 31: K1, P1, K1, P1, K11, P11, K11, P1, K1, P1, K1
Row 32: K1, P1, K1, P12, K11, P12, K1, P1, K1
Row 33: K1, P1, K1, P1, K11, P5, K1, P5, K11, P1, K1, P1, K1
Row 34: K1, P1, K1, P13, K3, P3, K3, P13, K1, P1, K1
Row 35: K1, P1, K1, P1, Knit to last 4 stitches P1, K1, P1, K1
Row 36: K1, P1, K1, Purl to last 3 stitches K1, P1, K1
Rows 37 to 42: *Repeat rows 35 and 36* 3 times
Row 43: K1, P1, K1, P1, K5, P1, K21, P1, K5, P1, K1, P1, K1
Row 44: K1, P1, K1, P5, K3, P19, K3, P5, K1, P1, K1
Row 45: K1, P1, K1, P1, K3, P5, K17, P5, K3, P1, K1, P1, K1
Row 46: K1, P1, K1, P3, K7, P15, K7, P3. K1, P1, K1
Row 47: K1, P1, K1, P1, K1, P9, K13, P9, K1, P1, K1, P1, K1
Row 48: K1, P1, K1, P1, K11, P11, K11, P1, K1, P1, K1
Row 49: K1, P1, K1, P12, K11, P12, K1, P1, K1
Row 50: K1, P1, K1, P1, K11, P11, K11, P1, K1, P1, K1
Row 51: K1, P1, K1, P6, K1, P5, K11, P5, K1, P6, K1, P1, K1
Row 52: K1, P1, K1, P2, K3, P3, K3, P13, K3, P3, K3, P2, K1, P1, K1
Row 53: K1, P1, K1, P1, Knit to last 4 stitches P1, K1, P1, K1
Row 54: K1, P1, K1, Purl to last 3 stitches K1, P1, K1
Rows 55 to 58: K1 P1 to end of row. Cast off on final row.

It is Quite Easy to Design Your Own Patterns

You Can Turn Any Image Into a Knit Pattern

Hearts, triangles, cats dogs or a coffee cup you can plot them out on paper then you can knit them. Working with graph paper you can plot out a design then work from one side to the other to create an entirely new pattern. With the above heart pattern by simply adding or deleting hearts or by shifting the hearts into different positions your work becomes an entirely new project. Increasing the size of the heart also brings a completely new image to the finished cloth.

The pattern is created using a stockinette stitch which is a series of alternating rows of knit and purl. I repeat the knit one row purl one row sequence throughout the pattern. When it comes time to add in a heart I reverse the stockinette stitch to use purl stitch where the knit would be and vice versa for the purl row. This creates the design. The heart image is created when the reverse side of the stockinette stitch shows through. Our heart picture is then actually the reverse side of the stockinette stitch. When the cloth is reversed we see the right side of the heart pattern.

The washcloth pattern uses an odd number of stitches. Most standard homemade dishcloths are 39, 41, or 43 stitches in size but I have also made smaller cloths of 37 stitches to which I add a decorative crochet border after it is finished.

Count Out Your Stitches

Plotting the pattern out on graph paper makes it much easier to design and can help to eliminate errors in your work. Each X on the paper is one reversed stockinette stitch. I graph out the number of stitches I will cast on and draw out the hearts using X's for stitches that will create the heart. This graph will be used to complete my washcloth pattern (for the 3 hearts featured below I will have 37 stitches).

Up the left side of the page I write the number of rows my pattern will require. The first row (right side of work) will be knitted from left to right while the second row (reversed side) will be knit from right to left in alternating directions. Once I have the pattern graphed out I can write it out in standard form. As I knit the piece I check for errors I may have made while writing it out.

I generally knit the pattern a few times before I post it to insure that it is free of errors. Unfortunately sometimes the mind will ignore something it doesn't want to see and fill in the blank thus making it difficult to spot a mistake so here's hoping everything turns out just fine.