Tuesday, September 23, 2008

knit Gridded Towel pattern

Note:  This pattern was made available as a pdf download through Ravelry in May of 2017.  I have added the link to the pattern pdf below but temporarily retained the casual pattern instructions here.

I've finished the second Gridded Towel, using Pakucho cotton in Vicuna (beige) as the main color with a variegated kitchen cotton (Peaches & Creme, potpourri) as the contrasting color. I'll explain how I did it so you can make your own.

This is a very simple towel pattern that requires at a minimum two colors of yarn. I use primarily kitchen-grade cotton yarn, such as Peaches & Creme, Sugar 'n Cream, or Pakucho cotton. You'll need 2 balls of about 85 yards each for the main color and almost two balls of the contrast color. You can mix different brands of yarn as long as they are the same weight. These yarns all knit to about 20 stitches/4" in stockinette. I use a size 7 needle. I prefer either Bryspun, Balene, or wooden needles--anything that is more flexible than metal will be easier on your hands.

Cast on 87 stitches. This will produce a towel about 16" wide if your gauge is similar. It will shrink with use, especially if you machine wash and tumble dry your towel as I do, and will soon be only 15" wide.


Click here to view and download this pattern in Ravelry.com or use the link below for an immediate download.


download Gridded Towel Pattern

The original pattern instructions:

Using a long-tail cast-on and the main color, knit three rows so that the beginning has two garter ridges. You're going to alternate garter and stockinette, changing colors every two rows so that you have three stockinette panels for the border. Here it is in pattern speak:

A=main color
B=contrast color

Border Pattern:

Rows 1-3: knit all stitches with A

Row 4: knit all stitches with B

Row 5: purl all stitches with B

Rows 6-7: knit all stitches with A

Repeat Rows 4-7 twice more. Begin gridded stitch, maintaining 10 stitches on either side in the border pattern.


Gridded Stitch:

Row 1: *slip 1, knit 2*, repeat to border, ending with slip 1, using B

Row 2: *slip 1, purl 2*, repeat to border, ending with slip 1, using B

Row 3 & 4: knit all stitches with A


Confused? Here it is, the same pattern, less speak, more numbers:


Gridded Stitch:

Row 1: With B, k10, *sl1, k2* 22 times, sl1, k10.

Row 2: p10, *sl1, p2* 22 times, sl1, p10.

Row 3 & 4: With A, k across.

Knit the center section until the towel is about 20 inches long, then work the border pattern again for three stockinette panels, ending with three rows of knit stitches in A and binding off on the wrong side so that it looks like the beginning border. This will give you a towel about 22" long. (Mine took 38 gridded stockinette panels, plus the 3 beginning stockinette panels and the 3 ending ones to reach 22".)

That's all you need to do to have a simple and effective, soft and nubbly kitchen towel for hand-drying, plate-wiping or waving around. (Ever have a smoky kitchen because you burned the toast? Just wave a damp towel around to dispel the smoke quickly.) This towel does the trick, and it looks good as well. It even looks ok on the back side.


For variation, try substituting any slip-stitch pattern in the middle section, as long as you can change colors every two rows. If you want a less colorful towel, use a solid color yarn for the contrast color, or change the contrast colors in a repeating pattern, as I did in the first version.


For the first towel, I changed colors in the stockinette panels as follows:


4 white panels

5 cream panels

6 yellow panels

7 caramel panels

6 white panels

5 cream panels

4 yellow panels

3 caramel panels

4 white panels


Using this sequence of colors will guarantee that you end with three stockinette panels for the border and the ends of your towel will match. It also gives you the 38 gridded panels you need to produce a 22" long towel.

Done! Yay! Wave your towel around to clear the air as you imagine more variations.

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10 comments:

Tracy Batchelder said...

This is a wonderful towel! Thank you for taking the time to share the pattern.

jane said...

Thanks for the pattern, I want to knit a towel now! Jane

Marjorie said...

Thanks for posting the instructions. As I do some stash diving, I'll see what I have that might work for a towel.

I've just given you the I Love Your Blog award because I enjoy your posts so much.

Sonja said...

Looks great. Something to consider to make for sure.

vlb5757 said...

The nubby towel is cute. I haven't done a towel but I dearly love making the simple wash cloths I have done. I really love the fact you can put them in the washer and dryer with little or no shrinkage.

Anonymous said...

Neat pattern! I don't do dishcloths but I do use dishtowels. I'll have to try this.

Jenny Girl said...

You are too wonderful Luni! Thanks for pattern. now I will someday have towels as beautiful as yours :)
Have a wonderful week!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the towel pattern! It looks like a nice cushy towel. I'll have to try that one of these days.

Patricia said...

Thanks for the pattern. I will be knitting up several. My boys love to wipe their hands on my dish drying towel. Yuk.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for posting this! I've been waiting for it. :) That's the type of knitting I'm hankering for these days.