Knit on Bias Washcloth

A fun free pattern for you to begin your exploration of bias knitting, the instructions are below.

There are a lot of opportunities to increase and decrease while keeping the rest of the knit simple, giving an excellent practice piece for beginners.

You will be working in garter stitch, so only knitting throughout. You will be using knit 2 together for the right slanted decreases and a ssk, knitting 2 stitches together through the back of the needle for the left slanted decreases. To complement these decreases you will be knitting into both the front and back of a stitch to increase the stitch count.

22 rows x 32 sts unblocked in a 4"/10cm square

k knit

k2tog knit 2 stitches together, dec 1

k3 tog knit 3 stitches together, dec 2

ssk knit 2 sts together through the back of the needle, dec 1

kfb knit into the front and back of the same stitch, inc 1

kfbf knit into the front, the back and the front again of the same stitch, inc 2

st(s) stitch(es)

dec decrease

inc increase

rep repeat

rs right side

Create a slipknot as your first stitch.

Row 1 (rs): kfbf

Row 2: k all

Row 3: kfb, k to last st, kfb

Row 4: k all

Repeat row 3 & 4 until you have reached the width you want for your wash cloth.

Pro Tip: Clip a stitch marker to the rs of the pattern, this is the side where you increase.

My sample is an 11" / 28cm square which is 59 stitches on the needle at the widest point.

Now to decrease

Row 1: ssk, k to last 2 sts, k2tog

Row 2 (and all even rows): k all

Rep Row 1 & 2 until 3 sts remain on needle.

Final row: k3 tog

Cut off yarn and pull through the final stitch, weave in the ends and you are done.

Making a matching set of washcloths is an excellent use of your leftover yarns. You can perfectly co-ordinate with your bathroom, guest room or restroom colour scheme.

Wash Cloths are also a great last minute gift, if you are running out of time or ideas.