COLORWAVE DISHCLOTH
By Sara Baldwin ©2006
SIZE: About 9 inches wide.
MATERIALS: #2 knitting needles (#4 for worsted weight). You may wish to adjust the needle size up or
down to get the color effects you desire.
Sara’s colorwave fingering or worsted weight cotton. One skein of yarn will make 3 dishcloths.
GAUGE: not critical
Cast on 48 stitches (38 for worsted weight yarn) very loosely.
Prep row (do this only once): *YO, S, K1* In other words, bring the yarn toward you, in front of your work.
Insert your needle into the next stitch as if to purl and slip it to the right needle (S). Then as you knit the
next stitch (K1), wrap the yarn over the right needle and to the back (this completes the YO or yarn over).
For the next stitch bring the yarn forward again between the needles, slip as if to purl, and knit the next
stitch while wrapping the yarn to the back. Repeat to the end. Now you will have 72 stitches (57 for worsted
weight).
Row 1: *K 2, S1wyib (slip one as if to purl with the yarn in back)*. The slip stitch will always be the slanted
yarn over from the row before.
Row 2: *K2tog, YO, S1wyib* This is the same as the prep row, except you are knitting two together instead
of just knitting one. Be careful to hold that last YO down when you turn, because there is nothing to anchor
it!
Row 3: K 1, *S1wyib, K 2*. The slip stitch will always be the slanted yarn over from the row before. End this
row with K1.
Row 4: *YO, S1wyib, K2tog* (like prep row and row 2)
Repeat rows 1-4 for pattern.
After you have knit an inch or two from the beginning, you may wish to adjust the colors so that they pool
up. Examine the colors in the little mesh of V’s (this is the place where you do the S1wyib in Rows 1 and
3). If the color bands on the V’s slant upward to the right, try going up a needle size (it won’t be
noticeable). As an alternative, you could rip out what you have and start over with more stitches (multiples
of 2 only). If the color bands slant upward to the left (this is what they do in the photo above), try going
down a needle size, or start over with fewer stitches.
Keep repeating Rows 1 to 4 until your dishcloth is square, and you have just completed Row 1. Next row:
*K1, k2tog*, end k1 (back to 48 stitches). Bind off loosely, and darn in ends.
For an interesting variation, try slipping as if to KNIT in row 1 only!
By Sara Baldwin ©2006
SIZE: About 9 inches wide.
MATERIALS: #2 knitting needles (#4 for worsted weight). You may wish to adjust the needle size up or
down to get the color effects you desire.
Sara’s colorwave fingering or worsted weight cotton. One skein of yarn will make 3 dishcloths.
GAUGE: not critical
Cast on 48 stitches (38 for worsted weight yarn) very loosely.
Prep row (do this only once): *YO, S, K1* In other words, bring the yarn toward you, in front of your work.
Insert your needle into the next stitch as if to purl and slip it to the right needle (S). Then as you knit the
next stitch (K1), wrap the yarn over the right needle and to the back (this completes the YO or yarn over).
For the next stitch bring the yarn forward again between the needles, slip as if to purl, and knit the next
stitch while wrapping the yarn to the back. Repeat to the end. Now you will have 72 stitches (57 for worsted
weight).
Row 1: *K 2, S1wyib (slip one as if to purl with the yarn in back)*. The slip stitch will always be the slanted
yarn over from the row before.
Row 2: *K2tog, YO, S1wyib* This is the same as the prep row, except you are knitting two together instead
of just knitting one. Be careful to hold that last YO down when you turn, because there is nothing to anchor
it!
Row 3: K 1, *S1wyib, K 2*. The slip stitch will always be the slanted yarn over from the row before. End this
row with K1.
Row 4: *YO, S1wyib, K2tog* (like prep row and row 2)
Repeat rows 1-4 for pattern.
After you have knit an inch or two from the beginning, you may wish to adjust the colors so that they pool
up. Examine the colors in the little mesh of V’s (this is the place where you do the S1wyib in Rows 1 and
3). If the color bands on the V’s slant upward to the right, try going up a needle size (it won’t be
noticeable). As an alternative, you could rip out what you have and start over with more stitches (multiples
of 2 only). If the color bands slant upward to the left (this is what they do in the photo above), try going
down a needle size, or start over with fewer stitches.
Keep repeating Rows 1 to 4 until your dishcloth is square, and you have just completed Row 1. Next row:
*K1, k2tog*, end k1 (back to 48 stitches). Bind off loosely, and darn in ends.
For an interesting variation, try slipping as if to KNIT in row 1 only!
