Free Knitting Pattern: Retro 1970s Tea Towel / Dishcloth

Brighten up your dishwashing chores and inject some groove into your kitchen with this 1970s-inspired three-colour retro tea towel. 

This is an ideal project for getting started with colourwork knitting and those wishing to get more practice in managing several balls of yarn in a quick and simple project. The colour motif of the pattern is achieved by slipping stitches and the texture is created by simply knitting and purling.

Knitted in a colour scheme that is synonymous with the '70s (green, brown and orange), doing the dishes will never be dull again. Promise. 

The measurements of the finished piece depend on the number of pattern repeats worked, giving you the freedom to create a tea towel or a smaller dishcloth-size finished piece. 

If you stick to the colour  pattern in the instructions, you will produce a tea towel measuring app. 31cm (length) by 28cm (width) unblocked. (I didn't actually bother to block my finished tea towel, because, guess what..., it's a tea towel and will be put to work as such.) 

1970s Retro Tea Towel (and true vintage Arcopal Scania cups and coffee jug)

For the tea towel in the images I used Drops Paris dishcloth cotton yarn in Parrot Green (Shade Code 72), Brown (Shade Code 44) and Orange (Shade Code 13). The recommended needle size for this yarn is 5mm (US size 8), but I decided to knit on 4mm needles (US size 6) to create a denser fabric. 

The pattern is, of course, suitable for all aran weight dishcloth cotton yarns and, for all those not keen on the '70s vibes, other colour combinations are available. 

Sneak Peek of the New Pattern: 1970s Retro Knit Tea Towel / Dishcloth

!!! Update: The pattern is now live and available on the blog via this link. !!!

My pattern for a 1970s inspired retro dishcloth / tea towel is about to go live. Whilst I am putting the finishing touches to the upcoming pattern post, here is a little sneak peek of the initial test knit. 

As a lover of bold '70s colour combinations and having recently gotten more interested in colourwork knitting, this project combines colourwork practice with the visual stimulus of vintage 70s vibes.

The Weekly Swatch: Lattice Lace Knit Stitch Pattern

  

Time for a traditional lace knit stitch. 

The Lattice Lace knit stitch requires a multiple of 6 plus 3 stitches and is knitted over 8 rows. All of the wrong side rows are purled throughout. 

Lattice Lace Knit Stitch

The Weekly Swatch: Plaid Effect Knit Stitch Pattern

Creating a plaid effect in knitting is a lot less complicated than it looks. The two-colour plaid I have prepared in this knitted swatch requires a multiple of 8 plus 2 stitches and is knitted with two colours over 10 rows. 

Aside from knitting and purling, this stitch utilises elongated stitches. The elongated stitches are created by wrapping the yarn twice round the needle when knitting the stitch. The 'long stitches' are subsequently slipped either with the yarn held to the front or to the back of the work, creating the effect of vertical loops located on the top of the fabric. 

Plaid Effect Knit Stitch 

The Weekly Swatch: Shell Rib Knit Stitch Pattern

 

The Shell Rib Knit Stitch is a simple four-row-repeat knit stitch, featuring bobbles with the appearance of shells against a background of reverse stockinette stitch. 

This stitch requires a multiple of 5 plus 2 stitches. The shell motifs are created on row 4 by purling, knitting and purling into the same stitch. 

The Weekly Swatch: Cascading Leaves Lace Knit Stitch

 

After a focus on textured knitting and exploring colour knit stitches, this swatch of the Cascading Leaves Knit Stitch is a return to traditional, dainty lace knitting. 

This lace knit stitch is worked on multiple of 10 plus 1 stitches over 16 rows. All wrong side rows are purled throughout, allowing for a modicum of relaxation working this stitch. 

Whilst the Cascading Leaves stitch uses the most common in- and decreases (yo / k2tog / ssk), the sk2po is a lesser known method of decreasing two stitches. In this pattern the sk2po double  decrease creates the tips of the leaves. 

With the sk2po decrease the first stitch is initially slipped, the next two stitches are knit together (k2tog) and the slipped stitch is eventually passed over.

Cascading Leaves Lace Knit Stitch Pattern

The Weekly Swatch: Swag Knit Stitch Pattern

 

The Swag Knit Stitch is a simple beginner knit stitch. Horizontal bars are incorporated against a background of stockinette stitch, adding an eye catching effect to the finished piece. 

The bar effect is created by slipping stitches with the yarn in front of the work (wyif) on rows 4 and 6 of the pattern. The remaining rows are a mixture of knit and purl only. 

This knit stitch requires a multiple of 5 plus 4 stitches and is worked over 6 rows. 

Swag Knit Stitch

The Weekly Swatch: Clamshell Knit Stitch Pattern

 

 

When looking at the finished swatch of the Clamshell Knit stitch, I was somewhat reminded of Brussels sprouts, but this association could also be the result of the rich green colour of the yarn (Drops Paris in Parrot Green). 

The Clamshell Knit Stitch falls into the category of bobble stitches. It requires a multiple of 4 plus 1 stitches and is worked over 8 rows.

The rich texture of the bobbles is created on rows 1 and 5 of the pattern by working purl stitches and yarn over increases into the same stitch [(p1, yo) x2, p1] before passing the stitch on to the right hand needle. The resulting increases are then decreased on rows 4 and 8 by knitting the 5 increased stitches together through the back loop (k5tog tbl). 

Clamshell Knit Stitch

The Weekly Swatch: Twisted Tie Knit Stitch Pattern

The Twisted Tie knit stitch is all about creating texture with simple kfb in- and k2tog decreases. The resulting fabric lies flat and has a more rigid texture when compared to stockinette. 

The stitch requires a multiple of 2 plus 2 stitches and is worked over four rows. 

Twisted Tie Knit Stitch

The Weekly Swatch: Wide Basket Weave Knit Stitch Pattern

In this instalment of the weekly swatch I have another basket weave stitch to add to the stitch library, the Wide Basket Weave Stitch. 

The stitch requires a multiple of 9 plus 8 stitches and is knitted over 10 rows. 

If the rich texture of the basket weave motif speaks to you, the stitch pattern for the standard Basket Weave Stitch is available here. For the knitting pattern of the Double Basket Weave Stitch, please follow this link.

The Weekly Swatch: Lace Diamond Knit Stitch Pattern

 

In this swatch, I have prepared a sample of the Lace Diamond Knit Stitch. 

Diamond motifs are ever popular and this is a simple lace version. The stitch utilises the most common in- and decreases, requires a multiple of 10 plus 2 stitches and is knitted over 16 rows. 

All of the wrong side rows are purled. If a double yarn over (yo) is worked on the preceding right side row, the second yarn over is purled through the back loop (ptbl) on the following wrong side row. 

 

The Weekly Swatch: The Yo-Yo Knit Stitch

 

Time for another not so weekly, weekly swatch. 

Today, I have prepared the yo-yo knit stitch. The texture of this stitch is achieved by slipping stitches with yarn held in the front of the knitting (wyif) and at the back (wyib). This stitch is knitted over 16 rows and requires a multiple of 8 plus 4 stitches. 

The Weekly Swatch: Three-Colour Balloon Knit Stitch

 

After the Two-Colour Balloon Knit Stitch in my last post, this post showcases the Three-Colour Balloon Knit Stitch. 

It's essentially the same knit stitch with the addition of a third colour on rows 11 to 16. The stitch motif requires a multiple of 8 plus 4 stitches and is worked over a total of 16 rows. All stitches are slipped as if to purl.

The Weekly Swatch: Two-Colour Balloon Knit Stitch

Having more fun with simple colourwork, next up we have the Two-Colour Balloon Knit Stitch. This stitch requires a multiple of 8 plus 4 stitches and is worked over a total of 16 rows. All stitches are slipped as if to purl.

The Weekly Swatch: Garter Brick Knit Stitch

 

Sticking with the colourwork theme for the weekly swatch, here is another colour fix, the Garter Brick Knit Stitch. 

Alongside the colour, this stitch has a super squishy texture. The Garter Brick Stitch requires a multiple of 6 plus 2 stitches and is worked over a total of 12 rows, with rows 5, 6,11 and 12 being repeats of rows 3, 4, 9 and 10 respectively. In between it's just simple knit and purl.