Knitted Towel Topper - Free Pattern!

 

Knitted Towel Topper

 

©2014

 

By Kris Basta

I had a of couple people ask me for these and decided to make a batch of them to take to a craft show in December.  I just made up a pattern that I liked the look of and was fast.  I bought 5 towels at a Dollar store, in retrospect they are pretty flimsy, next time I'll buy a better quality towel.  Anyhoo, here is the pattern, if you want to download and print it you can scroll all the way down past the pictures to the bottom, you'll see a link to click on which will take you to the pdf file. 

Materials:

Worsted/Aran weight cotton yarn such as Peaches 'n Cream - approx. 24 yds.

Size 8 knitting needles

Darning needle

Button

 

 

Abbreviations: 

k2tog = knit 2 together 

 

ssk = slip, slip, knit

 

WS = wrong side

 

BO = bind off

Rep = repeat

K = knit

P = Purl

 

sts = stitches

 

Video References:

ssk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSjfPTSh_U4

One row buttonhole: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EY4vBzLo-Xs

Before starting to knit you must have a prepared dishtowel.  I start by purchasing a dishtowel, cut it in half and hem the cut edge at about 1/4".  I hem mine on the sewing machine.  You will be able to make 2 of these from 1 purchased towel.
Now you must make a foundation row of stitches using your yarn.  There are several ways to do this, my preferred method is simply to make a running stitch across the towel like this:

Stitching just below the hem (as close as you can get) I like to make the stitches no more than 1/8” in length.  I thread my darning needle with the yarn still attached to the skein/ball, I pull out enough length that I think it will take to make the running stitches across, with towel’s right side facing, I make my running stitches.  I shoot for a stitch count of 31 – 34.  It doesn’t matter if you have an even number or an odd number at this point.

Once you have made your running stitches, remove the darning needle.  Make a tight knot at the end that your darning needle ended at.  (The other end is the attached skein end).

With right side facing and working on the skein end, pick up and knit each stitch until you’ve worked them all – you will now be at the knotted end.

NEXT:  (WS) Knit the next row making some decreases, you will want to make decreases in this row to end with 30 stitches.  Examples:  if you had 31 running stitches you will want to decrease 1 stitch in the middle of the row.  If you had 33 stitches you would decrease 3 stitches evenly across the row, and so forth.

Now it’s easy peasy from here, working on 30 sts:

  
1-3. Knit 3 rows. 
4.  Purl 
5.  (RS) K1, k2tog, k across to last 3 sts, ssk, k1.  (28 sts) 
6.  (WS) Purl 
7-24.  Rep rows 5 & 6 until you have 10 sts remaining. 
25. Knit 
26. Purl 
27. Purl  *(you are now working in reverse stockinette, what was once your knit side will now be your purl side, what was once your purl side will now be a knit side.  This will make a nice folding edge.) 
28. Knit 
29. Purl 
30-33. Rep rows 28 & 29 2x more.

      
34.  K4, -MAKE BUTTONHOLE-, knit to end of row.  ….I make a one-row buttonhole (see video how-to  here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EY4vBzLo-Xs )  but you can certainly use any method buttonhole you like.  I use only a 2-stitch buttonhole whereas on the video she demonstrates it with a 3-stitch buttonhole.

        
35. Purl 
36. K1, k2tog, k across to last 3 sts, ssk, k1. (8 sts) 
37. Purl 
38. K1, k2tog, k across to last 3 sts, ssk, k1.  (6 sts) 
39.  Knit.  (this is correct, I know you were expecting to purl this row, but this will make your edge roll less).

40. BO knitwise.

 
Cut yarn, weave in ends.  Fold buttonhole flap over to right side, mark where your button will be sewn on, sew button in place.

To view, download or print this pattern, click on the link below:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_oZ8-XeMq3peFpRUDRkTlUxVjA/view?usp=sharing


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