1041 Hollyhock - Face Cloth Knitting Pattern for Home in Valley Yarns Leverett

Pattern 1041 Hollyhock Face Cloth Knitting Pattern by Julie Turjoman

The 1041 Hollyhock Face Cloth is a beautifully textured knitted face cloth designed by Julie Turjoman and published under the Valley Yarns brand. This practical yet elegant homeware project features an allover shell texture that makes it equally suited for morning skin care or evening make-up removal. Worked to a generous finished size of 11½" x 10¼", this face cloth is a satisfying and functional addition to any bathroom. An optional I-Cord loop knitted into one corner adds a convenient hanging feature, keeping the cloth close at hand. The pattern is available as a downloadable PDF, making it instantly accessible for knitters ready to cast on.

What Is Being Made

This pattern produces a single-size knitted face cloth intended for everyday home use. The finished cloth measures 11½" wide by 10¼" tall after blocking, making it generously proportioned for facial cleansing, toning, or make-up removal. The optional I-Cord loop, worked at one corner using double pointed needles, allows the cloth to be hung neatly on a hook or towel rail. This is a one-size project requiring just one ball of yarn, making it an economical and quick knit.

Techniques Used

The 1041 Hollyhock Face Cloth employs several techniques that make it an excellent project for intermediate knitters looking to expand their skills. The pattern is described as worked flat and bottom-up, meaning it is knitted back and forth in rows from the cast-on edge upward, rather than in the round. Key techniques include:

• Lace construction — the allover shell stitch pattern incorporates yarnovers and decreases to create an open, textured fabric with excellent visual interest
• Worked flat — the main body of the cloth is knitted back and forth on standard needles, making it accessible without requiring circular needle experience
• Bottom-up construction — the piece begins at the cast-on edge and progresses upward to the bind-off
• Seamless finishing — the construction avoids seaming, keeping finishing simple and clean
• Optional I-Cord loop — worked using double pointed needles at one corner, this small tubular cord creates a practical hanging loop and introduces knitters to I-Cord technique if they choose to include it
• Blocking — the gauge is measured in Shell Stitch after blocking, making wet or steam blocking an important finishing step to achieve the correct dimensions and open up the lace pattern

Stitches Used

The central stitch pattern of this face cloth is the Shell Stitch, worked over a multiple of 12 stitches and 12 rows. This repeating stitch pattern creates the signature shell-like texture across the entire surface of the cloth. The Shell Stitch combines knit, purl, yarnover, and double central decrease stitches across both right-side and wrong-side rows, giving the fabric a richly dimensional quality on both faces. Specific stitches and techniques referenced in the pattern include:

• Shell Stitch — the primary allover stitch pattern, worked over 12 stitches and 12 rows, featuring yarnovers and centered double decreases to form the shell motif
• Yarnover (Yo) — used extensively within the Shell Stitch to create the open, lacy increases that form the shell shapes
• CDD-k (centered double decrease, knit side) — worked by slipping 2 stitches knitwise, knitting 1, then passing the 2 slipped stitches over; decreases 2 stitches at once and creates a clean central point in the shell motif
• CDD-p (centered double decrease, purl side) — worked by slipping 2 stitches purlwise through the back loop with yarn in front, purling 1, then passing the slipped stitches over; the purl-side equivalent of the CDD-k
• Knit through the back loop (tbl) — used within the Shell Stitch rows to create twisted stitches that add definition and structure to the pattern
• Purl through the back loop (p tbl) — the purl-side equivalent, also