1286 Distylium - Face Cloths Knitting Pattern for Home in Valley Yarns Leverett

Pattern Summary: 1286 Distylium Face Cloths by Julie Turjoman for Valley Yarns

The 1286 Distylium is a beginner-level knitting pattern designed by Julie Turjoman and published by Valley Yarns. It produces a set of beautifully textured 12" x 12" face cloths — practical, handsome, and wonderfully versatile. Whether wrapped around a bar of scented soap and tied with a ribbon for a holiday stocking stuffer or hostess gift, or simply kept for everyday personal use, these face cloths make an ideal quick-knit project. The pattern is available as a downloadable PDF, making it instantly accessible for knitters of all backgrounds.

What Is Being Made

This pattern produces square face cloths measuring 12 inches by 12 inches. Each cloth is a self-contained, flat-knitted piece with a structured garter stitch border framing a central textured stitch field. The pattern includes two design options, each featuring a different textured stitch pattern in the central field, giving knitters variety and the opportunity to explore different surface textures within the same basic construction framework.

Design Options

Option 1 — Diagonal Seed Stitch Face Cloth

The first face cloth design features a Diagonal Seed Stitch pattern in the central field. This stitch creates a subtle, visually interesting diagonal movement across the fabric by shifting the placement of purl stitches within a predominantly knit ground. The resulting texture is crisp and tactile — particularly well-suited to a cotton/linen yarn that renders stitch definition with clarity.

• Cast on: 60 stitches using the Long-Tail Cast-On method
• Border: 10 rows of garter stitch at the cast-on edge and 10 rows at the bind-off edge
• Central field: 50 stitches wide, worked in Diagonal Seed Stitch, flanked on each side by a 5-stitch garter border maintained throughout
• Length of field: Worked until the piece measures 11 inches from the cast-on edge before the final garter border is added
• Bind off: All stitches bound off knitwise

The Diagonal Seed Stitch is worked over a multiple of 5 stitches and a 10-row repeat. Each row shifts the single purl stitch diagonally across the knit background, creating a flowing, almost woven appearance. The 10-row sequence cycles through combinations such as k4, p1 and p1, k4 and their diagonal variants, producing a richly textured surface that is deceptively simple to execute once the rhythm is established.

Option 2 — Second Textured Face Cloth

The second design option follows the same overall construction approach — a garter stitch border surrounding a central textured stitch field — but uses a different stitch pattern and a cast-on of 61 stitches, reflecting the stitch multiple requirements of its particular texture pattern. Like Option 1, it is worked flat in rows with consistent garter stitch side borders maintained throughout the body of the cloth.

Techniques Used

• Worked flat (back and forth in rows): Both face cloth options are knitted flat, making them ideal for knitters who prefer straight needles or who are building confidence before tackling circular techniques.
• Bottom-up construction: Each cloth is begun at the cast-on edge and worked upward to the bind-off, with borders applied as integral parts of the knitting rather than added separately.
• Seamless construction: No seaming is required; the cloths are complete as knitted pieces.
• Long-Tail Cast-On: The recommended cast-on method for both options, producing a neat, elastic edge well-suited to cotton and linen blends.
• Garter stitch borders: A 5-stitch garter border is maintained on each side throughout the body, and 10-row garter borders frame the top and bottom edges, creating a tidy, non-curling perimeter.
• Stitch marker placement: Markers are used to delineate the central textured field from