Herringbone Linen Dishcloth

Herringbone Linen Dishcloth by Joan Laws

What is Being Made

The Herringbone Linen Dishcloth is a beginner-friendly knitted dishcloth measuring 8 inches by 8 centimeters (20cm x 20cm). This project creates a functional kitchen textile featuring the distinctive herringbone stitch pattern, which produces a visually striking woven appearance through strategic yarn manipulation and slip stitches.

Techniques Used

This dishcloth pattern employs several fundamental knitting techniques suitable for beginners:

• Slip Stitches: The pattern uses slip stitches with yarn held in front (wyif) and yarn held in back (wyib) to create the herringbone texture without actually knitting those stitches, allowing the yarn to float and create the characteristic diagonal pattern
• Knit and Purl Stitches: Alternating knit and purl stitches form the foundation of the pattern structure
• Pattern Repeats: The design uses a 24-row repeat worked twice more after the initial setup, creating consistent texture throughout
• Blocking: The finished piece is blocked to set the stitches and even out the fabric

Stitches Used

The Herringbone Linen Dishcloth uses a limited stitch vocabulary appropriate for beginner knitters:

• Knit (K): The primary stitch creating the base fabric
• Purl (P): Used in combination with knit stitches to add texture and structure
• Slip Stitch (sl): Stitches are slipped with yarn held in front or back to create the herringbone visual effect without adding height to the fabric
• Cast On (CO) and Bind Off (BO): Standard edge techniques for beginning and finishing the piece

Materials and Gauge

The dishcloth requires Lily/Sugar'n Cream yarn in 100% cotton, a traditional choice for dishcloths due to cotton's absorbency and durability. The pattern calls for approximately 120 yards from a 70.9-gram ball, with the color specified as #00010/Yellow. Size 6 (4.0mm) knitting needles are recommended, though the pattern notes that needle size may be adjusted as needed to achieve proper gauge.

The target gauge is 19 stitches and 36 rows over 4 inches (10cm) in the herringbone pattern. The pattern begins with a cast-on of 38 stitches, which accommodates a multiple of 4 stitches plus 2 edge stitches for a clean finished edge.

Pattern Structure

The herringbone pattern operates on a 24-row repeat with alternating right-side and wrong-side rows. Right-side rows alternate between two variations: one row working slip stitches with yarn in front followed by knit stitches, and another row working knit stitches followed by slip stitches with yarn in front. Wrong-side rows similarly alternate between purl stitches with slip stitches in between. This systematic alternation creates the distinctive diagonal herringbone appearance. The complete pattern is worked through three full 24-row cycles before binding off.