Free Bias Knit Hand Towel Knitting Pattern
Beginners and seasoned knitters love these simple bias knit hand towels and wash cloths. They’re easy to make and really allow you lose yourself in the art of knitting. You can Knit-flix and binge your favorite show, take this project on the road, knit it on the beach or pool side. It’s just that easy and fun. You need your favorite cotton yarn, and a corresponding knitting needle. That’s it! Let’s jump into the free bias knit hand towel knitting pattern. Then I’ll explain how you can customize it to make it your own.
Cotton Yarn:
For every fiber, there is a range of softness, durability or performance, and weight. Cotton yarns can range from course to baby soft. And you can often find them from worsted weight all the way down to sock weight. I used to use Sugar N’Cream Yarn from Lilly (also sold by Yarnspirations). For this project I’ve used Lion Brand Yarn’s Re-Up Cotton and Polyester yarn blend. This yarn is very soft and perfect for a hand towel knitting pattern. It’s fairly absorbent as well. I have been using these in both my master bathroom and powder room and love them.
Confession Time: I actually spilled wine on this project as I was working on it. It was late at night. My daughter had come into my bed. I was siping some wine and happily knitting. But then I went to get her water and in my rush, I knocked over my knitting and my wine. It washed out really well! Which is another reason this yarn is great for these projects.
Knitting Needles for the Hand Towel Pattern
Lion Brand recommends using a US number seven needle in their gauge information. But I like to size down when I’m knitting. This pattern recommends a US size four knitting needle. Both straight and circular needles will work. Because this is a hand towel and not a smaller project like a washcloth, I prefer to use a circular needle. This will help the bulk or weight of the project hang between your hands rather than put all of the strain on one wrist. If you only have straight needles, don’t panic. It’s perfectly doable on those. This is just my preference after years of knitting and someone who is practically always knitting.
Hand Towel Knitting Pattern
Cast On Method:
My preference in most projects is a long tail cast on. You can use any cast on method that you feel comfortable or familiar with. Knitted cast ons are totally fine. This forms the corner of the hand towel since it’s knit on the bias. That means the cast on edge isn’t highly visible. If you’d like to learn the long tail method or want a refresher, here’s a video:
Pattern Instructions
Now that you have cast on. The main stitches that you’ll need to know are the knit stitch, the knit front and back increase, and the knit two together decrease.
Knit Font and Back: Knit the stitch, but do not take it off of your left hand needle. Work your right hand needle around from front to back. Insert the needle into the back of the stitch and knit it again. Now you can transfer the two stitches from the left hand needle to the right.
Knit Two Together: This is very similar to the normal knit stitch. Insert your right hand needle through the next two stitches on your left hand needle. Wrap your yarn around your right hand needle, and knit them as if they were a single stitch.
These two skills are what form the visual element of the border and help form the shape of the hand towel.
Cast on four stitches.
Row 1: Knit one stitch, then knit front and back. Knit the remaining stitches.
Row 2: Repeat row one.
You repeat rows one and two until you have 100 stitches on your needle. Then you will switch to the next section, which forms the body of the hand towel knitting pattern.
Row 1: Knit one stitch, then knit front and back. Knit the remaining stitches.
Row 2: Knit two stitches, then knit two together. Knit the remaining stitches.
For this section you will continue to work rows one and two until the hand towel measures long enough for your needles. This will be about 22 inches for most knitters. As you use the hand towel it will stretch a bit. Mine currently is measuring about 24 inches.
The third section of the knitting pattern shapes the final corner or edge of the hand towel.
Row 1: Knit two stitches, Knit two together. Knit to the end of the row.
Row 2: Repeat Row 1.
Work these two rows until you have four stitches remaining. Cast these live stitches off. Break your yarn and knot it. Then weave in your yarn tails. I like to wash my towel before using it so that it’s a little less stiff and has a better drape.
Casting Off: Knit the first stitch. Place it back on the left hand needle. Then, knit this stitch together with the next stitch. Continue replacing the stitch on the left hand needle and knitting it together with the next stitch until you have one live stitch remaining.
