Hi all! I have a baby shower to go to this weekend, and so this week – instead of blogging – I have designed a baby butterfly dishcloth. Do you like it?
Just treating you some photos of it today. I will make a couple more of them as they make fabulous, face clothes or kitchen potholder as well. I’m titling this butterfly washcloth knitting pattern, but I have to finalize transposing my design from knitting charts into written knitting language. I will work on it this weekend and Monday. Expect the pattern on Tuesday.
What do you think?
This photo is before the blocking.
While I love how the butterfly came out, I am realizing that the yarn variance is showing when you place the washcloth onto a dark surface. I’m sure that on the bathroom bath rim, you are not going to notice any stitch unevenness, btw.
Anyhow, the perfectionist in me is trying to make sure that the pattern will be perfect.
Right now I think this work needs blocking to make the stitches more even and looking slightly denser. Let’s see how that comes out before I insist that you work with yarn of the same thickness only….
Tip
Regardless, I recommend that if this you also want to work with yarn of different thickness, that you do it differently: you’ll first make the washcloth with just the pink border; no butterfly knitting pattern in the center.
Embroidery vs. Intarsia Knitting
Then, I’d embroider the butterfly onto the surface when your washcloth is completed. Doing it this way will You’ll get far more regular results.
See, the antennae of the butterfly? I just embroidered these stitches on the top right (see arrow). They actually looks better than the intarsia knitting method.
If my pink yarn would have been the same thickness as the white yarn and/or if there were more than just 1 single stitch in the center of the butterfly the intarsia knitting method would of course give professional results.
Now, I have to remind you that these pictures were taken before blocking. Blocking will have a very favorable impact on the look and feel of this wash cloth.
Butterfly Washcloth Knitting Pattern
- In my pattern, I’ll show you how to create this design in monochrome as well, but using simple stitch variations.
- As well, I will give you a couple of variant borders to choose from. You know me: my patterns are always very flexible and forgiving.
I am calling this a washcloth, but it could equally be used as a facecloth, or a kitchen cloth, as a page in a baby look book, a side of a toy cube, or a panel on a knitted baby blanket.
Yarn Needed for your Butterfly Washcloth Knitting Pattern
The yarn I am using is thin lace –making Egyptian cotton yarn. It leads to superfine, and a relatively small result. If you’d use the more standard cotton yarn, you’ll end up with a more standard sized washcloth, in the order of 6-7”, more or less square.
I will let you know when the final pattern is done. If you want to put your name in the hat as a pattern tester and get a free copy of the pattern, leave me a comment with your name, email and level of knitting experience in the comments below.
More Butterfly Crafts
Btw. Here are a whole slew of other free butterfly craft ideas and tutorials.