Knitting · Beginner · 4-6 hours, over a few days

First Project: Garter-Stitch Dishcloth

A dishcloth is a perfect first project: it uses only the knit stitch, it is small, and it is useful. Cotton yarn soaks up water and can go in the washing machine. These numbers come from a Utah State University Extension dishcloth with the lace rows left out.

Garter stitch: rows of bumps (ridges) with Vs between, the same on both sides. Each ridge is two rows.

You'll need

About 2 oz (one small ball) of medium (#4, worsted) cotton yarn
US 8 (5 mm) needles
Tapestry needle
Scissors

Step by step

Tick each step as you go if you like; ticks stay on this device.

Cast on 43 stitchesUse the long-tail cast-on, or any cast-on you like.
Knit every rowKnit across every single row. This makes garter stitch, with bumpy ridges on both sides.
Count now and thenCount your stitches every few rows. You should always have 43.
MeasureKeep going until the cloth is about as long as it is wide, about 9 inches. That is roughly 75 to 80 rows, or about 38 ridges.
Bind offBind off all stitches loosely, knitting each one.
FinishWeave in both yarn tails and trim them.

Tips

Scarf instead? With medium (worsted) yarn on US 9 (5.5 mm) needles, cast on 22 stitches and knit every row until it is about 72 inches long (4-H Knitting Handbook, Utah State).
Smaller first try: the Craft Yarn Council beginner block is 28 stitches on US 8 needles with worsted yarn, knit until 9 inches long. It makes a 7-by-9-inch rectangle.
In garter stitch, one ridge equals two rows, which makes counting easy.

If something goes wrong

Problem	Fix
The cloth is getting wider or narrower.	You are adding or losing stitches. Count each row. Look for a dropped stitch or a stitch split in two near the edges.

Sources

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