shaker dishcloth

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Spinsjal Designs Shaker Dishcloth This design is from a description of a Shaker washcloth in Shaker Textile Arts by Beverly Gordon, c. 1980, University Press of New England. As of April 2012, this book is still in print. On p. 203 Gordon states “the standard design…for washcloths [was] a checkerboard-type combination of knit and purl stitch”. On p. 93 she states “washcloths, at least in the later days of the nineteenth century, were knitted or crocheted of cotton or linen, and typically had a simple checked or striped pattern. They were both sold as fancy goods in Shaker stores and used by the Believers.” It’s difficult to know if by “washcloth” Gordon means something that one might wash oneself with, or something more like a dishcloth. Either way, this simple pattern would serve. This pattern is free as there’s nothing particularly original about it; I have

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Page 1: Shaker Dishcloth

Spinsjal Designs

Shaker Dishcloth

This design is from a description of a Shaker washcloth in Shaker Textile Arts by Beverly Gordon, c. 1980, University Press of New England. As of April 2012, this book is still in print. On p. 203 Gordon states “the standard design…for washcloths [was] a checkerboard-type combination of knit and purl stitch”. On p. 93 she states “washcloths, at least in the later days of the nineteenth century, were knitted or crocheted of cotton or linen, and typically had a simple checked or striped pattern. They were both sold as fancy goods in Shaker stores and used by the Believers.” It’s difficult to know if by “washcloth” Gordon means something that one might wash oneself with, or something more like a dishcloth. Either way, this simple pattern would serve. This pattern is free as there’s nothing particularly original about it; I have

Page 2: Shaker Dishcloth

ancestors who lived in the Enfield and Canterbury New Hampshire Shaker communities, and I wanted to knit something that my Grandmothers Bella, Molly, or Eunice might have knit or used. Material: Dishcloth cotton, color of your choice. I used Lion Brand Kitchen Cotton purchased at Walmart and got 4 stitches per inch on a size 3 needle. The finished dishcloth is 6 ½ x 6 ½ inches however you can of course add stitches by multiples of two to get a larger dishcloth. Cast on 28 stitches. Pattern: Rows 1 and 2: K2 P2, continue to end of row, ending p2. Rows 3 and 4: P2 K2, continue to end of row, ending k2. Continue these 4 rows for a total of 47 rows. Bind off row 48 in pattern.