Did you know Earth Day was first celebrated in 1970? We still have a long way to go in reversing the damage we’ve done to this home of ours, but I think there are tiny steps each of us can start to take that will add up to big change. To honor the planet and all of its gifts, I wanted to create something special for Earth Day this year that would be useful and also inspiring to others who want to begin taking these tiny steps.
Enter the Marseille (crochet) and Alsace (knit) Tea Towels. These washable, reusable kitchen towel patterns make excellent additions to your home and beautiful gifts for loved ones. Scroll down to find the patterns for free until Tuesday, April 24th at 11:59pm EST, after which they will return to normal pricing and join my Purposeful Patterns initiative whereby $1 from the sale of each pattern will be donated to the
While saving the planet can be totally overwhelming and seemingly impossible for any one person to do, it’s the collective efforts we all make that will start to make an impact. I was inspired by my dear friends from the
I’ve been blown away with the love my
Both the Marseille and Alsace tea towels use the linen stitch in their respective crafts and were inspired by French bistro towels, which I personally love to use as kitchen towels, napkins, cleaning rags, and pressing cloths for steam blocking my knits. I chose to work with
The Marseille Tea Towel is an easy level crochet pattern, and the techniques involved are single crochet, chaining and skipping stitches, and working into chain spaces.
MATERIALS:
2 skeins
1 skein
FINISHED SIZE:
Length: 25”/64cm
Width: 16”/41cm
GAUGE:
16 sts x 15 rows = 4”/10cm in linen stitch
ABBREVIATIONS:
*All Two of Wands patterns are written in standard US terms
Ch – chain
Ch-sp – chain space
Sc – single crochet
Sk – skip
St(s) – stitch(es)
Notes: Towel is worked in striped linen stitch. To change colors, work the last yarn over of the last stitch of the previous color in the new color.
With MC, ch 65.
Row 1: Starting in 2nd ch from hook, sc across row. (64 sts)
Row 2: Ch 2, sk 1, sc 1, *ch 1, sk 1, sc 1, rep from * to end of row.
Row 3: Ch 2, *sk 1, sc in ch-sp, rep from * to end of row.
Rows 4-9: Rep row 3.
Change to CC.
Rep row 3 twice.
Change to MC.
Rep row 3 twice.
Change to CC.
Rep row 3 four times.
Change to MC.
Rep row 3 twice.
Change to CC.
Rep row 3 twice.
Change to MC.
Rep row 3 until work measures 20”/51cm.
Change to CC.
Rep row 3 twice.
Change to MC.
Rep row 3 twice.
Change to CC.
Rep row 3 four times.
Change to MC.
Rep row 3 twice.
Change to CC.
Rep row 3 twice.
Change to MC.
Rep row 3 eight times.
Last row: Ch 1, sc across row.
Hook loop:
With MC, ch tightly for 2”/5cm. Tie tail ends together to form a loop. Fold towel in half widthwise and use tail ends to secure loop to center point.
Secure and weave in all ends.
Download a printer-friendly PDF of the Marseille Tea Towel pattern
The Alsace Tea Towel is an easy level knitting pattern, and the techniques involved are knit, purl, and slipping stitches.
MATERIALS:
1 skein
1 skein
FINISHED SIZE:
Length: 18”/46cm
Width: 14”/36cm
GAUGE:
18 sts x 32 rows = 4”/10cm in linen stitch
ABBREVIATIONS:
*All Two of Wands patterns are written in standard US terms
CO – cast on
K – knit
P – purl
Rep – repeat
RS – right side
Sl – slip
St(s) – stitch(es)
Wyib – with yarn in back
Wyif – with yarn in front
Notes: Towel is worked in striped linen stitch. All sts are slipped purlwise.
With MC, CO 65.
Row 1 (RS): K 1, *Sl 1 wyif, K 1, rep from * across row.
Row 2: P 2, *Sl 1 wyib, P 1, rep from * to last st, P 1.
Rep rows 1 and 2 until work measures 2”/5cm.
Change to CC.
Next 4 rows: Rep rows 1 and 2.
Change to MC.
Next 4 rows: Rep rows 1 and 2.
Change to CC.
Next 8 rows: Rep rows 1 and 2.
Change to MC.
Next 4 rows: Rep rows 1 and 2.
Change to CC.
Next 4 rows: Rep rows 1 and 2.
Change to MC.
Rep rows 1 and 2 until work measures 13”/33cm.
Change to CC.
Next 4 rows: Rep rows 1 and 2.
Change to MC.
Next 4 rows: Rep rows 1 and 2.
Change to CC.
Next 8 rows: Rep rows 1 and 2.
Change to MC.
Next 4 rows: Rep rows 1 and 2.
Change to CC.
Next 4 rows: Rep rows 1 and 2.
Change to MC.
Rep rows 1 and 2 for 2”/5cm.
Bind off. Block work to even out sts.
Hook loop:
With MC, finger chain for 2”/5cm. To do this, make a large slipknot loop as if you were making the first stitch of a knit or crochet project. Holding the working yarn and the tail in your left hand, use the thumb and middle finger of your right hand to reach through the loop, grab the working yarn, pull a loop through the original loop and pull it taught. Then reach through that loop, grab the working yarn, pull through another loop and pull it taught. Continue in this manner until the chains measure 2”/5cm.
Tie tail ends together to form a loop. Fold towel in half widthwise and use tail ends to secure loop to center point.
Secure and weave in all ends.
Download a printer-friendly PDF of the Alsace Tea Towel pattern
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