Square Dishcloth Knit Pattern — letters made with knits & purls ("fuck")

Quick, textured cotton dishcloth that spells the word "fuck" using only knit and purl stitches. Works flat (back-and-forth) and produces raised letters that are visible on both sides. Notes and measurements below so you can scale or adapt.

Finished size

Approximately 9–11 in / 24–28 cm square (depends on gauge). Adjust needles or yarn to change size.

Yarn

• Worsted-weight cotton (category 4). Approx 120 yards (110 metres) / 100 grams. One 100 g ball or about 120 yd (110 m) will be more than enough; a smaller 50 g ball (approx 60 yd / 55 m) can also work if you prefer a lighter cloth.
• For a denser dishcloth you can use a heavier cotton or use smaller needles; for a softer cloth, go up a needle size.

Needles

• Suggested: US 7 – UK (old) 7 – 4.5 mm circular needles or straight needles (or size to obtain gauge).

Gauge

Approximately 18 sts x 24 rows = 4 in / 10 cm in stockinette with 4.5 mm needles. Your personal gauge will change finished size; measure and adjust needle size if needed.

Notions

• Tapestry needle for weaving in ends
• Scissors

Abbreviations

• K = knit
• P = purl
• st(s) = stitch(es)
• RS = right side
• WS = wrong side

Construction overview

You’ll cast on a set number of stitches, work a garter border to help edges lie flat, then a central body where the letters are made by working purl stitches on RS rows in a field of knit stitches. On WS rows you purl across the main panel so that the letter pixels become garter ridges (purl both sides) and the background remains stockinette (knit on RS, purl on WS). Keep 3-stitch garter selvedge at each edge (K every row) to prevent curling.

Sizes & cast-on

This pattern uses a 31-stitch letter panel plus 3-stitch garter selvedges on each side. Cast on 37 sts total.

Breakdown: 3 sts (left garter selvedge) + 31 sts (letter panel) + 3 sts (right garter selvedge) = 37 sts.

Garter border

Work 6 rows of garter (knit every row) for a neat top edge before starting the letter panel.

Main pattern notes

• On every row (RS and WS) **knit the first 3 sts and the last 3 sts** to keep a garter selvedge.
• Between the selvedges is the 31-stitch letter panel. On RS rows (when you are working the chart row shown below) knit background stitches and purl the letter pixels. On WS rows, after knitting the 3-stitch selvedge, purl every stitch across the panel (this makes the letter pixels garter ridges visible on both sides, while the background remains stockinette).
• The chart below is shown top-to-bottom (Row 1 is the top row of the letters). Work Row 1 first (RS), then Row 2 (WS), continuing through Row 7 (WS/RS as noted). Repeat the 7-row letter block only once (the word fits in a single 7-row band), or repeat vertically if you want multiple bands of the word.

Letter chart (31 sts wide; 7 rows high)

Legend: "P" = purl on RS (letter pixel). "." = background knit on RS.

Row 1 (RS): PPPPPPP . P.....P . .PPPPP. . P....P.
Row 2 (WS): P...... . P.....P . P.....P . P...P..
Row 3 (RS): P...... . P.....P . P...... . P..P...
Row 4 (WS): PPPPP.. . P.....P . P...... . P.P....
Row 5 (RS): P...... . P.....P . P...... . P..P...
Row 6 (WS): P...... . P.....P . P.....P . P...P..
Row 7 (RS): P...... . .PPPPP. . .PPPPP. . P....P.

Notes on reading the chart: each group of 7 characters is one letter (F, U, C, K); single dots between letters indicate one column of spacing. The panel is 31 stitches across; when you place it between the 3-stitch selvedges you have the full 37-stitch width.

Row-by-row (explicit)

After completing the 6-row garter top border, begin the following rows. For every row below: K3 (selvedge), work the 31-st panel as described, K3 (selvedge). On WS rows you still K3 at start and end and P across the 31-st panel.

Work these rows in order (Row 1 = top of letters):

1. Row 1 (RS): K3, follow Row 1 of chart across panel: P for "P" positions and K for "." positions, K3.
2. Row 2 (WS): K3, P across the 31 sts of the panel, K3.
3. Row 3 (RS): K3, follow Row 3 of chart (P = purl, . = knit), K3.
4. Row 4 (WS): K3, P across panel, K3.
5. Row 5 (RS): K3, follow Row 5 of chart, K3.
6. Row 6 (WS): K3, P across panel, K3.
7. Row 7 (RS): K3, follow Row 7 of chart, K3.

After the letter band you can continue knitting plain stockinette in the same manner (RS: K3, knit across panel as background and K3; WS: K3, purl across panel, K3) until the piece is square. A simple way to make the cloth square is to measure the width in inches (or cm) and continue until the length equals the width. With the suggested gauge you should reach about 9–10 inches when you stop.

Bottom border & finish

When the cloth is the desired length, work 6 rows of garter (knit every row) for the bottom border. Bind off loosely in knit stitch. Weave in ends and block lightly if you wish (cotton won't change shape dramatically but a gentle steam/block can even out edges).

Tips

• Keep tension even for the panel. Because letter pixels are purl on RS and purl on WS, they will sit up slightly from the stockinette background and give good definition.
• If letters look too tight or too loose, change needle size by a half size and make a small gauge swatch with the letter pattern to see effect.
• If you prefer the letters reversed (knit letters on purl background), invert the instructions: P across the background on RS and knit the letter pixels on RS; remember to invert WS behavior so the letters read as intended.

Variations

• Scale vertically by making letters 9 rows high for a chunkier font; scale horizontally by using 9-st wide letters. Adjust cast-on accordingly.
• Use two colors and slip-stitch or stranded colorwork if you want color rather than texture—but this pattern keeps it simple: only K and P required.

Enjoy your textured, no-frills dishcloth that spells exactly what you want it to with only knits and purls.

Pattern provided by PurlJam. Website: https://purljam.verde.uk • Support: team@verde.uk • Social: #purljam

Created by purlJam with the help of magic AI dust. Shop Verde for patterns and yarn.

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