Shoal of Fish Textured Towel

A cheerful textured hand towel worked flat in one piece. Knit-and-purl stitches create rows of raised fish swimming across a stocking-stitch "sea," framed by tidy garter borders. Shown here in a sea green chunky yarn — once blocked, the calm green stocking-stitch reads as water while the textured fish stand slightly proud of the surface, catching the light along their raised backs and fins. A lovely, quick beginner project.

Materials

• Yarn: Chunky-weight (bulky) yarn in sea green. Approx. 90–120 m (100–130 yds) for a standard towel of 8–10 motif repeats. (A single 100 g ball is usually plenty.)
• Needles: 6.0 mm (UK size 4 / US 10) straight or circular needles — whichever you find comfortable for working flat.
• Notions: Tapestry needle; 1–2 locking stitch markers; scissors.

Fibre suggestion: A smooth, plied cotton or cotton-blend chunky shows the fish texture best and stands up well to washing-up duty.

Tension (Gauge)

14 sts and 20 rows to 10 cm (4") over stocking stitch on 6.0 mm needles, after blocking. Tension is not critical for a towel, but it affects the finished size and yarn used. Work a small swatch if you want to match the measurements below.

Finished Measurements

• Width: approx. 28.5 cm (11¼")
  • Check: 40 sts ÷ 14 sts per 10 cm × 10 = 28.6 cm ✓
• Length: variable — approx. 4 cm (1½") per 8-row repeat, plus 6 cm (2½") total for the two garter borders. A towel of 9 repeats measures roughly 42 cm (16½") long.

Abbreviations (UK)

• k – knit
• p – purl
• st(s) – stitch(es)
• RS – right side
• WS – wrong side
• rep – repeat
• st st – stocking stitch

Pattern Notes

• Worked flat, bottom-up, in one colour throughout — there is no colourwork, so you only handle one strand of yarn.
• The 4 edge stitches at each side are worked in garter stitch as a border and are included in every row's stitch count.
• The central 32 stitches hold the fish motif: 32 ÷ 8 = 4 fish per row of the shoal. ✓
• Every row totals 4 + 32 + 4 = 40 sts. Confirm this occasionally to stay on track.
• Row 7 is a knit-all RS row, producing a single garter ridge that separates one shoal from the next.

Attached Stitch Chart

A separate stitch chart panel is attached to this pattern as its own asset — please refer to it for the visual grid rather than looking for a grid drawn in this text.

• Placement: The attached chart corresponds to the Fish Motif (Rows 1–8) section below. Work the written instructions and the attached chart panel side by side; they describe the same 8 rows.
• How to read it (flat knitting): The chart shows the central 32-stitch panel (the 4 edge border stitches at each side are not charted — simply knit them every row as written). Read RS rows (odd: 1, 3, 5, 7) from right to left, and WS rows (even: 2, 4, 6, 8) from left to right. Each square is one stitch; the symbol key tells you whether to knit or purl as the stitch appears on the RS.
• Colour/yarn management: This is a single-colour design, so there are no colour changes to track on the chart — every square is worked in your sea green yarn. The symbols indicate texture (knit vs. purl) only.
• Stitch-count integration: Chart width = 32 sts. Add your 4 garter border sts before and 4 after each charted row: 4 + 32 + 4 = 40 sts per row. ✓

Instructions

Bottom Border

Cast on 40 sts. Rows 1–6: Knit every stitch. (6 rows garter stitch)

Fish Motif (8-row repeat)

The 4 border sts at each edge are included. The central 32 sts contain 4 fish.

• Row 1 (RS): k4, *k3, p2, k3; rep from * to last 4 sts, k4. (4 + [3+2+3]×4 + 4 = 4 + 32 + 4 = 40 ✓)
• Row 2 (WS): k4, *p2, k1, p2, k1, p2; rep from * to last 4 sts, k4. (2+1+2+1+2 = 8 per rep ✓)
• Row 3 (RS): k4, *k1, p1, k4, p1, k1; rep from * to last 4 sts, k4. (1+1+4+1+1 = 8 per rep ✓)
• Row 4 (WS): k4, *p3, k2, p3; rep from * to last 4 sts, k4. (3+2+3 = 8 per rep ✓)
• Row 5 (RS): k4, k32, k4. (Plain stocking-stitch RS row — the "water" between shoals.)
• Row 6 (WS): k4, p32, k4.
• Row 7 (RS): k4, k32, k4. (Knit-all RS row — gives a single garter ridge to separate the shoals.)
• Row 8 (WS): k4, p32, k4.

Stitch-count check: every row uses 4 + 32 + 4 = 40 sts ✓.

Repeat Rows 1–8 for the body of the towel, working as many repeats as you like until the towel reaches your desired length. Remember to leave enough yarn for the top border and bind-off.

Tip: Place a locking marker on your work each time you complete Row 8, to keep count of how many shoals of fish you've made.

Top Border

After finishing a full 8-row repeat: Next 6 rows: Knit every stitch. (6 rows garter stitch)

Bind off all 40 sts knitwise. Cut yarn, leaving a 15 cm (6") tail.

Finishing

• Weave in ends: Using the tapestry needle, weave the cast-on and bind-off tails into the garter borders on the wrong side. Trim neatly.
• Block (optional but recommended): Soak the towel in lukewarm water, gently squeeze out excess (do not wring), and pat into a rectangle approx. 28.5 cm (11¼") wide (adjust length to your number of repeats). Lay flat to dry. Blocking evens out the stitches and really makes the fish texture pop.
• Optional hanging loop: Cut a 20 cm (8") length of yarn, fold into a loop, and stitch securely to one corner of the top border using the tapestry needle.

Enjoy your finished shoal of swimming fish — and happy washing-up!

A note on sizing: the original instructions mentioned a 22 cm blocked width. That figure suits a lighter yarn; because you asked for chunky yarn, the same 40 stitches naturally block wider (~28.5 cm), so I've updated the blocking width to match. If you specifically want a 22 cm width in chunky yarn, cast on 32 sts instead (4 border + 24 motif = 3 fish per shoal) — let me know and I'll rewrite the motif maths for that stitch count.