NOTE: This is a great pattern for total beginners!

I first gave my “middlest” daughter a knitting lesson when she was three, at her request. This was followed by a total drought of interest for a few years, as her second request for a lesson didn’t happen until she was about six. Then more drought. But when she was about eight, she asked to be taught again, and this time it seemed to interest her more - she remembered the instructions after that, and every now and again would pull out her practice knitting and give it another go.

At age nine, she became even more keen, and I took her instruction to a new level, introducing cables and the concept of lace. It was clear that she wanted more of a challenge, so I whipped up a beginner pattern for her, which took into account the fact that she already knew how to cast on, knit, and purl. The item: a dishcloth! (Dishcloths are fantastic beginner projects: not too big, and no need for shaping, but you still get a practical item at the end.) I avoided abbreviations and used more natural language than one usually finds in knitting patterns. I also didn’t tell her what it was going to end up looking like, so the heart motif emerged as a delightful surprise as she followed the instructions row-by-row.

The sample shown was her first attempt at executing this pattern. Both she and I are very proud!

Skills required

• casting on
• knitting
• purling
• binding off