BY REQUEST, THE EYELET BORDERED HEART DISHCLOTH PATTERN

Many thanks to all the kind folks who contacted me about my heart shaped dish cloth design. Since it's been quite a while since I first knit the prototype, and since dummy me didn't take the time to actually write down any pattern notes while knitting merrily along, I have to admit that I've more or less been avoiding doing the dreaded sitting- down- and -figuring- it- all- out! But, since it's raining miserably today, and, what the heck, I've nothing else to do, ( aside from laundry, vacuuming/dusting, cleaning out closets, weeding and planting the gardens, painting the basement stairs, etc) I decided to have a go at it, just for YOU, Gentle Knitter.

Originally the Heart Dish Cloth was designed to be sold at my church's Dish Cloth/Pork and Sauerkraut Dinner. This week I managed to retrieve the cloth from the "knitting room" at church so I could pick it apart a bit to see how I knitted the final few rows that shape the top of the heart.

Giving credit to the creator of "Grandma's Favorite Dishcloth" whoever they may be, I had reasoned that the pattern could be somehow manipulated to form a heart with an eyelet border. The big challenge was how to keep the eyelets in pattern while doing the decreases necessary to get the gentle sloping along the ends and the dips in the middle. On my cloth I ripped back several rows until there were 31 stitches on the needles. It did take a few feeble attempts until I got the final results that I am satisfied with.
Needless to say, I will make it a point to jot these things down as I'm working on them from now on!
Hope the pattern works out well for you. Contact me if you hit a snag, find a problem, or even have a better idea for shaping and finishing the top of the heart!

EYELET BORDERED HEART DISHCLOTH

BY THE KNITORIOUS MRS. B.

Approximate size = 8 in. x 9 1/2 in.

1 ball dish cloth cotton

size 7 needles

Co 3 stitches

row 1: K1, Knit front and back in the 2ND stitch, k1 (4 st.)

row 2: K2, yo, knit to the end. ( 5 st.)

Repeat row 2 until side of cloth measures about 6 inches from the bottom tip.

Shaping The Sides:

Next row: K2, yo, knit 2 together THRU THE BACK LOOPS, knit to the end of row.

Repeat this row 9 more times.

Beginning The Decreases For The Top:

Next row: K1, knit 2 together THRU THE BACK LOOPS, yo, K2 tog THRU THE BACK LOOPS, knit to end of row.

Repeat this row 9 or 10 more times, until you have 31 stitches on your needle.

Top Of the Heart Shaping:

Next row: K1, k 2 tog THRU THE BACK LOOPS, ( yo, k 2 tog THRU THE BACK LOOPS) 5 times, then yo, k1, *k1, knit the next stitch and slip it over the *knit stitch that is on the right hand needle so there is a slight slant to the right. Turn your work.

Next row: k2 tog TBL, knit to the last 2 stitches, knit 2 tog THRU THE FRONT LOOPS. Turn work.

Next row: Beginning to BO by Knitting the first 2 stitches together TBL, continue in a normal BO until the last 2 stitches remain on left needle. Knit last 2 stitches together and complete the BO by slipping the first of the 2 stitches on the right needle over the newest stitch. One remaining stitch is on the right needle. You should be at the middle of the heart, not on the end. DO NOT CUT YARN YET!

Treat the remaining stitch as a loop and, carefully removing it from the needle, begin pulling yarn from the ball until you have about 3 yards. Cut the yarn. There should be enough to finish the other side of the heart top.( This requires some guessing on you part in order not to have to cut the yarn and tie it back on!) Thread yarn onto a needle and weave it thru the garter stitch "bumps" down to where the "dip" of the heart is and then come up to where the other side of the heart starts to ascend. Your yarn should come up next to the first stitch on your left needle.

Begin this row:

K2 tog TBL, k1, (yo, k2 tog TBL) 5 times, k2, Turn.

Next row: K2 tog TBL, knit to last 2 stitches, K2 tog TFL. Turn.

Begin to BO by knitting the forst 2 stitches together TBL, continue in normal BO until last 2 stitches remain on left needle. Knit the last 2 stitches together and complete the BO by slipping the 1st stitch on the right needle over the newest stitch. Cut yarn and weave in ends.

I think you could very easily adapt this pattern to different size hearts just by shortening the rows knit from the tip up to where the side decreases!

Here's a teensie one I knit today!

enjoy!