9 Patch Entrelac Washcloth (Crochet)

This is a really simple washcloth. If you know how to do tunisian crochet, this is probably one you could do almost in your sleep. The first square is made with a foundation row of 7 stitches. You pick up 6 stitches, plus the starting loop on your first pass. Do your return pass as per usual. Make six rows. Then do a cast off edge for the seventh row.

Turn your work 90 degrees. Pick up 6 stitches in the edge of the first square. Adding the loop from the final stitch of the earlier section, you should have 7 loops on your hook. Do your return pass as per usual. Repeat the process that made the first square. When you do your cast off edge, you have two options. You can bind off when you finish casting off or you can slip stitch down the edge to the join with the first square. Which ever you choose, when you get to the part where the new square joins the edge of the old square, start working for your 7 loops as if your were starting that second square over again.

Repeat this process for the next two squares. This should give you what looks like a plus sign. Bind off your final stitch and (if you haven't already) break your yarn. Change to your secondary color. Pick a corner. Work from the outside edge of the second square to the outside edge of the first square (that corner where everything joins). Pick up 6 stitches, including the first chain loop (which I joined with a slip stitch, it is unnoticeable in the final project). Chain one at that last stitch you picked up, then do your return pass. After this, you will pick up for your forward pass one stitch in each stitch across except for your final stitch in the row. That stitch, you will pick up going through the edge of the square beside you. Return pass is done as per usual. When you have your 6 rows done, cast off as per usual and when you get to the final stitch, cast off as if that final stitch is a single crochet through that stitch in the other square. Break off your yarn and then move to the next corner.

When you have all of the outside corners done, change yarns to main color. Single crochet around the edge of the whole work. At the edge of the outermost corners of the outside squares, work 3 single crochets into the corner. When you return to the first corner, work a single crochet and then slip stitch to the first stitch of the round. Then work a round of half double crochet. When you get to that 3 stitch corner, work one stitch into the first of the three, one stitch, a chain, and a second stitch into the second stitch of the trio, and then one stitch into the third stitch of the cluster. When you come back to your first corner where you started, work one stitch into the side you come up to, the one stitch, chain, and a second stitch into the slipped stitch, and then slip stitch into the first stitch of the round. After this, work a round of moss stitch. At the corners, you will work a 3 chain space rather than a single chain space. Slip stitch together after two chains for the final corner worked where you are joining with the beginning of the round.

I used cotton yarn for the main color. The secondary color is acrylic. I think the cotton yarn was called psychadelic from Sugar and Cream (I am not entirely sure, and I have since recycled the ball band.) and the acrylic yarn was an odd bit of the Red Heart Super Saver called neon brights. The combination of cotton and acrylic works really well on pots and pans. The acrylic is scrubby enough that it can take baked on stuff off with a bit of elbow grease but soft enough that it won't destroy your nonstick pans. (It also works really good on crock pot crocks with out scratching it up to bits.)