Nana's Bathmat

Those of us not fortunate enough to have had moth­ers and grandmothers engaged in needlework and other handcrafts are left with the wonderful task of making our own handmade memorables. Knitted items that get every­day use can be even more precious than heirloom quality pieces reserved for special occasions, because they serve as a constant reminder of the love and patience it took to knit them. Nothing cheers me up more than being surrounded by my handknit creations. This is the bath mat your Nana would have knit if your Nana were a knitter.

At first glance, this bath mat looks like it’s knit in plain old garter stitch. Look a little more closely, and you’ll see that the knit-purl pattern actually creates a fabric with a corrugated look. The mat is worked with two pieces of yarn stranded together to create a thick, sturdy fabric.

BATH MAT
With size US 10_ (6.5mm) needles and 2 strands of A cast on 70 sts and knit 2 rows.

BEGIN STITCH PATTERN
Row 1: k1, * k2, p2; rep from * to last st, k1.
Row 2: k1, * p2, k2; rep from * to last st, k1.
Repeat Rows 1 and 2 until piece mea­sures approximately 31 in [80cm], ending with row 2.
Knit 2 rows. Bind off all sts.

FINISHING
With 2 strands of B and size K crochet hook, work 1 round of slip stitch around edges of bathmat, then round of single crochet Weave in all ends.