Make a Cute Croissant Tea Towel: Easy Knitting Pattern, Materials & Tips

The knitted croissant tea towel is a charming, practical kitchen accessory that brings a little whimsy to your cooking space. This pattern produces a one-size towel (35 x 43 cm / 14 x 17") worked side to side to create vertical stripes in garter stitch. It uses simple techniques—garter stitch and basic color changes—and includes a finishing option to add a hanging loop.

Sizes

One size: 35 x 43 cm (14 x 17").

Supplies

Yarn

For this tea towel the sample uses Lion Brand 24/7 cotton in colorways Ecru (MC), Amber (CC1), Camel (CC2). This yarn is a popular choice for kitchen towels.

If you'd like to knit the towel in a different yarn, choose any similar worsted weight (category 4 - medium) cotton yarn in contrasting colors. A few options that should work fine for a tea towel:

• Knit Picks Dishie
• Drops Paris
• Lion Brand Pima Cotton

Yardage: approx. 105 m (115 yds) of MC, 55 m (60 yds) of CC1 and 55 m (60 yds) of CC2.

Needles

• 5 mm (US 8) straight or circular needles, or size to obtain gauge

Other notions

• Tapestry needle and scissors

Gauge

18 stitches x 28 rows = 10 x 10 cm (4 x 4”) in garter stitch, blocked.

Pattern notes

The towel is worked side to side rather than bottom to top, to create vertical stripes in the simplest way.

As the tea towel is not a wearable item, gauge is not critical—however if you can’t match the gauge listed, the finished dimensions and yardage required will differ.

Hanging loop (optional)

If you'd like to add a hanging loop, modify the finishing as follows: bind off stitches until there are only 2 left on the needles (1 on left needle and 1 on right needle), k1, slip both stitches back to the left needle. The loop cord will be worked over these last 2 stitches. Work Row 1 until the cord measures approx. 10 cm (4") or desired length.

Row 1 (RS): k2, slip the stitches back to the left needle.

Bind off both stitches and sew the end of the cord to the back of the tea towel corner to create the hanging loop.

Note that adding the loop will increase the yardage by approx. 5 m (5 yds).

Color changes

To start a row with a new color, first break (cut) the previous color yarn, leaving approx. 15 cm (6") tail, then take the new color yarn strand and start working the new row, leaving a starting tail of approx. 15 cm (6"). Slip the first stitch, then knit the next stitches with the new strand.

Abbreviations

• CC - contrast color
• k - knit
• MC - main color
• sl1wyif - slip 1 stitch purlwise with yarn in front
• st(s) - stitch(es)

Instructions

With MC, cast on 77 sts using Long Tail Cast On.

Work Set Up Row 1 three times.

Set Up Row 1 (MC): sl1wyif, k until end of row.

STRIPE SEQUENCE

Break MC and join CC1, and work Row 1 four times.

Row 1 (CC1): sl1wyif, k until end of row.

Break CC1 and join MC, and work Row 2 four times.

Row 2 (MC): sl1wyif, k until end of row.

Break MC, join CC2, and work Row 3 four times.

Row 3 (CC2): sl1wyif, k until end of row.

Break CC2, join MC, and work Row 4 four times.

Row 4 (MC): sl1wyif, k until end of row.

Next, work the stripe sequence five more times, breaking and joining the correct yarn colors as you work. At the end, you will have worked 99 rows of the towel in total (including the set up rows).

Finishing

Bind off all stitches using a standard bind off, cut yarn and weave in ends. Block to dimensions.