Valley Yarns Distylium Knitting Pattern

Valley Yarns Distylium Facecloths

What Is Being Made

The Valley Yarns Distylium pattern creates elegant 12" x 12" facecloths designed as versatile homeware accessories. These textured washcloths are perfect for wrapping around bars of scented soap and tying with ribbon to create holiday stocking stuffers and hostess gifts, or for personal use as soft, gentle facial cloths. The finished facecloths showcase beautiful stitch definition and a luxuriously soft hand suitable for delicate skin care.

Techniques Used

This beginner-friendly knitting pattern employs a bottom-up, worked-flat construction method, making it accessible for knitters new to the craft. The facecloths are created by working back and forth in rows rather than in the round, which simplifies the knitting process. The design features garter stitch borders framing a textured stitch field in the center, creating a balanced, finished appearance without requiring seaming. The pattern includes detailed instructions for the Long-Tail cast-on method, with reference to video tutorials for additional learning support.

Stitches Used

The primary stitch technique featured in the Distylium pattern is Diagonal Seed Stitch, a textured stitch pattern that creates visual interest and crisp definition. This stitch works over a multiple of 5 stitches and repeats across 10 rows, creating a diagonal movement of knit and purl stitches that produces the characteristic texture. The pattern also incorporates garter stitch for the borders, which is created by knitting every row and provides a sturdy, rolled edge frame for the facecloth. The combination of these stitches—the textured field contrasting with the simple garter borders—creates both aesthetic appeal and functional durability.

Materials: Yarn and Needles

Each facecloth requires Valley Yarns Leverett, a premium yarn blend consisting of 70% cotton and 30% linen. One skein produces one complete facecloth. The yarn comes in 50-gram hanks with 109 yards of yardage per skein. The Seafoam colorway shown in the pattern provides a fresh, spa-like aesthetic. Knitters should use US 5 (3.75mm) needles, or the size needed to achieve the specified gauge of 20 stitches and 36 rows over 4 inches in the textured stitch pattern when blocked. Additional materials include stitch markers for tracking pattern repeats and a tapestry needle for weaving in yarn tails after binding off.

Pattern Overview

Designed by Julie Turjoman and published by Valley Yarns, the Distylium pattern is rated at Beginner skill level, making it an excellent project for knitters developing their foundational skills. The cotton-linen blend yarn provides both crisp stitch definition that showcases the textured patterns beautifully and a soft, gentle hand ideal for facial care applications. The finished 12" x 12" square size is practical for everyday use while remaining substantial enough to gift with confidence.