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Knitting Stitches You Need to Know

Created exclusively for Craftsy by Lisa Gutierrez, Ashley Little & Andrea Sanchez

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Meet the Experts

Garter Stitch

Stockinette Stitch

Seed Stitch

Waffle Stitch

Kitchener Stitch

Linen Stitch

Bobble Stitch

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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LISA GUTIERREZ

Lisa is the blogger behind craft blog Goodknits (goodknits.com/blog/). She resides in Houston, where her two young sons drive her passion for DIY. A double threat in knitting and crochet, she can often be found with yarn and various hooks and needles in her purse. After all, a skein of yarn is a great cushion for her beloved camera.

ASHLEY LITTLE

Ashley Little is a writer and editor who left her job at Martha Stewart to freelance in the mountains of Asheville, North Carolina. She has her hands in all kinds of crafts, from knitting to crocheting and sewing. When she’s not crafting, she’s eating peanut butter, listening to Paul McCartney and playing ukulele -- sometimes all three at the same time. You can see what Ashley is making on her blog, The Feisty Redhead (thefeistyredhead.blogspot.com/).

ANDREA SANCHEZ

Andrea Sanchez is a yarn crazy knitter and knitwear designer who spends more time knitting than cleaning her house. When she’s not knitting, she’s thinking about knitting, or working at her other job as a kindergarten teacher. She lives in Ohio with her husband, son and two darling dogs. You can find her patterns here on Craftsy and read more about her life, crafting and other daily musing on her blog, Life on Laffer (lifeonlaffer.blogspot.com).

MEET THE EXPERTS

by Lisa Gutierrez

A GUIDE TO GARTER STITCH

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When you first start knitting, chances are the first stitch you’ll learn is the garter stitch. Its ease and propensity to lay flat makes it ideal for beginners. What makes it so easy? You knit EVERY row! You don’t even have to learn to purl to knit the garter stitch (flat). There are many other characteristics of garter stitch that make it great for a variety of patterns. Consider this your guide to garter stitch!

HOW TO KNIT THE GARTER STITCH

Simply knit every stitch! Specific patterns may call for increases or decreases and you just work those however they’re called for. To knit garter stitch in the round, knit all the stitches in one round, then purl all the stitches in the next. Repeat this two-round pattern. All edges are straight and lay flat.

GARTER STITCH GAUGE

Measuring gauge in garter stitch is much like measuring it in other patterns. It is easier to do if you mark 2” - 4” across a row. Pull the ridges apart to see the stitches more easily. When counting your row gauge, keep in mind that one garter ridge is equal to two rows. Usually, garter stitch will be shorter and wider than other stitches, when relaxed, with fantastic lengthwise elasticity. Some patterns may even call for a ribbing that is actually sideways garter stitch.

My gauge in my garter stitch swatch was 9 stitches and 8 rows = 2”. It was very nearly square! I think that if I had blocked my swatch before measuring, I could widen it to 8 stitches across the 2”.

Note: If you plan on blocking your project, it’s best to block your swatch when you measure gauge.

CHANGING COLORS

In my two-color swatch, I wanted the change to look seamless on the right side, so I changed colors on a right side row. If you do this, there will be a line across the wrong side where you can see the loops of stitches connecting (below, right). Sometimes a pattern will call for that sort of color feature on the right side, so you would have to change colors with the wrong side facing.

INCREASING/DECREASING

Increasing and decreasing are pretty much the same in garter stitch. The advantage it has is that the ridges tend to hide any bumps that may result from your increases (kfb, anyone?).

SEWING GARTER STITCH EDGES TOGETHER

If you take a look at the garter stitch edge, you will notice that the end of each ridge is composed of two loops. These will guide you in creating a seam that is only very faintly visible.

You can either lay your pieces flat next to each other with right sides facing, or you can pick them up like

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I did. I have pointed out, below, which loops you will sew through. You want to choose the bottom or top loop of the ridge on one side and then the opposite loop on the opposite edge. Don’t switch!

If you had a long enough tail from your cast-on edge, you can use that to sew the pieces together. If this is the case, insert your needle from back to front through the first stitch on the opposite piece, then from back to front on the first stitch of the piece that had the yarn. If you are using a scrap piece of yarn that isn’t connected, bring it from back to front of one piece, then back to front of the other piece. Use about 2 feet of yarn at a time, leaving a long enough tail to weave in afterward.

The next steps are so simple, you’ll wonder why you don’t sew pieces of garter stitch together everyday. Remember those loops I talked about above? Well,

take your needle and insert it through the top loop of one side, then through the bottom loop of the opposite piece. You are joining the ridges! Repeat the process, making sure to stick to working the top/bottom loop of one piece and then the opposite for the other piece.

You might still be able to see the seam, but you won’t be able to feel it and when the pieces are stretched (like in garments or hats), the seam nearly disappears. If I was more meticulous with my seaming tension, I could make the join invisible. I guess I need more practice!

A GUIDE TO GARTER STITCH

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by Andrea Sanchez

HOW TO KNIT THE STOCKINETTE STITCH

This is the right side of the fabric.

Stockinette stitch creates a fantastic fabric. It’s smooth, polished and let’s be honest, it’s an easy knitting pattern to work on while watching TV. Stockinette stitch (abbreviated St st) is a stitch that works well for almost any yarn. It is great for variegated yarns as the simple fabric really allows the colors in the yarn to shine.

A QUICK AND SIMPLE STOCKINETTE STITCH TUTORIAL

Step 1:Cast on stitches using your preferred cast-on method. (I’m a fan of the long-tail cast-on).

Step 2:Purl all stitches.

Step 3:Knit all stitches.

Repeat Steps 2 and 3 for as long as desired.

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Now, for this swatch, I used straight pins to hold the ends down because as you can see in the next photo, the nature of stockinette stitch fabric is to curl. Even after a good wet blocking, you will find that the sides of the fabric will curl.

TIPS FOR KNITTING THE STOCKINETTE STITCH:

Add a border. If you’ll be knitting mostly stockinette, adding a few stitches/rows of garter stitch at the edges will help things to lay flat.

When knitting in the round: After casting on your stitches, join to knit in the round using your preferred method. Knit all stitches every row to create the stockinette fabric. So easy!

HOW TO KNIT THE STOCKINETTE STITCH

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by Ashley Little

HOW TO KNIT SEED STITCH

The stitch beside it is wearing the scarf, or the V around its neck. That’s a knit stitch. Notice how the knit and purl stitches alternate across the needle in seed stitch.

KNIT THE PURLS

Let’s say your knitting was interrupted. You picked up the work again, and the next stitch on the needle is a purl stitch. (We know it’s a purl because of the noose around its neck, right?)

Remember that we knit the purls. So we’ll knit into that purl stitch.

PURL THE KNITS

Now let’s say you pick the knitting back up and see a knit stitch is next. (We know it’s a knit stitch because it has a little scarf or V around its neck.)

The seed stitch is one of my favorite knit stitches because it adds a texture to the knit that looks really complicated, even though it’s actually simple. If you know how to knit and purl, you’re ready to try seed stitch.

You might notice that British knitters refer to the seed stitch as moss stitch, which is even more confusing since American knitters have an entirely different stitch called the moss stitch. For our purposes, we’ll call it a seed stitch. If you happen to see a pattern by a British knitter that claims to be moss stitch and looks like seed stitch, it’s probably seed stitch.

THIS IS THE SEED STITCH AS YOU’D FIND IT WRITTEN IN A PATTERN:

Row 1 (RS): K1, *p1, k1; rep from * to end. Rep row 1.

The trick to the seed stitch is knowing when to knit and when to purl — you know, just in case you lose your place while knitting.

Once you’ve completed the first row, you’re going to be doing the exact same p1, k1 across the second row, except this time you’re going to knit the purls and purl the knits.

Say your house catches fire and you need to stop knitting. (You’ll run out of the flaming home with your knitting in tow, of course.) How can you tell what stitch you’re on? I always like using Debbie Stoller’s illustration from Stitch ‘N Bitch: The Knitter’s Handbook as an example. Debbie says that purl stitches -- which have the rounded bump -- look like they have a little noose around their necks, while knit stitches -- which have the little V -- look like they’re wearing a scarf.

Take a look at the difference. Notice that the first stitch on the needle all the way to the right has the little noose around its neck. That’s a purl stitch.

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We purl into the knit stitches, so when you see a knit stitch, purl.

HOW TO KNIT SEED STITCH

by Ashley Little

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HOW TO KNIT THE WAFFLE KNIT STITCH

Start by casting on a multiple of 3 stitches plus 1.

Row 1 (RS): *K1, p2; rep from * to last st, k1.

Row 2: *P1, k2; rep from * to last st, p1.

Row 3: Knit across the row.

Row 4: Purl across the row.

Repeat these 4 rows until you have reached the desired length.

Photo via Craftsy member Patricia2558

You may see variations on the waffle stitch. Some knitters like to make the waffle design larger, perhaps changing Row 1 to a K2, p3 repeat and changing Row 2 to a P2, k3 repeat. Other knitters like to do a slip-stitch pattern of the waffle stitch that is a bit more textured and works well with two colors. (See the photo above for an example of that type of waffle stitch.)

Do you look at everyday objects and try to figure out how to replicate them in your knitting? A lot of knit stitches are named for things around us, like the seed stitch or moss stitch. But have you ever been inspired by your breakfast food? It’s time to knit the waffle knit stitch.

Photo via Craftsy member Tot Toppers

The waffle stitch uses only knits and purls, so even if you’re a beginner knitter, you can give this stitch a try. The stitch looks just like the waffles on your breakfast plate that came out of the waffle iron. It’s created by simply alternating knits and purls that make little raised bumps similar to a waffle.

If the waffle knit stitch looks familiar, it’s probably because you’ve seen it (and probably even worn it) on a lot of winter clothing. The stitch is most famous for its use on thermal, whether it’s a thermal shirt or thermal underwear. For that reason, we associate it with being toasty warm, just like actual waffles.

STAY TOASTY WITH THE WAFFLE KNIT STITCH

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by Lisa Gutierrez

O’ KITCHENER! O’ KITCHENER! OF ALL THE SEAMS MOST LOVELY

On the needle in front, go through the first stitch as if to purl, or from back to front. Do not pull the stitch off the needle. If you are working with a tail, you can pull the yarn all the way through, but if you are working with a separate piece, make sure to leave an end long enough to weave in later.

On the needle in back, go through the first stitch as if to knit, or from front to back. Do not pull the stitch off the needle.

Now, you are ready to start grafting!

Step 1:On the front needle, go through the first stitch as if to knit. Pull the stitch off the needle.

Kitchener stitch is a finishing technique in knitting used to seam two sets of live stitches invisibly. It is essentially a new set of stitches woven from both live edges! Also called grafting in knitting, the Kitchener stitch is fun to say, but can seem a little daunting to new knitters.

HERE IS A TUTORIAL FOR GRAFTING TWO EDGES OF STOCKINETTE STITCH TOGETHER:

Your stitches should be arranged on two needles so that when the purl sides are facing each other, you have the points of the needles on the right.

For the purpose of this tutorial, I have used a contrasting piece of yarn, but you can certainly use the tail of one of your pieces. It’s best if the tail comes from the piece that is at the back. Make sure the tail or contrasting piece of yarn is about three times as long as the edge you want to graft. Thread your tail through a yarn or tapestry needle and perform the following set-up steps once:

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stitch as if to knit. Do not pull the stitch off the needle.

Repeat these four steps for the Kitchener stitch. You might find it easy to remember if you chant, “knit, purl, purl, knit” as you go along.

Only tighten lightly as you are grafting. You will be able to adjust this row of stitches later to match the gauge of the rest of your project.

Once you get a hang of the technique, you might be able to combine Steps 1-2 into a single movement and Steps 3-4 into another. It becomes fairly simple to pull the stitch off the needle knit-wise and then go through the next purl-wise (and vice-versa for Steps 3-4), as seen below:

When you only have one stitch left on each needle, do Step 1, then jump to Step 3. After this, you can begin to adjust the tension of the row. Start on the right side of the row and pull up the right side of the stitch, then the left. It sounds tedious, but it’s quick work and makes all the difference!

Step 2:Still on the front needle, go through the [new] first stitch as if to purl. Do not pull the stitch off the needle.

Step 3:On the back needle, go through the first stitch as if to purl. Pull the stitch off the needle.

Step 4:Still on the back needle, go through the [new] first

O’ KITCHENER! O’ KITCHENER! OF ALL THE SEAMS MOST LOVELY

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Grafting stockinette stitch is a fairly simple process, but weaving edges together in garter stitch or rib can be a little more complicated. When you’re learning knit grafting, it’s important to learn the following:

• Techniques for knitting fabrics of different weights

• To Kitchener stitch across both cabled and ribbed fabric

• To join seamless-looking stockinette, garter and seed stitches

• And how to plan, chart and align motifs

O’ KITCHENER! O’ KITCHENER! OF ALL THE SEAMS MOST LOVELY

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by Lisa Gutierrez

The linen stitch in knitting, sometimes known as fabric stitch, is one of those ingenious stitch patterns that can result in different looks just by changing up the color scheme. The slipped stitch pattern creates a beautiful woven effect and a firm fabric that does not curl. I have highlighted the effect different color patterns have on the overall look of the stitch.

HOW TO KNIT THE LINEN STITCH

Linen stitch pattern

Worked over an even number of stitches. Slip stitches purlwise.

Row 1: *Knit 1, slip 1 with yarn in front; Repeat from * to end. Turn.

Row 2: *Purl 1, slip 1 with yarn in back; Repeat from * to end. Turn.

SOLID LINEN STITCH

Work every row in the same color and the result is a gorgeous solid fabric with a bit of texture. It would look great as a scarf or perhaps a place mat. The “wrong side” of the fabric looks a lot like seed stitch, so whatever you make is reversible!

TWO-COLOR LINEN STITCH

How gorgeous is the two-color pattern? Work with color A for two rows and color B for two rows. Continue to alternate colors every two rows. The two-color pattern enhances the woven effect. I

suggest casting on with color A and going right to Row 2, then switching to color B for the next two rows. I did a complete Row 1 and 2 in my swatch and ended up with a big chunk of gray at the bottom.

THREE-COLOR LINEN STITCH

To get a cool speckled fabric, you can add in a third color. Start with color A and work Row 1, switch to color B for Row 2, then to color C when you go back to Row 1. Pick up color A to work Row 2, then switch to color B for Row 1, and finally work Row 2 with color C. And the end of the 6-row repeat, you have worked every row in each color, just not one right after the other. Cast on with color A and go right to Row 2 with color B.

Row 1: Color A

Row 2: Color B

Row 1: Color C

Row 2: Color A

Row 1: Color B

Row 2: Color C

FALLING IN LOVE WITH LINEN STITCH: A TUTORIAL

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WORKING IN THE ROUND

When working in the round, the right side of the fabric is always facing you. As a result, you will have to change the pattern up a bit.

LINEN STITCH IN THE ROUND

Worked over an even number of stitches.

Round 1: *K 1, slip 1 with yarn in front; Repeat from * around.

Round 2: *Slip 1 with yarn in front, K 1; Repeat from * around.

I have also seen projects worked flat but instead of turning and working the wrong side row, yarn is attached at the beginning and worked across again. You can use the “in the round” pattern for this. The tail yarns at the beginning and end of the rows are used as fringe and the result is quite lovely.

The stitch pattern also looks spectacular in variegated and self-striping yarns. The pattern is simple enough to not take away from the color variances. Instead, I think it adds just the right amount of texture to make those color changes more interesting.

FALLING IN LOVE WITH LINEN STITCH: A TUTORIAL

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by Lisa Gutierrez

HOW TO KNIT A BOBBLE STITCH

“Bobble” is not only a fun word to say, it is a fun technique to add 3-D texture to your project. You can add bobbles to pretty much any item. The technique is less a stitch pattern and more an actual stitch. That is to say, you do the entire bobble “procedure” at a single point in your knitting. Does that sound complicated? I assure you, it is not!

HOW TO KNIT A LARGE BOBBLE

When you get to the point where you want to add the bobble, you have to complete the next few steps:

Step 1:INCREASE one stitch to five. To do this, knit into the front and back of the stitch TWICE without pulling it off the left, then into the front once more and drop the stitch from your left needle.

Step 2:Turn your work, purl across the five stitches, then turn again, knit across five, turn, purl across five, turn once more, and knit across the five one last time.

Step 3:Now we have to decrease back down to one stitch. To do this, slip the second stitch on the right needle over the first stitch four times. Your completed bobble should look like the photo above!

That’s it! Essentially, the bobble is an increase into one stitch, then about four tiny rows, and a decrease back down to one. The tiny rows fold onto themselves to make the bobble.

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On the right needle, slip the second stitch over the first stitch three times to get back down to one.

Here is a comparison of the big bobble and little bobbles.

Most patterns will specify what sort of bobble you should use. There will likely be instructions at the beginning of the pattern to tell you exactly how to make it! Don’t be intimidated by these super easy stitches.

HOW TO KNIT A SMALLER BOBBLE

If you are like me and enjoy the more subtle texture of smaller 3-dimensional stitches, this little bobble is for you.

When you get to the stitch you want to place your bobble at, increase the stitch to four by knitting into the front and back of it twice.

Turn, and purl across the four stitches.

Then, turn and knit across them.

HOW TO KNIT A BOBBLE STITCH

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