Stitch Patterns – Three Examples of Ribbing

August 7, 2009| Lindy| 0 Comment | 9:30 am

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3Ribbings

All ribbing is a combination of knit and purl stitches across a row. When you knit back on the next row, you knit the stitches as the face you, that is, knit the knit stitches and purl the purl stitches. The knit stitches form a ridge (or rib) and the purl stitches form a valley. Ribbing is essentially a reversible fabric. Ribbing is elastic crosswise and will stretch lengthwise and is most often used for sweater neckbands and bottoms and the cuff of socks. Ribbing also “pulls in” naturally, so it will effect the shape of your garment.

One-By-One (1×1) Ribbing:

This is knitted exactly as it says. Knit 1 stitch, purl 1 stitch across the row. (Remember to move your yarn from back to front as you knit and purl.) If you are knitting this ribbing flat for a garment, you should be knitting an odd number of stitches, so that when the garment is seamed together the ribbing will appear to be continuous. If you are knitting in the round, you should always have an even number of stitches. This ribbing is the most elastic of ribbings. It tends to look more loosely knit than stockinette stitch, and because it is so elastic, most patterns have you knit your ribbing on needles that are a size or two smaller than the body of the pattern.

Two-By-Two (2×2) Ribbing:

2x2Ribbing

This ribbing is made by K2, P2 across the row. It is a multiple of 4 stitches, so when knitting a flat piece to be joined with another, you should be knitting a multiple of 4 plus 1 stitch so that the pieces will weave together correctly. For knitting in the round, you would knit over a multiple of 4 stitches. This is a popular ribbing and it works well for sock cuffs, but it is not as elastic as the 1×1 ribbing.

Three-By-One (3×1) Ribbing:

3x1Ribbing

This ribbing is also a multiple of 4 stitches: K3, P1 across. The rules for 2×2 ribbing also apply to this ribbing. As you can see in the picture, this produces a wide rib with an almost invisible valley. I have seen this ribbing used in sock patterns and it does give the socks and attractive looking cuff.

Other Ribbing Patterns: There are many other variations of ribbing, including Cabled Ribbing, Four-By-Two Ribbing, and Six-by-Three Ribbing. I will include an example of Cabled Ribbing in a latter post on Cable Stitch Patterns.

Note: For information about tension issues with ribbing, see my post: Master Knitter Level I – Swatches # 1, 2, & 3.

Provisional Cast OnProvisional Cast On

April 6, 2021| LindyBeir| 0 Comment| 9:31 am

A Provisional Cast On is a method for making a temporary cast on that can be removed later. The method I use requires a crochet hook and either waste yarn or an extra cable from a circular needle. If you are using waste yarn, you should use a slippery yarn in a contrasting color so that the cast on stitches can be easily removed.

Where this cast on is used:

Knitting hems or edges where you want to add a border or knit in the opposite direction
Knitting scarves when you want the ends to be identical

To make the Provisional Cast On use a crochet hook the same size equivalent as your knitting needle. Start by making a slip knot with waste yarn and placing it on the crochet hook.(This does not count as a stitch.) Hold your knitting needle in your left hand and the crochet hook in your right hand. Make a stitch over the needle or cable by holding the yarn strand under the needle and taking the crochet hook over the needle, grabbing the strand and pulling it through the loop on the crochet hook. Repeat this process until you have the desired number of stitches.

If you are a crocheter, you can do a Provisional Cast On by making a crochet chain and then knitting into the bumps on the back of the chain. Tips: 1) Make the chain longer than the desired number of stitches; 2) Use a crochet hook one or two sizes larger than the knitting needle you will be using to make it easier to go into the bumps.

Links for Provisional Cast Ons:

Provisional Cast On – One Step Method

Crochet Chain Provisional Cast On

Book Review: Perfectly PlusBook Review: Perfectly Plus

April 2, 2012| LindyBeir| 0 Comment| 6:24 pm

I have decided to do some book reviews on my blog during 2012. I am going to start with my review of Perfectly Plus by Mary Arnold, Colleen East and Kristin Hansen.

This is a “How to” book — as it says on the cover, it features the “Knit-to-Fit Workbook For the Full-Figured Woman”. If you have read my blog about knitting sweaters without a pattern, you know that I am a proponent of taking measurements and adjusting your patterns to get a better fit. This book follows that philosophy and focuses specifically on what plus-size women need to do to get better fitting sweaters. The first chapter covers all the basics: the importance of gauge, making adjustments using your own measurements, using schematics and calculating yardage. If you read just this chapter, you will learn a great deal about knitted garment construction.

The book includes a basic pattern for a knitted shell and another for a knitted cardigan. It is designed as a workbook, so these patterns have places for you to fill in your measurements and do the necessary calculations to adjust the pattern so that it fits you. For those plus-size ladies who need help with the math — this book really walks you through all of it.

The remainder of the book contains sweater patterns showing variations from the basic patterns. These are nice patterns, but I think I am more likely to go with the basic patterns and do my own thing in terms of stitch patterns and details. This is a good reference book for those of you who are looking for information on how to knit better fitting plus size sweaters.

If you are interested in this book, just click on the image of the book to go to Amazon.com.

Progress on Socks for SoldiersProgress on Socks for Soldiers

September 30, 2009| Lindy| 0 Comment| 8:13 am

I am making progress on my first pair of “regulation socks” for Socks for Soldiers. It has been slow going. I had knitted about four inches in 2 x 2 ribbing when I decided that I had an issue with laddering. Usually when you knit on two circulars, you don’t have a problem with ladders developing between the needles – but there they were… I figured out that I was causing the problem by tugging too hard on the yarn when I knit the first two stitches on each needle. The Regia Stretch yarn is really stretchy and because I was pulling the yarn too tightly I had ladders. So, I made a trip to the frog pond and frogged the socks all the way back to the beginning. (Sigh…)

9 inches of sock leg.

Well, I now have 9+ inches of leg done on both socks. The first 8 inches were knit on size US 2 (3.00 mm) circulars, with a stitch gauge of 8 spi. Following the directions of the official pattern, I switched to Size US 1 (2.25 mm) circulars, which have a gauge of 9 spi. The leg continues in ribbing until it measures 12 inches and then you begin the heel. I’ll post an update when I get to the heel.