Lindy's Knits & Laces knitting,Knitting Techniques,Stitch Patterns Stitch Patterns: The Bee Stitch and Knitting 1 Below

Stitch Patterns: The Bee Stitch and Knitting 1 Below

August 4, 2010August 4, 2010| LindyLindy| 20 Comments | 10:13 am
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As I have been knitting the different dishcloth patterns in my Summer Knitting project, it occurred to me that it might be a good idea to write a post in this blog about how to do some of the textured stitch patterns used in knitting the dishcloths. So, I am starting with the Bee Stitch.

Bee Stitch

The Bee Stitch is an easy textured stitch pattern and it produces an interesting textured fabric. It is a variation of the garter stitch and the edges do not roll. I think it would make a nice textured scarf or baby afghan. It certainly made a nice dishcloth.

The Bee Stitch is a multiple of 2 stitches plus 1 over 4 rows. It is made by “knitting 1 below (K1b)” and you need to have an odd number of stitches.
Row 1: Knit
Row 2: (Right Side): *(K1, K1b); Repeat from * across to last stitch K1.
Row 3: Knit
Row 4: *(K1b, K1); repeat from * across to last stitch, K1b.
Repeat these 4 rows for desired length of fabric. This 4 row repeat creates a diagonal patterning.

To “Knit 1 Below” , you put the tip of your needle through the center of the stitch below the stitch on the needle and slip off both strands at the same time. Tip – make certain that you are going through the center of the stitch below and can see the two strands of yarn when pulling the yarn through the stitch.

Knit 1 below

Here is a link to a YouTube video demonstrating “Knit 1 Below”: Knitting Demo Video.
Note: New link as of 10.9.2016.

References:
Kitchen Bright Dishcloths, Leisure Arts
Knitting on the Net (www.knittingonthenet.com)

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20 thoughts on “Stitch Patterns: The Bee Stitch and Knitting 1 Below”

  1. Wow I like the texture that stitch seems to have. I’ll have to try it out sometime!

    I will be there tonight with my shawl.

  2. I couldn’t view the video, but I am not sure I understand. Does the K1b increase the # of stitches? Do you pull it up to knit with your regular stitch?

  4. The K1b does not increase the number of stitches. When you “knit one below” you go into the stitch loop below the stitch on the needle and knit it like a regular knit stitch — you simply pull it off along with the stitch loop on the needle.

  5. I knit a lot for newborns and was looking for a simple pattern with a chunky look…Thank you very much and do keep posting.

  6. This deep texture, with lots of warmth-trapping air pockets, will be great for winter scarves!

  8. I did some research on this — I only found one reference that stated that k1b may mean “knit 1 through the back loop”, but the reference also said that k1b may also mean “knit one below”. Three other references all gave k1b as “knit one below”.

    “knit one through back of stitch” is often abbreviated as kb or kbtl.

    In the case of the Bee Stitch pattern — k1b definitely means “knit one below” NOT “knit one through back of stitch”. Readers — please read the explanation of how to do the “knit one below” — if you knit through the back of the stitch and not below — your Bee Stitch will not be correct.

  12. in this pattern, “k1b” means knit one below. In other patterns it may mean knit one through back of loop. Always read the abbreviation instructions to avoid confusion.

  13. The way I understand this stitch is: When you come up through stitch below, you wrap yarn around the right-hand needle in back (like you normally do when knitting a stitch) and then go through the stitch on left-hand needle and take it off. Please correct me if I’m wrong…..

  15. This was the best of all the explanations for the b-stitch that I have seen. Thank you–I have a pattern that I want to make which has row s2 and 4 doing a knit-pearl pattern and doing a b-stitch under a pearl is possible but much harder than thr knit stitch so I have been struggling with that. Now when i knit the rows between the knit under is a breeze. So I’m really happy to have found your help.
    Thanks a bunch.
    Doris Nixon

  16. LOVE THS BEE STITCH BUT YOU SAY TO CLICK ON VIDEO ON HOW TO DO THERE IS NO VIDEO ON YOUR SITE NOTHING COMES UP
    COULD YOU EMAIL ME

  17. I like the name Bee Stitch. I’ve been doing this pattern for many years and called it, Honeycomb or Alternating Fisherman’s Rib in the U.K. If you don’t alternate the k1b, it is then Fisherman’s Rib.

    Knitting through back loop is usually abbreviated as. K1tbl.

  19. I love this stitch but what kind of projects can I make besides a square or rectangle?

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My DS put “socks that won’t wear out at the heels” on his Christmas list. It was a late request – and not one that would I would likely be able to meet by Christmas – but it was an invitation to knit socks for someone I love!

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August 31, 2020August 31, 2020| LindyBeirLindyBeir| 0 Comment| 8:00 am

Many times a knitter will select a pattern to knit only to discover that the yarn used in the pattern is either not available or there isn’t a sufficient quantity available for purchase or it costs more than what the budget allows. So, that leads to finding a reasonable substitute to use. I have seen many forum posts in Ravelry where knitters have had difficulty making a proper substitution.

The first step in substituting one yarn for another is to look for a yarn of similar fiber composition that has approximately the same weight and recommended gauge as the yarn listed in the pattern. By this, I mean if the yarn used in the pattern is worsted weight (size 4), it’s best to find another worsted weight yarn to use as the substitute. If you are purchasing from a local yarn shop, the staff may help you find a substitute. If shopping online, Yarnsub.com is a helpful website that can be used to guide your initial search. Another resource is Ravelry – if the pattern is available in the Patterns database, you can look at others’ projects to see what yarns have been used. Regardless, once you pick your substitute yarn – you’ll need to swatch to find your gauge before you cast on and begin knitting the pattern.

Question: “I’m not getting the same gauge with my substituted yarn as the gauge stated in the pattern – what do I do now?

Here are some options to consider:

  1. Change needle size and reknit the swatch to see if you can match the gauge. If you are getting more stitches than the stated gauge – go up one or two needle sizes. If you are getting fewer stitches than the stated gauge – go down one or two needle sizes. If you succeed in matching gauge with the change in needles and you like the fabric you are producing, then simply follow your pattern and knit with the size needle that helps you get gauge.
  2. If you still can’t get gauge after changing needle sizes, but you like the fabric you are getting, calculate the number of stitches you need to cast-on to match your chest measurement and check the pattern to see if there is a size that uses the same number of stitches. You may still need to make adjustments in shaping if your row gauge is different from the pattern.
  3. Use the pattern as a guide only – use the schematic plus any adjustments you need to make and then determine the stitch counts and rows needed to make the garment with your own gauge. (A good reference for this is Knitting Pattern Essentials by Sally Melville)

Here’s the next issue for substituting one yarn for another: Does the substitute have the same weight and yardage as the original yarn? If it does – you are in luck and can simply buy the same amount of yarn as what is given in the pattern for the size of the garment you want to knit. (Remember to buy an extra one for swatching.) However, in most cases there is a difference in yardage and/or weight between the substitute and the original yarn – which leads to the question: “How much of my substitute yarn do I need? This brings us back to the basic math I covered in my previous post: “To determine the number of skeins, balls or hanks of yarn you need: Divide the number of yards by the number of yards in the skein. Or divide the total number of grams by the number of grams of the skein.  Remember that you will want one extra skein for swatching. “

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Now, I must admit that it has been some time since I ventured into a fabric store to buy buttons. And usually when I am buying buttons, I am also buying thread and fabric to match. What I discovered is that in the time that I have been absent from the fabric store scene that things have really changed. Changed in a good way, actually. Oh my! the selection was enormous! And really wonderful. In addition to the standard buttons in rather standard colors that come in sets of four or five — there are all these unique and stylish buttons available. Who knew? Obviously, not someone like me who hasn’t ventured into the button section of the fabric store in a good long while.

I was enormously challenged — I had so many choices! Wonderful choices! And then…I found them! The perfect buttons for my vest!
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Aren’t these just wonderful? They have a lovely brown background with swirls of pink, green and darker reddish brown. They match the three colors where they will be placed nicely.

As wonderfully matched as these buttons are — I must also admit to sticker shock when I went to check out. They were on sale, fortunately, but even at that they were expensive. I paid $7.00 apiece for them. (ON SALE!) Who knew buttons could cost so much? Now, I was willing to spend the money to get these perfect buttons — especially since I have invested money in a high quality yarn for this project. Still I think that buttons should not be so expensive. Even if they are perfect…

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