Knit 1 Purl 1 Patterns
Table of Contents
Introduction ...................................................................................................................................... 1
K1P1 Rib.......................................................................................................................................... 1
Moss Stitch or Seed Stitch .............................................................................................................. 3
Fisherman's rib ................................................................................................................................ 4
Conclusion ....................................................................................................................................... 7
Introduction
A beginner knitter learns the knit stitch first, usually, and then the purl stitch. One of the
interesting things about these stitches is the fact that a pattern based on a repeat of "knit 1 stitch,
purl 1 stitch" has a few variations.
In all of these stitch patterns, it is important to move the yarn properly from the back to the front
before doing the purl stitch, and then from the front to the back to do the knit stitch. Make sure
you move the yarn between the needles, not over a needle.
K1P1 Rib
The K1P1 rib is formed as follows:
If there is an even number of stitches (whether you are doing flat or circular knitting):
• Every row or round: (K1, P1) across.
If there is an odd number of stitches AND you are doing flat knitting (an odd number of stitches
would not work well for this pattern with circular knitting):
• Row 1: (K1, P1) across, end K1.
• Row 2: (P1, K1) across, end P1.
• Repeat these 2 rows.
Whether you are working flat or circular knitting, you always know whether your next stitch is
supposed to be a Knit or a Purl:
• If you see a BUMP below the needle holding the next stitch, then you will Purl
•
But if you see a VEE below the needle holding the next stitch, then you will Knit.
It is really hard to get lost with this pattern. Simply Knit whatever looks like a Knit stitch as the
fabric is facing you, and Purl whatever looks like a Purl stitch. Yes, I know that if you are doing
flat knitting, you will Knit what you Purled on the previous row, and vice versa, but I think that it is
easier to remember that you Knit what looks like a Knit stitch.
The K1P1 rib has some interesting features.
• First, it does make the fabric narrower than Stockinette stitch (the basic K 1 row, P 1
row), and is thus ideal for shaping (you will usually see it on sweaters at the hem, the
sleeve hems, some necklines, and some tunic waistlines).
•
Second, the purl stitches usually end up hidden behind the knit stitches, so that the fabric
appears smooth on both sides – no purl “bumps” are visible.
Moss Stitch or Seed Stitch
In the previous section, I talked about knowing whether your next stitch is a knit or purl based on
whether you see a Bump or a Vee under the next stitch.
With Moss Stitch or Seed Stitch (both terms refer to the same pattern), you take a K1P1 rib and
every time do the OTHER kind of stitch on top of the previous one.
Typically, for flat knitting, you start with an uneven number of stitches.
• Every row: (K1, P1) across, end K1.
When you turn the work around, the first stitch that you are
going to stick your needle into looks like a purl stitch (you
see a bump), but in this case you will Knit that stitch.
Then, the second stitch looks like a knit stitch (you see a
Vee), but in this case you will Purl that stitch.
The resulting fabric has a lot of texture, with all those bumps scattered on both sides. It has a
tendency to be wider and shorter than Stockinette Stitch, but narrower and longer than Garter
Stitch. Unlike Stockinette Stitch, it has no curl on the sides; it is a very flat fabric.
Typically, for circular knitting, you start with an even number of stitches. You will need to have a
marker at the end of the round.
• Round 1: (K1, P1) across.
• Round 2: (P1, K1) across.
• Repeat these two rounds for the desired length. Note that when you start a new round,
you will be repeating the last stitch of the previous round.
Fisherman's rib
I call this pattern a "sort of knit 1, sort of purl 1" pattern. You will see what I mean shortly.
The pattern is worked over an even number of stitches.
There are two equivalent patterns for this stitch. The one that I use is as follows:
• Row 1: (K 1, YO, Slip next stitch Purlwise) across
• Row 2 and all subsequent rows: K 2 together, YO, Slip next stitch Purlwise) across
Note: the K 2 together will always knit the YO and the slipped stitch together.
The reason that I call it a “sort of knit 1, sort of purl 1” pattern is because of the characteristics of
the YO wrapping around the slipped stitch.
• When you do the K 2 tog, it is just like a normal K stitch, but because the YO has
wrapped around the slipped stitch, you will just automatically knit both of them together.
It is much easier than a normal K 2 tog in stockinette stitch, for example.
• If you use the continental method of knitting (holding the yarn in your left hand): when you
do the YO and Slip the next stitch Purlwise, if feels as though you are going to purl, but
you just don’t bring the working yarn through the stitch.
If you use the right-hand-throw method of knitting, you will have to ensure that you complete the
YO before doing the slip, and make sure that you don’t bring the yarn to the back between the
needles, as you would with ordinary K1P1 rib.
In pictures:
About to slip the stitch purlwise. The yarn is in front,
and as soon as the stitch is slipped, the yarn will also
go to the back, in preparation for the next knit stitch.
The stitch has been slipped onto the working needle.
Notice how for the next two stitches, you can clearly
see how the YO has wrapped itself around the stitch
that was slipped in the previous row
About to K 2 together.
After the K 2 together.
At the end of row. Keep to the pattern. The last
stitches are still YO and slip purlwise.
Turn the work around. Again, keep to the pattern.
Make sure that the YO has gone completely around
the needle, so that you can knit it and the slipped stitch
together.
The result of following the pattern at the beginning is
an edge that matches the rest of the fabric – a column
of fat V stitches
This is the result when I decided to make the first stitch
a simple K1 and the last stitch a simple P1 with no
preceding YO. What happened was that the edge
ended up longer than the main fabric, causing this ugly
curl. So trust me, it is better to just follow the stitch
pattern throughout, even at the ends.
An alternative pattern for this (that I don’t use) is as follows:
• Row 1: (K1, P1) across.
• Row 2 and all subsequent rows: (K into the stitch below, P1) across.
Some variations of this pattern start with a purl at the beginning, which is probably easier.
With this stitch, the “K into the stitch below” converts the stitch that is on the left-hand needle into
an equivalent of the YO that is described above, and converts the stitch that is below into a
slipped stitch, because there is nothing knitted into it.
This stitch will feel much more like a K1P1 rib for the right-hand-throw knitters. Personally, I
would prefer not to have to insert the needle into the stitch below. However, it really is not that
difficult.
Conclusion
It is interesting to see how a simple pattern like “K 1 stitch, P 1 stitch” can be varied. The next
step, of course, is to start playing with colours!
Enjoy these variations.
Copyright Judith Obee 2009