Simple Knitting Stitch Patterns

Knit and Purl Patterns From Garter Stitch to Basket Weave Stitch

Aug 27, 2009

Knits and purls can create simple knit stitch patterns such as garter stitch, stockinette stitch, moss stitch, Irish seed stitch, rib stitch, and basket weave stitch.

There are only two stitches in knitting: the knit stitch, and the purl stitch, which is basically just the reverse of the knit stitch. Every stitch pattern is based on a combination of knits and purls, or slight variations of the basic knit and purl stitches.

The most basic stitch patterns use combinations of simple knits (K) and purls (P). A knit stitch looks like a little V and is flat against the knitted work. A purl stitch looks like a small horizontal bar and bumps out a bit from the knitted work. It is important to remember that a purl stitch is the reverse of a knit stitch and vice versa. So a stitch that looks like a knit on one side of the knitted work will look like a purl on the other side, and vice versa.

Garter Stitch

Garter stitch is the simplest knit pattern, created by knitting every stitch on every row. The finished work alternates between knit rows and purl rows. The purl rows bump out so it’s easier to see them than the knit rows in between, so garter stitch often looks like reverse stockinette stitch.

Stockinette Stitch / Reverse Stockinette Stitch

Stockinette stitch creates a knitted work that is entirely knit stitch on one side (flat) and entirely purl stitch (slightly bumpy) on the other.

Reverse stockinette uses the exact same pattern, except that the “right” side is the side with the purls, instead of the knit side as usual.

Moss Stitch / Seed Stitch

Moss stitch, also known as seed stitch, alternates knit and purl stitches and looks like little dots. This simple stitch pattern gives the knitted work more depth without being too complicated.

Irish Moss Stitch / Irish Seed Stitch

Irish moss stitch, or Irish seed stitch, is an elongated moss or seed stitch. Knits and purls are still alternated within a row, but each row repeats once, so a knit is on top of a knit and then a purl is on top of a purl and so forth. This simple stitch pattern looks kind of like diamonds.

Rib Stitch

A rib stitch produces vertical columns of knits and purls that can be any thickness the knitter wants. The purl columns tend to pull in with the rib stitch, so ribbing is good for shaping.

Decide how many stitches thick you want each rib column to be, then multiply that number by 2 to get how many stitches the pattern needs to be, then multiply that by how many pattern repeats you want. For example, if you want each rib to be 2 stitches thick, then each pattern will be 4 stitches. For four pattern repeats, you would need to cast on 16 stitches. Then K2, P2 for each row. Once the rib pattern begins it is easy to follow: just knit the knits and purl the purls.

Basket Weave Stitch

The basket weave stitch looks like the weave on a basket, or like a checkerboard of different squares of knits and purls. The knitter can make the squares bigger or smaller, as long as the proportion stays the same. Here is a pattern for a 4-stitch square basket weave stitch:

Using Simple Knitting Stitch Patterns

These patterns can be used on their own or together, or with other stitch patterns that can be found in stitch pattern books. For example, a scarf can have a simple moss stitch / seed stitch on each end with a rib stitch in the middle to keep the neck warmer. A blanket can use stockinette stitch with a border of garter stitch. And a basket weave stitch towel can have an Irish moss stitch / Irish seed stitch border. These simple patterns can produce beautiful, intricate knitted projects.

The copyright of the article Simple Knitting Stitch Patterns in Knitting Patterns & Techniques is owned by Emily Chauviere. Permission to republish Simple Knitting Stitch Patterns in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.