What is your favourite stitch pattern?

#1

I recently bought a book with many different stitch patterns and made a bookmark to this enormous stitch collection online. However, I am yet to incorporate anything beyond, say 3-5 favorite easy stitch patterns.

I mostly like stockinette for it’s simplicity and clean look… seed stitch because it makes nice texture. There is an easy multiple of 3 lacy stitch that makes lines or ribs and holes. Well, ribbing is nice but mostly just knit/purl combination with different number of stitches. For some reason I don’t like garter as background stitch…

So I am looking for fresh ideas, something that is easy to make, easy to remember, with a small repeat and sophisticated look :slight_smile:

Thanks!

#2

I’m liking the Basket stitch and the Double Moss stitch. they both give a nice textured look. There are a couple other textured stitch patterns that I really like, but both of these are simple enough that I quickly get into a rhythm. Once I find my rhythm with each of these stitches, it’s as easy as garter stitch mostly and I stop having to pay attention to what I’m doing. Admittedly, if I get interrupted I have to go back and count where I am, but again both of these are simple enough that finding where I left off in the stitch pattern is very easy.

Basket Stitch is the following pattern:
[I]multiples of 6 sts.[/I]
Row 1: Knit
Row 2: Purl
Row 3:*K1, P4, K1, rep from * to end
Row 4:*P1, K4, P1, rep from * to end
Row 5: As row 3
Row 6: As row 4
Row 7: K
Row 8: P
Row 9: *P2, K2, P2, rep from * to end
Row 10:*K2, P2, K2 rep from * to end
Row 11: As row 9
Row 12: As row 10
Repeat these 12 rows.

I know it looks like a lot, but it’s a really rhythmic stitch and once you get to working it, it just flies off my fingers.

And the Double Moss is:
[I]Multiples of 4 plus 2[/I]
Row 1: *K2, P2 rep from * to last 2 stitches K2
Row 2: *P2, K2 rep from * to last 2 stitches K2
Row 3: As row 2
Row 4: As row 3
Repeat these 4 rows.

I hope this helps.

#3

One is a thermal knit. This is done best in a fingering, baby sport, or sport weight yarn. Worsted weight makes the blanket too heavy weight wise. Cast on a multiple of 4. First row: Knit, Second row: purl, third and fourth rows: K2,p2. Repeat these four rows for pattern. This ends up looking just like the weave in long underwear. It’s not reversible.

My two favorite reversible patterns (great for men’s scarves): the twin rib. Cast on a multiple of 3. First row: Knit 3, purl 3 across. Second row: k1, p1 across. Repeat these two rows for pattern.

Brioche stitch. I’m not sure if this is the correct way to do it, but I do it this way. It looks pretty and is reversible. Great for wash cloths and winter scarves. Cast on a multiple of 3. Sl 1, yo, knit two together all across the row. This is repeated for every row. It’s fun to do and goes very fast. You’ll probably have to do this for 6 rows before you begin to see the pattern. This is great for a last minute gift if you make a scarf using bulky weight yarn and size 13 needles.

#4

Thanks! The last one is probably what I called ‘the lacy pattern’ :slight_smile:

My husband asked for a sweater with the logo of his favourite team so I am searching for ideas. I will save other patterns for later use cause I pretty much have no available needles to try anything now :slight_smile: (I have two projects going and keep live stitches on both on circular needles. And most yarn is stil attached :slight_smile: )

By the way, does anyone use circular needles for flat knitting? I just realized that I don’t use straing needles anymore. It’s easier to use circular for making wide fabric like cardigan, so it’s obvious. But I find it more convenient to work even smaller pieces like backs and sleeves for children sweaters. Since I move my wrists to guide the yarn, it’s easier to lift the short needle than the long one with the weight on it :slight_smile:

#5

I like basket weave too but I usually make some stupid mistake and get all upset and start with something even less challenging :slight_smile: And the double moss seems like an elongated seed, doesn’t it? So yes, I will definitely try it.

#6

These two stitches is what I was thinking too. They are my favorites and fastest.

#7

[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]My favorite stitch pattern is stockinette stitch. I like it for its simplicityand how it shows the pattern of a striped or hand painted yarn. My next favorite is the fagot stitch. It was the first lace stitch that I learned. Ialso like the fan and feather for its texture and airiness. [/SIZE][/FONT]

#8

I use circular needles for straight knitting and magic loop circular knitting. My straights are gathering dust somewhere. I lost the few double points I had. I never did like them anyway because the stitches kept falling off the needle. I needed to be an octopus to juggle them. I’m not that coordinated. I keep a few of the stray ones in the bottom of my knitting bag for three needle bind offs.

Here’s how to free up your needles. If you have the interchangeable needles like I do, I just leave the stitches on the cable, detach the needle tips, reattach them to another cable and knit something else. If you don’t have those, you can put your live stitches on a long piece of contrasting yarn and reattach them to your needle later. You can also put them on a stitch holder.

I used to have this terrible habit of not finishing things. I make it a rule now (and it’s become a good habit) to only do one project at a time and finish it before starting something else. I might have a second one going so I can switch if I get bored, but no more than that. Although things do happen, like running out of yarn. That’s where putting the live stitches temporarily on contrasting yarn helps.

#9

Thanks! I don’t have interchangable needles now, just about 4 circulars of different size. Normally, I also use contrast yarn but right now I am working on this very stubborn hood and use all three at the same time. And the forth one is too thin anyway so it is used as a cable (just like you said) to hold many small stitches on another project.

Anyway, I hope to finish soon and tell you an epic story [I]Olha vs the Hoodie [/I] cause it’s a battle right now :slight_smile:

#10

What might help you is to find a hooded sweatshirt that fits your kids well. Get out your tape measure and measure the width and the height. This should give you the right dimensions for the knitting.

Basically, you’re picking up stitches along the top of both button bands and across the neck. This is knit in straight stockinette until the proper hood height (which you will measure) and sew a seam at the top after you’ve bound off. You can also finish that seam with a three needle bind off if you want. If you don’t want the hood so pointy, about an inch before the bind off, knit two stitches together for a couple of rows on each side of the center point (when the hood is folded lengthwise) to round that point off.

Depending on your skill level, about a half inch from the required hood height you can do short row shaping on the back neck stitches like you would for a sock turn. This will eliminate the hood seam entirely.

To keep the stockinette stitch from curling around the face, you can cast on about five stitches before you begin to pick up stitches on the button band and cast on five after the second band pick up. You can fold this edge over and hem it. You can also pick up stitches around the button bands and neck and knit the first stitches in garter stitch edging. You can pick up stitches around the neck edge only, knit the hood. Pick up stitches around the face edge when it’s finished and do a ribbing. The side edges of this ribbing would then be sewn to the tops of the button bands.

Good luck with the hoodie monster. lol

#11

oh, the monster… :slight_smile: we are still wrestling but the hood is done.

Usually I spare people all kinds of drama of making something not from the first time and don’t mind at all redoing things until I am happy… but this time, I swear, it’s worth publishing :slight_smile:

Anyway, the hood is in garter stitch shaped kind of like a heel only I had to pick up live stitches because classic heel widens a bit and I wanted ‘sides’ to be parallel and then come a bit closer.

I have all kinds of issues with hoods – they are too pointy, too wide, too shallow, slipping back, protruding too much and blocking side view, too short making alien face, too thin not protecting from our ocean winds or just simply not cute. So I was trying to deal with them all at the same time :slight_smile: not sure it was successful :slight_smile:

#12

Thank you! I looked up both fagot and fan and feather and they look promising :slight_smile: I was thinking to finally make a lacy tank top for myself so it’s a ‘maybe’ :slight_smile: On a side note, we had no summer this year so I might as well buy yarn for a scarf already :slight_smile:

#13

Don’t feel bad. My daughter in Seattle says it’s been in the 50’s there all summer. Sweatshirt weather.

#14

I’m loving this thread! had to laugh at your hood descriptions: LOL

too pointy, too wide, too shallow, slipping back, protruding too much and blocking side view, too short making alien face, too thin not protecting from our ocean winds or just simply not cute

and I know what you mean!

My fav stitch is one that Yarn Harlot gave in a scarf pattern :(k2, k1b, p1); I’ve made several scarves with it. It looks richly textured, is easy to do and not boring.

#15

I only use circulars now. I know several knitters here do the same. From large to small, it’s convenient, and easy, and less I have to store.

#16

At the risk of being accused of self-promotion (or otherwise ruining my knitting reputation), here is how my hood turned out :slight_smile:

http://forum.knittinghelp.com/t/fo-hoodie-for-my-daughter?t=105317

Interesting… for me it will be k1f to make a twisted stitch.

Thank you everyone for contributing!

#17

Hi Breezed:

If your husband wants team logos for NFL (AFC & NFC) or Baseball teams, there are out of print machine knitting books with intarsia charts for both leagues. I got mine on eBay, and used the chart to make a Saints pillow for my daughter.

Hope this helps!