Broken Rib Knitting Patterns

Broken rib is a fun and easy knitting stitch that can be worked on any number of stitches. One row is knit and the second row is worked like ribbing. Repeating those two rows gets you a knit fabric with a more interesting look but still some of the stretchiness of ribbing. It’s great for all kinds of projects, as we shall see.

Why not start learning to use this stitch with a scarf? Jacque McClure’s Broken Rib Reversible Scarf is a free download on Ravelry and uses worsted weight yarn.

Jessie at Home on Etsy has another variation on the broken rib scarf, this time with three strands of yarn held together for a more colorful look and a warmer scarf.

Or you can try a hat, like the Easy Beanie from Nix O Clock on Etsy, which has a folded brim and uses a heavier worsted weight yarn. Or there’s the Cocoon pattern from La Maison Rililie, which has the option of being worked with a rounded crown or a more pointed, slouchier crown, and in a single color or multicolored version.

Ellen M. Silva has a super cute pair of broken rib fingerless gloves available as a free pattern on Ravelry. They use worsted weight yarn and are sized for adult women, and they have an interesting asymmetric thumb gusset that is said to improve the fit. There are also broken rib mittens for the whole family, worked in bulky weight yarn, designed by Knifty Knittings for Yarnspirations.

Once you’ve got the technique down, which takes no time at all, you can move on to other projects, like sweaters. The sammensat 3 sweater by Elsebeth Judith uses an allover broken rib pattern and is worked with fingering and DK weight yarns held together (or use a single strand of worsted weight). This top-down raglan has options for a regular crewneck or a mock turtleneck, and it comes in seven sizes. The pattern is available in English and Danish.

Gabriella Calderin’s broken rib vest, called Timbo, is a free Ravelry download and it looks so cozy stitched up in bulky weight yarn. It’s worked from the top down and comes in five sizes.

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I happen to live in the Northern Hemisphere, but I know we have a lot of Southern Hemisphere friends, too, who are heading into the cooler months as we are warming up. Whichever one of the seasons you’re in, you might want to stitch up this sweet little hood.

This pattern by saskie&co is called snug hood and it uses two colors of yarn to make a close-fitting pixie style hood (almost a balaclava but it doesn’t cover your face, though there is a neck covering portion to keep you a little warmer). You can use the fingering weight wool and mohair held together that are called for in the pattern, or use a single strand of DK weight yarn.

The neck portion and the edging around the face are worked in ribbing in a single color, while the body of the hat includes an allover colorwork flower pattern. The project is worked both flat and in the round and there is colorwork that is knit flat, which means you’ll have to purl in colorwork (which some people don’t like; also, you can’t see what you’re doing as well on the back of the work).

The pattern comes in one size and the colorwork is charted. Testers noted this is a quick and easy project and a great way to learn some new skills (chart reading, working stranded colorwork flat) if you’ve never tried those things before. They noted the hood is cute, comfortable and warm, and a few said it didn’t take as much yarn as the pattern suggests, so bear that in mind if you’re trying to use stash.

Speaking of the pattern notes, check out all the cute color variations in the projects on Ravelry. From pink and red to blue and white to gray and cream, there are lots of great options to think about.

You can buy this pattern on Ravelry.

[Photo: saskie&co]

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