Easy Knitting Patterns to Practice Ribbing

January 18, 2023 by Sarah White Leave a Comment

Ribbing is often used as an edging on projects worked with other stitches, like the brim of a hat or the cuff of a sleeve.

But sometimes it’s fun to let ribbing take center stage in a project. It’s easy to knit and give a nice graphic element to any project. It’s also stretchy, squishy and warm. Let’s take a look at some ribbing knitting patterns that bring this stitch to center stage.

A scarf is always a good place to start. This ribbed scarf pattern from Purls and Pixels uses 1×1 ribbing so it almost looks like a solid stockinette fabric. You will definitely get comfortable with switching between knits and purls as you work this pattern! And of course you can use any ribbing combination you like in a scarf pattern; just make sure you have the right number of stitches so the pattern ends where it will be reversible (1×1 ribbing works on multiples of 2, while 2×2 works on multiples of 4, for example).

Purl Soho has a sweet ribbed hat, which is a classic design. They’re easy to knit, comfy to wear, work for everyone and you can knit it extra long to make a foldover brim or keep it slouchy. This one is worked in 1×1 ribbing and sized from baby to large adult.

How about a nice pair of ribbed socks? Allover ribbing makes socks super stretchy and helps them hug your foot. The DRK Everyday sock from Andrea Mowry uses ribbing everywhere but the toe. They’re worked in sock yarn and come in 11 sizes to fit babies through large men. You can get the pattern on Ravelry.

The contrasting colors on the Ribbing Please shawl by Stephen West make it look more complicated than it is, but the stitch pattern here is ribbing, too. The sample uses a collection of DK and worsted weight yarns and is worked in 2×2 ribbing. You can get this pattern on Ravelry.

Ribbing isn’t just for accessories; how about a whole top made out of ribbing? The Night and Day Racerback top from Thorson Knits uses a pretty 2X1 rib and superfine yarn. It comes in 9 sizes up to about a 62 inch bust measurement and has about 4 inches of positive ease. You can get the pattern on Etsy.

Have You Tried This? Ribbing with No Purling

A Little Ribbed Tank Knitting Pattern

Ribbing is a versatile and interesting knitting technique that can add texture and interest to your projects.

These easy knitting patterns are a great starting point for practicing ribbing and incorporating it into your knitting projects. From scarves to headbands and even a purse, these patterns offer a variety of options for you to explore and practice the technique of ribbing.

Happy knitting!

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Book Review: Brooklyn Tweed’s Knit & Crochet Blankets

Blankets are a great blank slate project that you can change up in a million different ways. From color to stitch pattern to size, the possibilities are almost endless.

Jared Flood, the designer behind Brooklyn Tweed, was inspired by a log cabin quilt his mother made in 1995 to re-create that design in knitting, which led to more blankets and ultimate Brooklyn Tweed’s Knit and Crochet Blankets, which includes 25 patterns from an array of designers using different skills and techniques to make cozy, pretty blankets.

The patterns are divided into three aesthetic themes: traditions, minimalism and colorplay. The patterns are rated on a scale of one to five, with one being the easiest, and there aren’t any pieces rated five. Two blankets are rated one, 14 are two, eight are three and one is four.

In addition, three of the 25 patterns are crocheted, but they either use single crochet or granny stitch, so they are pretty easy even if you don’t do a lot of crochet. You can see all the patterns on Ravelry.

Some of my favorites include Rattan by Rastus Hsu, a chunky blanket worked in knits and purls with simple crossing stitches to make a raised woven look; Homewood by Seth Richardson, covers in dramatic, loopy cables; Ainur Berkimbayeva’s Tessellate, one of the beginner projects that doesn’t really look beginner but is totally worked in knit and purl stitches; Warp + Weft by Aist? Butkevi?ien?, which is mostly knits and purls but makes a fun woven look fabric that blew my mind a little bit; and the same designer’s Canyonland, a multicolored blanket with wavy stripes.

The patterns tell you how to resize them for different dimensions and include information on pattern repeats where it is possible to make a totally custom size.

Many different techniques are included here such as cables, lace, shadow knitting, intarsia and other colorwork techniques, as well as modular knitting and lots of sewing pieces together. The patterns are all presented with charts, but there are line by line written instructions available on the Brooklyn Tweed website if you need them.

The book ends with a deep dive into log cabin knitting, telling the story of the quilt Jared’s mom made and how he made it in knitting, as well as the multitude of variations you can make if you want your own log cabin style design.

The back of the book includes a little written information about some of the special techniques needed, but there are no photos.

This is a lovely book full of inspiration for knitting and crochet blankets for any skill level. If you like to make blankets as gifts or aspire to have a handmade blanket in every room of the house, these designs would be a great place to start.

About the book: 192 pages, paperback, 25 patterns. Published 2024 by Abrams Books, suggested retail price $24.99.

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