Knitting

Free Patterns, Tutorials and Project Ideas

Have You Tried This? Ribbing with No Purling

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No Purl ribbed scarf from Purl Soho.There are a lot of knitters out there who dislike purling. It’s why knitting Stockinette Stitch in the round is so popular. Elizabeth Zimmermann basically built her career on her dislike of purling, and she’s not the only one who dislikes the interruption in the fluid rhythm of a project that’s caused by having to purl.

So I was intrigued when I saw a pattern on social media for a ribbed scarf made without purling.

The pattern is from Purl Soho, and the trick is a stitch pattern called Cartridge Belt Rib. It’s a 4 plus 3 stitch repeat worked by slipping the stitches that might otherwise be purled in a ribbing pattern. The only hitch is that they are slipped with the yarn in front, so there’s still some yarn manipulation that has to happen to pull off this fun rib-like texture, but once you get it down it probably is a little faster than a regular knit-purl rib.

The result is lovely in any case and would be fun to try (I’m thinking about doing this for my washcloth pattern this month).

What do you think? Have you ever tried this stitch pattern? Would you give it a go-to avoid purling? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

[Photo via Purl Soho.]

Looking for Ribbed scarf patterns? Check these out on Etsy.

Comments

  1. I’m working this up right now, using Three Irish Girls Springdale Worsted in Yucatan. I love this rib, it’s easy & fun & creates a lovely fabric, kind of half-way between ribbing & Brioche. (Tried to include a pic, but failed…)

Have you read?

Pencil Knitting Patterns

Getting ready for back to school makes me think about pencil crafts, so let’s take a look at some pencil themed knitting patterns! 

I recently made a pencil on a circular knitting machine, and it was a fun, quick, easy project that uses little bits of leftover yarn (and if you don’t have yellow you can make it a colored pencil using whatever color’s your favorite). And if you want to make a bigger version check out this pattern from Orange Olive Road on Etsy.

If you want to knit a pencil pillow by hand, check out Sketchy, available on Ravelry from Shana S. Cohen. This one uses worsted weight yarn and has two size options and the choice to make a pencil with an eraser or a colored pencil. 

Pencil scarves seem to be the most popular kind of pencil knitting pattern, and there are lot of cute ones. This one from Cosy Craft UK mostly uses garter stitch, with some welts to add texture and what looks like an I-cord edging. It calls for DK weight yarn. 

If you want to go all garter stitch try this version from Emsley Co Creations, which uses five colors of DK weight yarn and just a little shaping to make the point of the pencil.

There’s also this fun, mostly stockinette so it looks like it curls a bit, pencil pattern that looks like it’s worked in chunky yarn from Little Knits Studio. This one uses just a little garter stitch and easy shaping for the point. 

If you don’t want a pencil scarf, how about some pencil socks? The No. 2 Pencil Socks from The Yarn Enabler are available from Ravelry and use five colors of sock yarn. They feature wide ribs to mimic the texture of a pencil and have options to be worked from the top down or the toe up. 

Needs Sharpening by Alexander Walker is a free pattern on Ravelry that uses five colors of sock yarn to make a sort of shortie sock. The little bit of black at the tips of the toes inspired the name. These, too, can be worked in either direction and are available in three sizes.