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?

Classic Dishcloth Knitting Patterns

Fall will be here before we know it, and that means there are holidays coming right behind where we might be entertaining at home. It’s always fun to have a hand knit touch in your home for other people to see, and if you’re going to be in the kitchen all day you might as well have some nice knit dish cloths to use. 

I love this little plaid hand towel from Darling Jadore. Use a little bit of leftover cotton yarn from another project for the plaid portion. It looks like the horizontal stripes are worked as you knit and the vertical stripes are done with duplicate stitch, making this a quick and easy project even newer knitters can make. 

Combine garter stitch and an easy eyelet pattern worked sideways to make the Annette Dish Towel from Cluck Cluck Boots, which is meant to be reminiscent of flour sack towels. It calls for DK weight yarn and you can work it in one color or two (or even three!). 

Add a little more texture with this set of kitchen towels from Whileberry Creative. They’re mostly worked in garter stitch with borders in easy knit/purl patterns, and you can work them in sport or worsted weight yarn. 

Two of Wands Shop has another cute allover knit and purl pattern they call the Seersucker Textured Tea Towel. It’s an easy repeating pattern worked in worsted weight yarn, and there’s a chart in the pattern you can use, but don’t have to, if you want to practice knitting from a chart. 

The Classic Cloth dish towel from Handmade Home by Connie is another one that can use a little leftover yarn in a contrasting color, or you could color block it our use stripes throughout the pattern. This one uses worsted weight yarn and another easy repeating knit purl stitch pattern. 

If you like to hang your towel on the oven handle or elsewhere but it’s always falling off, try the Stay Put kitchen towel from Fancy Step Knits. This project is worked in garter stitch and includes a hole partway through so you can pull the towel through itself over a rod or handle. Stripes are optional but a nice addition.