Seed Stitch vs. Moss Stitch and How to Tell the Difference

I was reading a knitting book the other day that made it sound like seed stitch and moss stitch were the same knitting stitch, but that’s not actually true. I feel like there’s a lot of confusion because the same stitch might have different names in different countries, or just depending on who you ask.

In my world, seed stitch is worked on an even number of stitches. You repeat knit 1, purl 1 on the first row, then purl 1, knit 1 on the second row, so the knits and purls alternate from row to row.

I’m American, so I call this seed stitch. British knitters would call this moss stitch. So you might see it referred to as British moss stitch in patterns from the UK or elsewhere.

What Americans call moss stitch is a repeat of four rows, where the knits stack on each other for two rows, followed by a stack of purls for two rows. In other words, if you have an even number of stitches, knit 1, purl 1 across on the first two rows, then purl 1, knit 1 across on the next 2 rows.

Because you’re switching sides this will cause the knits and purls to stack for two rows, then switch positions.

To make it more confusing, American moss stitch is also sometimes called Irish moss stitch. It can also be called double moss stitch, which I think again is a British term but I’m not sure. (That’s two color moss stitch on the scarf shown above, changing colors every two rows in addition to which way the stitches go.)

No matter what you call it, these are both fun and easy knitting stitch patterns that give your project a lot of texture without a lot of work. They also give you lots of practice switching between knits and purls if you’re a newer knitter. And they lie flat because they have a balance of knits and purls across the fabric, so they’re great for scarves and other projects that won’t be seamed.

Check out some seed stitch knitting patterns and moss stitch knitting patterns (American terms there!) to learn more and play with these fun stitches.

Do you have a preference? I think I like seed stitch better, but they are both great.

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I’ve shared a lot of Christmas stocking knitting patterns over the years (see posts 1, 2, 3 for example) but what if you want to knit a stocking for a non-human member of your family. If you’re looking for Christmas stocking knitting patterns for your cats or dogs, this is the post for you.

These large paw print stockings are perfect for either dogs or cats, so they’re great to knit if you have both. They are worked in the round using DK weight yarn, and the stocking measures about 17 inches/43 cm from the top to the heel. You can get the pattern from nicolaluke.

The K4 Project has a super cute Kitty Christmas stocking pattern, which is worked in worsted weight yarn. They also have a dog version, or you can buy both and get a discount if you have both dogs and cats to knit for. Both projects have two patterns, showing how to work the stockings flat or in the round.

Put your dog into a Christmas scene with this stocking pattern from ifanhourChild. It shows a dog in a dog house in the snow, and has room for the dog’s name at the top. It’s worked flat using worsted weight yarn and the pattern includes charts for many small and medium dog breeds (there’s a separate listing for bigger dogs) so you can stitch a dog that looks like yours.

Annie’s Woolens has both dog and cat stocking knitting patterns that are worked in worsted weight yarn in the round. You can change up the colors to suit your pet if you want, and they come with an alphabet chart for personalization. Or you can stick with holiday colors and buy a kit to make the dog or cat stocking.

Waiting for Santa Paws is a pattern from Kate Agner on Ravelry that would be cute for a dog or a cat. It looks like a leg with a paw print on the bottom part of the foot and more paw prints running around the top of the leg. This is a great option if you don’t want to mess with a heel turn because it doesn’t have a heel, because dogs and cats don’t have heels so why would their stockings?

Book Review – 20 to Knit: Tiny Christmas Toys to Knit

Book Review – Knit Christmas Stockings

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