Knitting Ribbing Variations: 6 Ways (With Pictures)

By A Mystery Man Writer

While it may not be the first thing that comes to mind when people think about knitting, rib patterns are some of the most-used in the craft. Rib stitch knitting is the essential way to create a stretchy portion of your work to give it the perfect fit, and these knitting ribbing variations will tell you exactly how to achieve whatever look you're going for. The rib knit stitch can be found on sweater cuffs, sock cuffs, collars, hems, you name it-and that's why it truly is the unsung hero of knitting. Stretchy ribbing knitting is truly as versatile as it gets, especially if you prefer to knit garments. What is a rib stitch in knitting? Essentially, knitting ribbing stitches entails alternating between knit and purl stitches in some fashion. Since these two opposite stitches essentially create stockinette stitch on their respective sides of knitting, you end up with vertical columns of stockinette stitch and reverse stockinette stitch on either side that collapses the knit fabric and makes it stretchy to various degrees depending on the type of rib stitch. Without further ado, check out the various rib knitting stitches to try in your next project.