Knitting Stitches: Ultimate Guide – Every Type Of Knitting Stitch

Knitting stitches are the foundation of this craft, so I’m going to take you through every type of knitting stitch there is!

This article gives you the types of knitting stitches, how to do them, what they look like, and what to use them for.

I reviewed and updated this post on May 20, 2022.

Table Of Contents

What Are The Basic Stitches In Knitting?

The most basic stitches in knitting are the knit and purl stitch.

Here are some of the most common ones.

Garter Stitch

The most common one out there, and the one you should learn first. It’s the foundation of all other ones.

The name comes from the stretchy, elastic bands used to hold up stockings many years ago.

• Method – Use the knit stitch for every row.
• Abbreviation – g st
• Also Known As – Plain Stitch

Now you’ve learned about some great knitting stitches, let me show you the best baby blanket yarn.

Stockinette Stitch

Another basic one, this is probably the most recognizable.

Knit Stitches are on the right side of the fabric and purl stitches are on the wrong side of the fabric.

• Method – Knit one row, purl the next row, repeat until you reach your desired length.
• Abbreviation – St st
• Also Known As – Stocking stitch

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Reverse Stockinette Stitch

This is the same as stockinette, but the pattern is made in the reverse order.

You get the purl stitches on the right side and the knit stitches on the wrong side.

• Method – Purl one row, knit the next row, continue until you reach your desired length.
• Abbreviation – Rev St st
• Also Known As – Reverse Stocking Stitch

What yarn to use for arm knitting? Let me show you.

Seed Stitch

This is made up of alternating knit and purl stitches to create an interesting texture.

• Also Known As – Sand Stitch, Dot Stitch

Now for the rest of the stitches.

Again, they’re organized by category and in alphabetical order to make it easier for you to find a stitch pattern to try.

Andalusian Stitch

A vintage twist on the classic stockinette. It’s named after a region in Southern Spain.

Bamboo Stitch

I made a beautiful infinity scarf for a Japanese friend using this pattern. It creates a thick and cozy fabric.

An elegant stitch pattern resembling bamboo stalks uses slipped stitches and yarn overs to achieve this effect.

Basketweave Stitch

A unique stitch creating a woven look without being super complicated.

Again it is a combination of knit stiches and purl stitches.

Diamond Honeycomb Stitch

A beautiful diamond-shaped pattern using slipped stitches to create a look reminiscent of honeycomb.

Diagonal Seed Stitch

A textured variant of the seed stitch, the slanting rows are pleasing to the eye.

Double Moss Stitch

A variant of the seed stitch, this textured and durable pattern is perfect for garments like hats and face cloths.

Flag Knit Stitch

A triangle pattern using a variant of stockinette to create the little flag shapes.

Irish Moss Stitch

Often confused with seed stitch, this is equally beautiful but a different pattern entirely.

Large Stacked Triangle Stitch 

This simple-looking and beautiful pattern is a bit difficult, but it’s worth it for the lovely results.

It produces what looks like alternating large triangles.

Linen Stitch

A simple pattern producing an interesting texture. Its appearance is reminiscent of linen fabric, hence its name.

Little Granite Stitch

A great way to make an intricate design with a few stitches.

It creates the impression of small bumps (granites) in a horizontal line on the fabric.

Netted Stitch 

An interesting texture created with a variety of knit, purl, knitting stitches together, and yarnovers.

This makes an open lattice-style fabric resembling lace or cobwebs.

Purl Ridge Stitch

The Purl Ridge Stitch features a sleek alternating pattern of stockinette rows and purl stitches.

They run horizontally across the fabric.

Reverse Ridge Stitch

The reverse ridge stitch provides texture to knitting projects by adding a distinctive horizontal design.

It’s a stretchy, reversible six-row repeat pattern.

This stitch is unlike most ribbing patterns because it stretches vertically.

Seersucker Stitch

It creates rows of raised diamonds bordered by stockinette sections.

This 8-Row repeat pattern looks complicated but is a simple combination of knits and purls.

Tiles Stitch

This repeating pattern alternates knitting and purling.

I recommended it for big knitting projects such as blankets, sweaters, shawls, or throws.

Tile Squares Stitch

It’s nearly identical to the previous stitch.

Still, it creates a tiled pattern of squares with a divider of garter every few sections.

Waffle Stitch

A lovely textured pattern resembling the surface of a waffle, hence the name! It would be great for a sweater.

Wide Basket Weave Stitch

Similar to the classic basket weave, the alternating “weave” patterns are much wider than usual.

Advanced Knitting Stitches

Basket Loop Stitch

A unique spin on the classic basket weave.

Instead of straight lines ‘woven’, the vertical ones are straight, and the horizontal ones are curved.

Caterpillar Stitch

This textured pattern gets its name from the resemblance of a caterpillar.

It uses lines of garter interspersed between stockinette stitches. The lines look a bit like ruffles or waves on the fabric.

Chevron Seed Stitch

This stitch produces a wavy pattern like zigzags.

It’s called chevron seed because it’s similar in appearance to seed stitching.

Chinese Wave Stitch

A pretty wavy pattern resembling waves of water.

Cut Diagonal Stitch

This produces diagonal lines from one side of the fabric to another in alternating directions, and it’s reversible too!

Diagonal Chevron Zigzag Stitch

The diagonal zigzag stitch is a combination of knit and purl stitches.

It produces alternating diagonal lines from one edge of the fabric that’s wavy in appearance.

Double Fleck Stitch

This produces small alternating rectangular patterns in a checkerboard fashion. A simple-looking but timeless texture.

Embossed Leaf Stitch

This is a unique, textured pattern. It produces small, raised bumps resembling the surface of leaves.

Here’s a tutorial.

Garter Checkerboard Stitch

A unique pattern alternating stockinette and garter stitch.

The result is a checkerboard-like fabric with raised bumps on one side.

Flat ridges in the middle, and more raised bumps on the other side. It’s reversible too!

Fancy Diamond Stitch

A pretty, raised diamond pattern. It looks like a complex design but is great for intermediate knitters.

Here is an excellent tutorial.

Herringbone Stitch

This pattern is similar to the basket stitch, but it produces raised lines resembling small alternating diagonal flecks.

It’s popular for garments, home décor, and blankets.

Hurdle Stitch

This stitch produces raised vertical lines and flat ridges in between, hence the name hurdle.

Lattice Seed Stitch

This pattern looks like a lattice window, hence the name. In between the latticing is the seed stitch texture.

It’d be great for scarves and shawls or other accessories.

Here’s a tutorial.

Little Raindrops Stitch

This creates a wavy, raindrop-looking pattern. It’s great for garments or pillows as it’s not reversible.

Here’s a great tutorial.

Long Raindrops Stitch

Similar to the previous pattern, this one is also not reversible and produces wavy lines with a droplet-like appearance.

Parallelogram Stitch

This produces a lattice-like pattern with parallelograms instead of blocks.

Pennant Pleating Stitch

This pattern produces an interlocking triangle texture with ridges on all three sides.

Pique Triangle Stitch

The Pique stitch creates a 3D effect of miniature triangles by alternating knit and purl stitches.

The triangles are knit in stocking stitch, which showcases their details.

Raspberry Stitch

A textured, staggered bobble stitch resembling a raspberry. A great way to add dimension to various projects.

It’s also called Trinity Stitch or Blackberry Stitch.

Tumbling Moss Block Stitch

A great texture for garments, this pattern produces a dense knit of tumbling blocks resembling moss.

It’d look lovely in a green yarn!

Wide Chevron Zigzag Stitch

This produces a chevron-like pattern with repeating zigzag lines horizontally across the fabric. It’s a lovely look!

Here’s how to do it.

Window Stitch

This pattern produces rows of knit stitches and purl stitches.

The result is an elegant, lattice-like fabric resembling the appearance of a windowpane.

Here is an excellent tutorial.

Rib Knitting Stitches

Rib Stitch

This classic rib pattern alternates between knit and purl stitches. It’s reversible, comfortable to wear, and stretchy too!

Here are some other ribbed stitches for you to try.

2×2 Rib Stitch

This pattern is similar to the previous one, but it alternates between two knit and two purl stitches.

5×1 Flat Rib Stitch

This alternates between five knit stitches and one purl stitch.

Here is an excellent tutorial.

7×3 Flat Rib Stitch

This pattern alternates between seven knit stitches and three purl stitches.

Here’s a tutorial.

Broken Rib Stitch

This pattern produces a zigzag vertical rib with alternating knit stitches and purl stitches. It’s an interesting-looking one!

Beaded Rib Stitch

In this, the ribs aren’t separate. Instead, they look like they’ve been woven or beaded together.

Hence why it’s called what it is. It’d be great for scarves or shawls!

Chevron Rib Stitch

This pattern is similar to the Wide Chevron Zigzag Stitch, but it produces a rib chevron-like design with zigzags.

Diagonal Spiral Rib Stitch

This pattern creates beautiful diagonal lines with a unique rib design.

Garter Ribbing Stitch

This pattern is made up of alternating ribs and garter stitch to create a reversible ribbed effect.

Diagonal Rib Stitch

This pattern is similar to the Spiral Rib Stitch. Still, the ribs are thinner, closer together, and have a slightly different look.

Pique Rib Stitch

This pattern is similar to the Pique Triangle Stitch but with a ribbed effect.

Seeded Rib Stitch

This pattern is similar to the Rib Stitch, but it includes seed stitches, creating a beautiful texture.

Cable Knitting Stitches

Basic Cable Stitch

This is a knitting technique where you twist the stitches intentionally to create a variety of wonderfully textured knits.

Here’s a basic pattern to try, though it gets quite fiddly!

Diagonal Basketweave Stitch

A slightly complicated variant on the basketweave, but the result is beautiful.

There are so many different types of knitting stitches out there!

Hope you enjoyed this list and found your favorite new stitch.

If there’s one I forgot to add, please let me know in the comments.

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