Oh, do you happen to land on this page to find the best knitting stitches for beginners? New in the knitting world? Then welcome aboard the knitting adventure cruise. We know you are trying to find the best way you can learn the different types of knitting stitches. That is why in this article, we have compiled the most essential and easiest knitting stitch patterns you can follow through on a daily basis until you learn all of them. Once you have equipped yourself with the basics, you would surely develop much more confidence in creating sophisticated pieces in the nearest future. Here are the top 18 knitting stitches you can absolutely finish in just 18 days of knitting indulgence.

#1 Knit Stitch

The knit stitch is the most basic form of stitch. In knitting patterns and diagrams, this is marked as “K1”. Plain old knit stitch is also used to form garter strings.

Characteristics:

• Each knit stitch forms a letter “V”.
• As this is the very basic of stitching, one can use this to form purl stitches, rib stitches and moss stitches.
• You can also use this to form garter strings.

How to Do Knit Stitch?

What you need:

• Worsted-weight yarn, any color or colors
• Size 8, 14″-long knitting needles
• Yarn needle with big eye
• Small scissors

Making knit stitches requires casting on the knit to doing the first knit row then finally binding it off.

• Casting on means doing your first preliminary stitch from the spool of yarn.
• Making the cast on row completes stage 1 of knitting knit stitches. This will be followed by making your first row.
• In the binding off stage, you would have to thread the yarn end into the yarn needle and weave end to secure your knit stitch.

To make it easier, here’s a video on how to do knit stitch.

VIDEO:

What can you make with knit stitch?

Garter Stitch Scarf

With just knowing the basic knit stitch, you can already make this cute cozy knit scarf to give as a gift. It’s easy and chic. And here’s a free tutorial you can easily follow from Flax and Twine Tasseled Garter Stitch Color Block Scarf.

Baby Booties

For stay-at-home moms, you can divulge into making the perfect cozy little boots for your baby. Garter stitch is used to make these nice and simple comfort shoes from Gina Michelle. Very Easy Knit Baby Booties

#2 Garter Stitch

Garter stitch is one of the most basic and simple type of knitting stitches. It’s one of the things you need to learn to create other knitting patterns.

Characteristics of the Garter Stitch

• Easily distinguishable by the knitted loops on every row forming horizontal ridges.
• It doesn’t curl like what’s happening with the Stockinette stitch.
• Great for making thick and stretchy fabric.
• Makes wavy pattern.

How to knit the Garter Stitch?

VIDEO:

Things You Can Do with the Garter Stitch

You can make hats and cardigans with this type of stitch like the ones below.

#3 Stockinette Stitch

Another popular stitch type is the Stockinette stitch. This is yet another easy knitting stitch that you can learn to produce wonderful creations. Learning stockinette stitch can also be a great advantage in perfecting your purling and knitting skills.

Characteristics

• Stockinette stitch has a right and a wrong side. The right side has a smooth texture and is called the stockinette or knit. The wrong side is called the reverse stockinette or purl and has a bumpy, wavy texture.

• Stockinette fabric tend to curl on the top and bottom edges like in some sweater designs. Why stockinette stitch curls is attributed to the difference in size between knit stitches and purl stitches.

If you take a closer look below, you’d see a wider V-shaped knit stitches on the right side in contrast with the bumpy purl stitches on the wrong side. Both sides tend to push the other horizontally and vertically, which causes the fabric to curl.   In many cases, this is viewed as a decorative style of the fabric, but you can limit the amount of curling on the edges if you want to do so. One creative way is to add a border to it.

How to knit the stockinette stitch?

The first step is to make a knit stitch for the first row. Then on the second row, you’d do a purl stitch. You can follow through with this tutorial on how to make a Stockinette stitch.

What Incredible Things You Can Make with the Stockinette Stitch

You can knit pillows, mug holder, sweaters, scarves and anything you think would fit with this type of knit. For a knitting bonus, here’s a link on 52 Free Knitting Patterns for Stockinette stitches you can try on now!

#4 Seed Stitch

The seed stitch is one of the easiest knit and purl stitches that can do to make dimple patterns on the fabric. It’s called as such because the texture actually looks as if seeds are scattered on the knitted fabric.

Characteristics of the Seed Stitch

• It doesn’t curl
• Consists of knits and purls that alter horizontally and vertically.
• Reversible fabric – It looks the same at both sides.

How to Knit Seed Stitch?

Follow through this simple tutorial by Kristen McDonnell to learn on how to knit Seed stitches and make your first piece!

What you can make with Seed Stitches

Seed stitch lies flat like garter stitch, and is reversible, making it great for blankets and two-way scarves. This also makes a good edging for cuffs and sweaters.  

#5 Bamboo Stitch

The Bamboo stitch is an easy stitch that is ideal for men’s apparel and garment such as men’s scarf. It’s thick-like structure is also great as kitchen use cloths or washcloths. This type of stitch is ideal for beginners for its very easy method of stitching. Bamboo stitch is called as such because it looks as if bamboo shoots are lined up in the stitch pattern.

Characteristics of Bamboo Stitch

• With a two-row, three-stitch repeat.
• Thick and masculine look.
• Consists of only two rows.
• Easy to master with practice.

How to Knit Bamboo Stitch

How to knit Bamboo stitch is very simple as shown in this clear and crisp video tutorial by Kristen McDonnell.

What can you make with Bamboo stitch?

You can make socks, mittens, and men’s scarf with bamboo stitch patterns such as these:

#6 Herringbone Lace Rib Stitch

  A series of crisscrossed diagonal stitches are made between the lines. On the reverse facet of the fabric, these stitches will show up as parallel rows of stitches.

How to Knit Herringbone Lace Rib

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGoO0HYylo

What can you make with Herringbone Lace Rib Stitches?

You can make socks, sweaters, scarves and bonnets using the herringbone lace rib stitch.

#7 Netted Stitch

Summer outfit reminds me of this type of stitching pattern. The Netted Stitch is one of the most beautiful stitches. It is made with a balance of decreases and with increases. It is very easy to knit even if it looks tricky to make. Netted Mesh stitching requires looping and knotting of knit at their intersections until you form something.

Characteristics

Also called the Mesh Lace stitch, it has a lacy texture done in repeated four rows. It is commonly used for summerly garments.

How to Knit Netted Stitches

Here’s how you can make Netted Stitches.

What can you make with Netted Stitches

You can make trendy lace scarves like this:

#8 Linen Stitch

The linen stitch can also be called Fabric Stitch that can create vintage-looking fabric especially when you expand its color scheme. Its texture may trick you into thinking it’s woven. Slipped stitches are used to form small bars across the cloth.

Characteristics of the Linen Stitch

Linen stitch is a firm, reversible fabric that is suitable in making bold-colored fabrics. It creates a lovely effect with finer weights of yarns.

How to Knit the Linen Stitch Pattern

In this video, Kristen McDonnell explains how you can make a linen stitch in a fun way.

What you can do with Linen Stitch patterns

A lot of knitters love this type of stitch for cowls and scarves. You can also make a lot of projects with this type of stitch.

Linen Stitch Scarves

   

Linen Stitch blankets

 

#9 Basketweave Stitch

The Basketweave Stitch is more complicated than the earlier types of stitches, but all you need to know first is how to do a purl stitch to make it easier to follow through. Also, it’s the most basic form is the moss stitch, but on a bigger scale. So if moss stitch is not new to you, you can easily make this amazing type of stitch. As you can see, it actually has an alternating feature of the knit and purl stitch every few rows.

Characteristics of the Basketweave Stitch

This type of stitch looks like a woven basket exterior. Purl stitches weave in and out of the stockinette pattern.

How to Knit a Basketweave Stitch

You can knit a Basketweave stitch by just following this video.

What can you make with Basketweave Stitch

You can make scarves, hats, blankets, pillowcases, pouches, mug holders, bags and many more.

 

#10 Purl Ridge Stitch

The Purl Ridge Stitch is a simple variety of Stockinette Stitch and is under the Knit and Purl Family. It’s an ingenious way of adding more intricacy and sophistication to simple stitch patterns.

Characteristics of the Purl Ridge Stitch pattern

• Consists of alternating layers of stockinette stitch with a row of purl stitches, creating a textured ridge pattern.
• The ridges are only visible on the right side of the fabric, with the wrong side looking like a standard garter or stockinette (WS) pattern.

How to Knit Purl Ridge Stitch

This video tutorial shows how to make Purl Ridge Stitch for beginners.

What you can do with Purl Ridge patterns Neck warmers, bonnets, beanies are some of the most incredible ideas you can produce with purl ridge knits.  

#11 Cartridge Belt Rib Stitch

The Cartridge Belt Rib Stitch is has a rib pattern. It’s also reversible.

How to Make Cartridge Belt Rib Stitch

Here’s how you can knit a cartridge belt rib stitch.

Where can you use this type of stitch

You can make a lot of pieces with this unique stitch type such as afghans, sweaters, and scarves.

#12 Herringbone Stitch

This type of stitch makes its way into making embroideries and crocheting. See the bony structures it makes like the spine of a herring fish? That’s where the herringbone stitch got its name. In weaving, Herringbone stitch makes an intricate decorative texture design.

Characteristics of Herringbone Stitch

• It can be woven into all fabrics or fiber combinations using a twill weave.
• Made by cutting and reversing alternate vertical sections.
• Arranged into vertical columns and staggered along the vertical line.
• Used in everything from suits to day wear to homewares.

How to Knit Herringbone Stitch?

This is a video where Mary Corbet explained the way in doing the Herringbone Stitch

What can you make with Herringbone Stitch?

You can make wool blankets, throws and alpaca blankets allowing a brighter colour to be paired with a more neutral tone.

#13 Single Rib Knit

Single Rib Weave design is shaped by rotating sews and purls stitch to create vertical columns. It produces a really flexible reversible fabric that’s for the most part sewn on a littler needle, than the most texture to keep it firm.

How to knit Single Rib Stitch

What can you make with Single Rib Knit?

Single Rib Knit Stitch will help you make and have cool scarf and hats.

#14 Tiles Stitch

Tiles Knitting Stitches make up beautiful mesh style patterns. It’s moderately open, which makes it ideal if you want it not to be too warm. What’s more is it doesn’t have a strong diagonal pull, like open mesh knits tend to.

How to Knit Tiles Stitch

The best way to learn the tiles stitch is to watch this video.

What can Tiles Stitch Make?

It is ideal for summer cover-ups or warm winter sweaters.

#15 Diagonal Basketweave Stitch

The Diagonal Basket Weave stitch is also an easy stitch. You can utilize it for small or large areas of stitching. It looks similar to the Mainland stitch but the back looks a lot like a thick woven container.   Characteristics of the Diagonal Basket Weave Stitch

• It is durable and thick
• Gives body to an object

How to knit Diagonal Basketweave Stitch

What can you make with Diagonal Basket Weave Stitch?

With Diagonal Basketweave Stitch you can knit blankets, socks, bonnets and jackets which is good during cold days.

#16 Raspberry Stitch

The Raspberry Stitch is design could be a finished bobble fasten with stunned of fastens that take after a raspberry bush. Moreover called the Trinity Stitch or Blackberry Stitch. This is made by repeating 4 stitches among 4 lines. With this raspberry stitch, your work will have a decent, nearly sew like design.

How to knit Raspberry Stitch

What can you make with Raspberry Stitch?

Raspberry Stitch is a great way to add dimension to blankets, scarves, bonnets, washcloths, pillows, headbands and purse.

#17 Diamond Honeycomb Stitch

The term is connected to weaves which take after nectar comb cells. The cellular arrangements show up square within the cloth. They are shaped by a few closes and picks interlacing tighter than others and so creating a better pressure. Ordinarily, single cloths are made by continuously extending and shortening both twist and weft drifts to make edges and hollows on a square design, to provide a cellular appearance.

2 Types of Diagonal Honeycomb Stitch

• Ordinary Honeycomb
• Brighton Honeycomb

How to Knit Diamond Honeycomb Stitch

What can you make with Diamond Honeycomb Stitch?

This weave is particularly suitable for hand towels, glass cloth, dispensed roller towels, and bath mats.

#18 Chinese Wave Stitch

Chinese wave stitch is worked employing a single flat and two vertical straight features. This fashion of stitch is diverse from standards cross-stitch, which is worked diagonally to form a small X-shaped stitch.

How to Knit Chinese Wave Stitch

This is a video on how to knit the Chinese Wave Stitch

What Chinese Wave Stitch Can Make

This kind of stitch can make such as bonnets, table cloth, scarves, and some clothes too.

So, what do you say? Isn’t it fun to follow and learn these knitting stitches? Are you ready to make your own beautiful pieces? We hope this article has been helpful to you in understanding the different types of knitting stitches and hopefully, you can apply them soon in your knitting projects. Happy knitting! PS: If you want to know more about knitting, knitting machines (link to knitting machines for beginners), circular knitting machines and anything about making your own patterns, apparels and more, you can read our other articles and blogs solely written for the love of knitting.