The Fisherman’s Rib stitch is a beautiful example of a dense, tightly knitted Rib Stitch.
Like the majority of Rib Stitches, the Fisherman’s Rib is reversible. While there is some give in the Fisherman’s Rib, due to it’s very tightly knitted, dense texture it is less stretchy than some of the other rib stitches.
Precisely, for this reason, it is particularly suited to fitted projects or areas of projects that require a more fitted shape such as collars, hems, and cuffs on projects where you don’t want too much in the way of give.
So, what is the Fisherman’s Rib Stitch? The Fisherman’s Rib Stitch requires mastery of the basic knit stitch and variation on it, the knit one below.
These two stitches are combined by simply alternating between them – knit one stitch then knit one below stitch and repeat throughout the project. An alternative is to purl one stitch and knit one below, repeating the pattern till the last two stitches which are purled.
Instructions
Cast on the required number of even stitches for your project. Begin the project by knitting a foundation row that consists entirely of knit stitches. Reverse the fabric and start the 2nd row by knitting one then knitting one in the stitch below; repeat this pattern for the entire row.
Once you have completed row 2, simply reverse the fabric and continue repeating row 2 until you have the desired size.
As an alternative you can also purl the entire foundation row. This then requires the repeated pattern to be changed to purl one and knit one in the stitch below, repeated until the last two stitches which are purled. This is again repeated for the second row onwards.
Traditional Instructions
Row 1: k all stitches.
Row 2: *k1, k1B; repeat from * to the end of the row
Repeat row 2 to desired length.
Fisherman’s Rib Stitch Swatch Examples
