I have written before about how I "invented" a new type of rib when I was about 13. I had been knitting a twisted rib for the welt of a sweater when I found that if I twisted just the knit stitches but left the purl stitches untwisted then it gave a really interesting stitch.
The rib lay flatter, the inside was smoother and last but not least, it was a whole lot easier to work! That's always a bonus, isn't it.
The rib lay flatter, the inside was smoother and last but not least, it was a whole lot easier to work! That's always a bonus, isn't it.
Well of course as others before me have found, it is really hard to invent anything new in knitting. My "invented" rib turned out to be Half-Twisted Rib but it is still one of my favourite stitches!
It just has that extra bit of resilience compared to a plain 1x1 rib so is good for socks, mens' sweaters and other articles that get pulled about when worn. In the Mentmore Socks pictured above, for example, you can see this neat stitch being used for the cuff.
It just has that extra bit of resilience compared to a plain 1x1 rib so is good for socks, mens' sweaters and other articles that get pulled about when worn. In the Mentmore Socks pictured above, for example, you can see this neat stitch being used for the cuff.
So, when I wanted to make a lunch-bag and a few other accessories recently, I immediately thought about using Half-Twisted Rib as the basis for the patterning. However, I wanted to add some extra interest so decided to combine it with slim bands of Rice Stitch. It isn't a combination I have used before, but I really love the way this turned out.
The Rice Stitch bands have acted to hold the rib stitches apart, giving them extra definition, and the contrasting vertical and horizontal patterning really catches the light in an interesting way.
The Rice Stitch bands have acted to hold the rib stitches apart, giving them extra definition, and the contrasting vertical and horizontal patterning really catches the light in an interesting way.
I chose Rice Stitch as a companion to the Half-Twisted Rib because some of the stitches are also twisted, so I thought they would go very well together. In fact, the back of Rice Stitch looks quite like a dotted version of a Half-Twisted Rib.
Rice Stitch gives such a wonderful texture to a design, as you can see in the photos above taken from our Reversible Knitting Stitches book. It almost looks as though grains of rice have been scattered in a neat grid across the knitting.
Rice Stitch gives such a wonderful texture to a design, as you can see in the photos above taken from our Reversible Knitting Stitches book. It almost looks as though grains of rice have been scattered in a neat grid across the knitting.
I love exploring different stitches and putting them together to come up with something new. You never quite know what you're going to get!
I can definitely see myself using this particular combination of stitches again. I am thinking it might work really well in a knitted rug, for example, or a set of cushions. I would think those would look really interesting scattered on a sofa with the light catching all the different lines and angles.
I can definitely see myself using this particular combination of stitches again. I am thinking it might work really well in a knitted rug, for example, or a set of cushions. I would think those would look really interesting scattered on a sofa with the light catching all the different lines and angles.
I wanted to share this and a few other colour ideas I have been working on recently, so we have been working on a small update to our Reversible Knitting Stitches book! That's the beauty of an E-book isn't it – you can just add in a few new pages really easily.
So I have just uploaded "Version 2.1" of the book onto the website here and will post some more details about this in my next blogpost – and yes, the stitch combination I have been featuring today, Moray Rib, is in there as a new entry on Page 74! Please click here to read more about our the book and I will be back soon with lots more details about this new update.
Until then – Happy Knitting!
Moira
So I have just uploaded "Version 2.1" of the book onto the website here and will post some more details about this in my next blogpost – and yes, the stitch combination I have been featuring today, Moray Rib, is in there as a new entry on Page 74! Please click here to read more about our the book and I will be back soon with lots more details about this new update.
Until then – Happy Knitting!
Moira
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Keywords: Reversible Knitting Stitches,
twisted stitches, Rice Stitch, Half-Twisted Rib, stitch combinations, knitting stitch, reversible stitch,
twisted stitches, Rice Stitch, Half-Twisted Rib, stitch combinations, knitting stitch, reversible stitch,
