Ribbing is one of the most versatile stitch patterns in knitting. It is stretchy, it looks nice on both sides of the work and it doesn’t curl. The downside is – ribbing is very sensitive to tension. If our knitting tension is not perfect, ribbing instantly gives us away.
Another property of ribbing that often causes issues is its elasticity. It is a must for sock cuffs and brims of close-fitting hats, but it might stretch too much and get out of shape on button bands, sweater cuffs, and even scarves.
There is an easy way to deal with both issues by making a slight change in the way we form “knit 1 purl 1” rib.
In this tutorial, we’ll see how we can make ribbing tighter and neater when we knit back and forth and when we work in the round.
Now you have a choice – a classic ribbing for the parts of your projects that need to be extra stretchy, or the “tighter and neater 1×1 rib” method for button bands, sweater cuffs, scarves and other areas that benefit from the ribbed texture but with a neater look and without an excessive stretch.
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If you enjoyed this tutorial,
here’s something else you might find helpful:
“Neat Side Edges” Book
Learn twelve ways to make side edges of a knitted project nice and tidy. Plus, ways to fix side edges, and a way to improve edges of finished projects.
Happy knitting!
