4) Learn to Knit Reverse Rib Stitch

Pre-requisite Skills:

cast on (CO) and bind off (BO)

knit (k) and purl (p)

counting rows

New Skill: reverse stockinette

Expanding Skill: identifying right and wrong sides of the fabric

Introduction

Another pattern you can create using rows of knit and purl stitches is called the reverse rib. From the right side (RS) of the fabric, this pattern groups rows of stockinette and reverse stockinette to create a horizontal wave pattern.

What is reverse stockinette? It’s the wrong side of a stockinette pattern. If you look at the wrong side of the facecloth you made in #2 — Learn to Knit Stockinette Stitch, you’ll see that it is made up of only purl bumps. You can’t see any knit stitches. In this pattern, the reverse stockinette sections create texture. The pattern is often used as a background to twisting cable stitches so that the intricate work of cabling is very clear. It can also be used as the right side of a garment so that the smoother side is touching the skin.

This stitch is called reverse rib because the “ribs” lie horizontally to the cast on edge. Usually, the ribs are vertical, which is a skill we will practice in the next cloth.

As in the stockinette and purl ridge cloths, this cloth will start with a garter stitch section to help the piece lie flat. However, for this piece we do not need a garter stitch border on the sides as the reverse rib pattern is not inclined to curl in that direction.

For this pattern, it will be useful to mark the right side of the fabric. You can use a locking stitch marker, a safety pin, or a paper clip.