Basic Stitch
Stockinette Stitch (St st)
Used For
- Sweaters
- Hats
- Socks
- Backgrounds for colorwork and cables
The classic knit fabric: smooth V-shaped stitches on the right side, bumpy purl ridges on the wrong side — the default fabric behind most sweaters.
Instructions
- Cast on any number of stitches.
- Row 1 (RS): Knit all stitches.
- Row 2 (WS): Purl all stitches.
- Repeat these two rows, always knitting on right-side rows and purling on wrong-side rows.
- Bind off knitwise on a right-side row when finished.
Tips & Notes
- Stockinette curls toward the right side at the side edges and toward the wrong side top and bottom — plan a border (garter, rib, or seed stitch) if you need flat edges.
- Worked in the round, stockinette is knit every round, since the right side always faces you.
- The smooth V's make stockinette the easiest fabric to count rows and stitches on, which is why most gauge swatches are worked in it.