How to Knit Half Fisherman Rib Stitch
Hello friends!
Last year I played around with the knit half fisherman rib stitch and wanted to share it with you today. I love it because it doesn’t curl like stockinette yet looks almost like a mix of stockinette and ribbing. The other awesome thing about this stitch is that it’s completely beginner friendly so just about anyone can do it once they can knit and purl. The only thing that might be new for some knitters will be that you will make a k1b, which means knit one below. You’ll see how easy it is in the pictures and video link below, so let’s get started! 🙂
Half Fisherman Rib Stitch Written Pattern
Cast on stitches in a multiple of 2 + 1
Row 1 Knit across row
Row 2 *P1, k1b across to last stitch, repeat from * across, purl last stitch of row
Repeat rows 1 and 2 until your piece is as long as you’d like
Below: Cast on stitches and knit across first row
Below: Row 2 Purl first stitch (you can slip the first stitch purl wise to ensure a straight edge)
Below: Knit one below (notice how the needle goes into the stitch below rather than the stitch on the needle)
Below: Now you will repeat rows 1 and 2. Here we are knitting across the row.
And HERE is a terrific video tutorial on the Half Fisherman Rib Stitch from New Stitch A Day
I agree I think this is the best I’ve seen so far. I’m just learning how to knit after deciding I’m not patient enough for crochet and it’s a bunch of knots. I am trying to decide what I want to make that is small so I can be able to say I know how since I have no life and my goal is to know as much as humanly possible about as much as humanly possible. I am trying to figure out the difference as far as why it’s necessary to do the knit and ourl with the being not very different and how you would knot 1 and purl 2 just because it’s what I always heard on TV. Do they mean rows or stiches when that is said(if you know what I’m referring to)
I love the Fisherman stitch once I get used to the K1b! Looking forward to the Half Fisherman. I have agreed to knit a hat for a woman who wants it to be warm. (After teaching myself to knit mittens as a newlywed, my next project was a sweater for my husband in the fisherman stitch. (It took two summers to finish because I could not see to knit the black yarn I had chosen during the winter!)
How many would you cast on for a cowl and does this pattern work out in the round or would you need to knit flat and sew together?
You absolutely can knit this in the round! To start cast on an even number of stitches. For the first round k1,p1 to the end of the round. For the second round k1, p1b (purl one below) to the end of the round. Repeat the first and second rounds until you’ve reached your desired length!
I remember Wilma used to always say “knit 1, purl 2” when she was knitting on The Flintstones. Is that what you’re thinking of? That was stitches on a row, not rows. What it would look like would depend on the stitch count. It is a 3 stitch repeat (1 knit + 2 purl), so if it was done in multiples of 3, it create a kind of ribbing.
Do I have to adjust a stockinette pattern when using this stitch? Wanting to make a slouchy cardigan and thinking about the row increases for the sleeves – would it be the same amount of rows for Fisherman’s Rib stitch as it would be for stockinette?
It was very hard to see the stitch below using purple yarn!
The text is so light on this site I can barely read it. Is there a way I can make the text darker?