The Diagonal stripes rib looks just like a diagonal ribbing, and can absolutely be used where you would use a regular ribbing.
Just be aware that it’s not as elastic as the more common ribbing.
This stitch looks a bit more quirky and fun than the regular ribbing and can be a nice detail on any kind of garment. You can also use it for edging if there’s no need for a lot of stretch.
More textured patterns!
Visit my knit and purl stitch patterns library to find more textured patterns that look fancy but are really easy to knit!
Knitting abbreviations
K – Knit stitch
P – Purl stitch
How to knit the diagonal stripes knitting stitch pattern
This stitch is built-up of alternating knit and purl stitches just like many other easy-to-knit stitch patterns.
To achieve the diagonal stripes you have to shift the pattern one stitch on every row.
So this is how I knitted the diagonal stripes rib:
Cast on stitches in multiples of four, and add edge stitches if you need to. (For example, I like to add one stitch on each side to be able to knit neat edges. I always purl the last stitch and slip the first stitch knitwise. You can read more about that in this post: Four ways to knit neat edges
Row 1: *P1 K3* repeat *_* across row
Row 2: P2 *K1, P3* repeat *–* across row, P1
Row 3: K2 *P1 K3* repeat *–* across row K1
Row 4: *K1 P3 *repeat *–* across row
Repeat rows 1 to 4 for as long as needed
Is the diagonal stitch a good beginner stitch
The diagonal stripes stitch is easy to knit. The fact that it’s worked over four rows makes it slightly more complicated than for example the seed stitch. But it’s not hard to do at all.
This pattern only uses knit and purl stitches and when you have worked a couple of pattern repeats it is pretty intuitive, and you will easily see what to do next.
More to read:
––> Prevent stockinette stitch from curling
––> Knit and purl stitch library
––> 10+ adorable baby blanket knit kits
