What's that stitch? Diagonal rib

Welcome to what's that stitch series!  This weeks stitch is diagonal rib another knitting rib stitch but unlike the most common rib stitches it is knitted on a diagonal.  This rib is stretchy but has less give than a knit 1, purl 1 rib.   Diagonal rib uses only knit and purl stitches making it perfect for beginner knitters. I've added a freebie in this blog post for you too. :-)

What is diagonal rib?

Diagonal rib is a knitting stitch that creates a raised pattern on a diagonal which is knitted over 8 rows. It is a great way to add a rib that is a bit different that the knit 1, purl 1 or knit 2, purl 2 ribs that are most commonly used. It uses only knit and purl stitches making it perfect for you beginner knitters. Diagonal rib creates stipes on a diagonal, below is a close up of the texture of diagonal rib.

How do you diagonal rib?

To do diagonal rib you only need to know how to:

• Knit
• Purl

Knitting abbreviations and meanings

K - Knit
P - Purl

Free printable knitting abbreviations sheet

To do diagonal rib

Cast on multiple of 4 stitches eg, 8, 12, 16, 20

Row 1: * K2, P2, repeat from * till the end of the row
Row 2: * P2, K2, repeat from * till the end of the row
Row 3: * K1, P2, K1, repeat from * till the end of the row
Row 4: * K1, P2, K1, repeat from * till the end of the row
Row 5: * P2, K2, repeat from * till the end of the row
Row 6: * K2, P2, repeat from * till the end of the row
Row 7: * P1, K2, P1, repeat from * till the end of the row
Row 8: * P1, K2, P1, repeat from * till the end of the row

I made you a free printable diagonal rib handy stitch card for you, you could keep this in your knitting bag/basket, punch a hole and put them on a key ring or you could get a piece of string and tie it onto the card. You can choose a card with the sage green or white background, each card has the diagonal rib stitch pattern on the back of the card.

Download your free printable diagonal rib handy stitch cards

What can you make using diagonal rib?

You could use a diagonal rib instead of the rib common used. Some ideas for projects are a cushion cover a jumper, a top, cuffs on a sweater or the top of a hot water bottle cover etc. You could also knit a simple square for a patchwork blanket, I've included how I made mine below.

How to make your own patchwork rectangle

You will need:

5mm straight knitting needles
Scissors
Tape measure
Yarn needle
Row counter, pen or piece of paper to keep track of your rows

If you are unsure of what these are please see knitting kit essentials
If you don't use mm needles you can use knitting needle conversion chart

Gauge:

Knitted in diagonal rib
10cm x 10cm or 3.9inches x 3.9inches - please note these are both the same
29 rows x 13 stitches

Pattern:

Cast on 30 stitches
Row 1: * K2, P2, repeat from *
Row 2: * P2, K2, repeat from *
Row 3: * K1, P2, K1, repeat from *
Row 4: * K1, P2, K1, repeat from *
Row 5: * P2, K2, repeat from *
Row 6: * K2, P2, repeat from *
Row 7: * P1, K2, P1, repeat from *
Row 8: * P1, K2, P1, repeat from *
Repeat all 8 rows another 6 times

Row 1: * K2, P2, repeat from *
Row 2: * P2, K2, repeat from *
Row 3: * K1, P2, K1, repeat from *
Row 4: * K1, P2, K1, repeat from *
Row 5: * P2, K2, repeat from *
Row 6: * K2, P2, repeat from *

Cast off

Finished rectangle should measure 21.5 cm (width) x 16.5cm (length) or 8 1/2 inches (width) x 6 1/2 inches (length) - please note these are the same size

Related Posts

More stitches similar to this one

What's that stitch? Oblique rib - Creates a diagonal rib with a ripple through it.

What's that stitch? beaded rib - A rib that has rows that look like little beads.

What's that stitch? Fancy slip stitch rib - Creates a rib with added texture from the slipped stitches and a rib that is more stretchy than a knit 1, purl 1 or a knit 2, purl 2 rib.

What's that stitch? Pique rib - Creates an interesting rib with ripples through it.

What's that stitch? Farrow rib - A rib that looks a bit like ploughed fields.

Resource library 

What's that stitch? - Page of photos and links to all posts in the what's that stitch series.
Knitting abbreviations - Free printable knitting abbreviations cheat sheet in downloadable pdf file.

Free printable knitting sheets - Free printable handy knitting sheets and free printables all in downloadable pdf files.
Knitting kit essentials - Free guide for everything you need to get started 

Thank you for visiting Cozy Woodland Cottage Knits!

Have fun learning how to do diagonal rib and making a project using this stitch. Don't forget to download your freebie Diagonal rib handy stitch cards.  Check out our stitch library What's that stitch? for more stitch patterns.