In
knitting
Knitting is a method for production of textile Knitted fabric, fabrics by interlacing yarn loops with loops of the same or other yarns. It is used to create many types of garments. Knitting may be done Hand knitting, by hand or Knitting machi ...
, ribbing is a pattern in which vertical stripes of
stockinette stitch alternate with vertical
stripes of
reverse stockinette stitch. These two types of stripes may be separated by other stripes in which knit and purl
stitches alternate vertically; such plissé stripes add width and depth to ribbing but not more
elasticity.
The number of knit and purl stripes (wales) are generally equal, although they need not be. When they are equal, the
fabric
Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, and different types of fabric. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is no ...
has no tendency to curl, unlike stockinette stitch. Such ribbing looks the same on both sides and is useful for garments such as
scarves.
Ribbing is notated by (number of knit stitches) × (number of purl stitches). Thus, 1×1 ribbing has one knit stitch, followed by one purl stitch, followed by one knit stitch, and so on.
Ribbing has a strong tendency to contract laterally, forming small
pleat
A pleat (plait in older English) is a type of fold formed by doubling textile, fabric back upon itself and securing it in place. It is commonly used in clothing and upholstery to gather a wide piece of fabric to a narrower circumference.
Pleat ...
s in which the purl stitches recede and the knit stitches come forward. Thus, ribbing is often used for
cuff
A cuff is a layer of fabric at the lower edge of the sleeve of a garment (shirt, coat, jacket, etc.) at the wrist, or at the ankle end of a trouser leg. The function of turned-back cuffs is to protect the cloth of the garment from fraying, and, ...
s,
sweater
A sweater (North American English) or pullover, also called a jersey or jumper (British English, Hiberno-English and Australian English), hem
A hem in sewing is a garment finishing method, where the edge of a piece of cloth is folded and sewn to prevent unravelling of the fabric and to adjust the length of the piece in garments, such as at the end of the sleeve or the bottom of the ga ...
s and, more generally, any edge that should be form-fitting. The elasticity depends on the number of knit/purl transitions; 1×1 ribbing is more elastic than 2×2 ribbing, etc.
However, some cable patterns may "pull in" more than ribbing (i.e., have a smaller
gauge
Gauge ( ) may refer to:
Measurement
* Gauge (instrument), any of a variety of measuring instruments
* Gauge (firearms)
* Wire gauge, a measure of the size of a wire
** American wire gauge, a common measure of nonferrous wire diameter, especia ...
); in such cases, a ribbed border may flare out instead of contracting.
Slip stitch
A ladder stitch, or mattress stitch, is a stitch which can be used to invisibly close seams from the outside of the garment or item. It is primarily used to close seams on stuffed items, such as pillows, mattresses, down coats or stuffed toys, ...
es may be added to increase the depth of the ribbing, and to accentuate the stitches of certain wales. For example, the knit stitches can be slipped every other row to double their height and make them come forward.
Ribs can be decorated with nearly any motif used for a plain knitted fabric, e.g.,
bobbles,
cables,
lace
Lace is a delicate fabric made of yarn or thread in an open weblike pattern, made by machine or by hand. Generally, lace is split into two main categories, needlelace and bobbin lace, although there are other types of lace, such as knitted o ...
, various
color
Color (or colour in English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English; American and British English spelling differences#-our, -or, see spelling differences) is the visual perception based on the electromagnetic spectrum. Though co ...
s, and so on.
See also
*
Knitting abbreviations
References
* (2002) ''Vogue Knitting: The Ultimate Knitting Book'', updated ed., Sixth and Spring Books.
* (1979) ''Reader's Digest Complete Guide to Needlework'', Reader's Digest Association.
* Thomas M. (1972) ''Mary Thomas' Book of Knitting Patterns'', Dover.
* June Hemmons Hiatt (1988) ''The Principles of Knitting'', Simon and Schuster, pp. 21-22, 214.
{{knitting
Knitted fabrics
Knitting ornaments
Textile techniques