Fisherman's Rib Pattern – Distinctive Ribs
This is a very popular pattern for winter garments. There are several types of fisherman's
rib patterns and various ways of working these. What they all have in common is the
distinctive, thick plain-knitted ribs. However, they can differ in how comfortable they
are to wear, how they feel and the weight.
True Fisherman's Rib
The real fisherman's rib is really voluminous and warming. You have to knit two rows
before you can actually see one row. This way much more yarn is used in comparison to
stocking stitch. This plus in material also has depth with a veritable zigzag appearing on
both sides of the work. The finished garment is not known for its stability but this need
not be a disadvantage. It can be easily stretched in the width, and with it's increased
own weight, the length can also change – it practically grows with you.
This is how it goes
There are two different methods for fisherman's rib – either by picking up
yarn-round-needle and knitting together or by knitting into the lower ‘knit' stitch.
The second method is not so complicated and the stitches slip from your needles without
being interrupted by yarn-round-needle. Here you don't knit into the stitch on the needle,
but one row below. The stitch above is then more or less unravelled and forms a new loose
stitch.
Basic row = wrong side row: edge stitch, *K1, P1 *, repeat from *, K1, edge stitch
1st row (right side): edge stitch, *P1, K1 in the lower row *, repeat from *, P1, edge
stitch 2nd row (wrong side): edge stitch, * K1 in the lower row, P1 *, repeat from *, K1
in the lower row, edge stitch Repeat rows 1 and 2.
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Fisherman's rib |
Half Fisherman's Rib
With half fisherman's rib the plain knit stitches are only worked into the lower row in
the right side rows. This way the fisherman ribs only appear on the right side. The
“wrong side” appears compacter and more rustic and is often used in models where
the handmade character should come to the fore.
The garment doesn't feel so voluminous, but compacter than the “real”
fisherman's rib, it's more stable and less elastic. Gauge and weight are similar to the
full fisherman's rib.
Basic row = wrong side row: edge stitch, *K1, P1 *, repeat from *, K1, edge stitch
1st row (right side): edge stitch, *P1, K1 in the lower row *, repeat from *, P1, edge
stitch 2nd row (wrong side): edge stitch, * K1, P1 *, repeat from *, K1, edge stitch
Repeat rows 1 and 2.
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Half fisherman's rib, right side |
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Half fisherman's rib, wrong side |
German Rib
And then of course there's the German rib, which just kind of looks like the fisherman's
rib, but it's just a make-believe fisherman's rib to save weight. And so of course,
there's less volume. This pattern is ideal for scarves (see Knitting
Tip Scarf Pattern).
Cast on an odd number of stitches and K2, P2 alternately. Start every row with K2 –
this way the pattern jumps one stitch back and fore in every row. The result is a
continuous knit stitch then a moss stitch (K1, P1 staggered), a continuous purl stitch and
then another moss stitch.
The pronounced knit and purl ribs give a slight zigzag effect not so different to the
fisherman's rib.
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German Rib |
Another tip
The fisherman's ribs feel even more voluminous if you knit your favourite fluffy yarn
along with the other yarn.
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