Ruthless Knitting Archive

Every now and then, I swatch something that doesn’t work out, but I want to keep a record of what I did and spread the swatch love with others. Thus, my first Swatch Feature is born!

The twin rib pattern is taken from Barbara Walker’s second stitch treasury. It’s basically a 3×3 ribbing with a garter column in the center of each set of three stitches. Like mistake rib, both sides are identical, making this pattern a nice choice for edgings whose wrong sides are likely to show. A garment or edging knit in twin rib won’t curl, but neither is it likely to lie flat. Instead, the pattern produces a softly fluted fabric.

To work twin rib, cast on a multiple of 6 stitches and then K3, P3 on the right side and K1, P1 on the wrong side. I used a size 6 needle and yarn that probably falls on the light side of DK.

While the result here is a bit fussier than what I want for the sweater I’m planning, I think twin rib would make a lovely edging for a feminine cardigan in a nice smooth yarn, perhaps combined with an all-over eyelet pattern on the body.