Swatch Feature: Twin Rib
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.
This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 30th, 2008 at 10:27 am and is filed under Design, Projects in Progress, Swatch-o-Rama. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

January 30th, 2008 at 1:05 pm
Love that stitch! I’m glad you saved and shared it.
January 30th, 2008 at 2:23 pm
I love the twin rib. I used it to border a plain stockinette cardigan in Noro Kureyon - it provided a stable edge with a wee bit of texture, but doesn’t pull in excessively.
January 30th, 2008 at 11:19 pm
That was my first thought when I looked at it - mistake rib!
January 31st, 2008 at 8:07 am
Yeah for swatching! I love seeing these little bits & thinking on the possibilities, the cardigan idea you mention sounds lovely. And I enjoy being exposed to stitches and techniques I haven’t tried yet - I’m glad you’re sharing these!
February 3rd, 2008 at 4:51 pm
Posting swatches is a good idea. I made a whole sweater out of a very similar rib called beaded rib that I will post next week. It is k2, p3, except the p3 has a garter in the middle. I think it is pretty.