page_title: Knitted fabric
section_title: Knitting stitches and stitch patterns
hierarchical_section_title: Knitted fabric / Structure of knitted fabrics / Knitting stitches and stitch patterns
caption_attribution_description: Knitted fabric illustrating the definition of a course. Two red courses are shown, the lower one being knitted in a stockinette stitch (top and bottom knitted), the upper one in garter stitch (bottom purled, top knitted). Flip side of Image:Knitting_red_courses_reverse_stockinette_garter.png.
context_page_description: Knitted fabric is a textile that results from knitting. Its properties are distinct from woven fabric in that it is more flexible and can be more readily constructed into smaller pieces, making it ideal for socks and hats.
context_section_description: Different stitches and stitch combinations affect the properties of knitted fabric. Individual stitches look differently; knit stitches look like "V"'s stacked vertically, whereas purl stitches look like a wavy horizontal line across the fabric. Patterns and pictures can be created using colors in knitted fabrics by using stitches as "pixels"; however, such pixels are usually rectangular, rather than square. Individual stitches, or rows of stitches, may be made taller by drawing more yarn into the new loop (an elongated stitch), which is the basis for uneven knitting: a row of tall stitches may alternate with one or more rows of short stitches for an interesting visual effect. Short and tall stitches may also alternate within a row, forming a fish-like oval pattern. 
  Stitches also affect the physical properties of a fabric. Stockinette stitch forms a smooth nap. Aran knitting patterns are used to create a bulkier fabric to retain heat. 
  In the simplest knitted fabric pattern, all the stitches are knit or purl; this is known as a garter stitch. Alternating rows of knit stitches and purl stitches produce what is known as a stockinette pattern/stocking stitch.  Vertical stripes (ribbing) are possible by having alternating wales of knit and purl stitches.  For example, a common choice is 2x2 ribbing, in which two wales of knit stitches are followed by two wales of purl stitches, etc. Horizontal striping (welting) is also possible, by alternating rows of knit and purl stitches. Checkerboard patterns (basketweave) are also possible, the smallest of which is known as seed/moss stitch: the stitches alternate between knit and purl in every wale and along every row.
  Fabrics in which the number of knit and purl stitches are not the same, such as stockinette/stocking stitch, have a tendency to curl; by contrast, those in which knit and purl stitches are arranged symmetrically (such as ribbing, garter stitch or seed/moss stitch) tend to lie flat and drape well. Wales of purl stitches have a tendency to recede, whereas those of knit stitches tend to come forward. Thus, the purl wales in ribbing tend to be invisible, since the neighboring knit wales come forward.  Conversely, rows of purl stitches tend to form an embossed ridge relative to a row of knit stitches.  This is the basis of shadow knitting, in which the appearance of a knitted fabric changes when viewed from different directions.
caption: Two courses of red yarn illustrating two basic fabric types. The lower red course is knit into the white row below it and is itself knit on the next row; this produces stockinette stitch. The upper red course is purled into the row below and then is knit, consistent with garter stitch.
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