# List of knitting stitches
A list of knitting stitches is an organized inventory of the named stitch units and stitch patterns of hand knitting, a craft built on only two basic stitches, the knit stitch and the purl stitch, whose variations and combinations are used in many knitting stitch patterns.[1](https://www.craftyarncouncil.com/files/CIP/CYC_CIP_Knit_Program.pdf) Stitches serve as the units from which knit structures are assembled; examples of hand-knitting stitches are knit, purl, rib, single jersey, stockinette stitch, and seed stitch, and when a stitch is repeated to make a fabric, that fabric frequently takes the stitch's name.[2](https://knit.work/stitch/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Foundation | Knitting uses only two basic stitches, knit and purl; many stitch patterns are variations and combinations of these two.[1](https://www.craftyarncouncil.com/files/CIP/CYC_CIP_Knit_Program.pdf) |
| Vocabulary | There is neither an exhaustive vocabulary of known stitches nor a unique way to divide a knit object into stitches.[2](https://knit.work/stitch/) |
| Core textures | Garter stitch (knit every row) is reversible and does not curl; stocking (stockinette) stitch alternates one knit row with one purl row.[1](https://www.craftyarncouncil.com/files/CIP/CYC_CIP_Knit_Program.pdf) • [3](https://www.learn2knit.co.uk/knitting/basic-stitches.php) |
| Ribbing | One of the most common knit-purl combinations, usually K1, P1 or 2x2, producing an elastic fabric used for garment edgings.[1](https://www.craftyarncouncil.com/files/CIP/CYC_CIP_Knit_Program.pdf) • [3](https://www.learn2knit.co.uk/knitting/basic-stitches.php) |
| Standards | In 2003 the Craft Yarn Council and industry members set Industry Standards & Guidelines covering skill levels 1–4, abbreviations, and knit chart symbols.[1](https://www.craftyarncouncil.com/files/CIP/CYC_CIP_Knit_Program.pdf) |
| Decreases | k2tog is a single right-leaning decrease; ssk is a single left-leaning decrease; S2KP2 is a centered double decrease.[4](https://www.craftyarncouncil.com/standards/knitting-abbreviations) |
| Colourwork | Mosaic patterns are slip-stitch patterns worked with two colors, one at a time; Fair Isle carries the unused color across the wrong side.[1](https://www.craftyarncouncil.com/files/CIP/CYC_CIP_Knit_Program.pdf) |
## What counts as a knitting stitch
Stitches are the blocks used to build knit structures.[2](https://knit.work/stitch/) In stitch dictionaries, a "stitch" often names a repeating texture, such as garter stitch or seed stitch, produced by a fixed sequence of knit and purl actions across rows. Because the fabric created by repeating a stitch often shares the stitch's name, the structural and pattern senses of the word overlap in practice.[2](https://knit.work/stitch/)
No complete set of terms for existing stitches exists, nor is there a single correct method for splitting a knitted piece into individual stitches; some, though far from every, hand-knitting stitch can be translated into operations for a knitting machine.[2](https://knit.work/stitch/) Any list of knitting stitches is therefore a curated selection rather than a complete census. Specialist databases such as Knittingfool index named stitch patterns alphabetically from A to Z, organized by name rather than by family.[5](https://www.knittingfool.com/stitchindex/alpha.aspx)
## Classification of stitch families
Stitch dictionaries conventionally group patterns by the mechanism that produces their texture. The Harmony Guides series of stitch pattern books edited by Erika Knight, a widely used reference collection, spans knit-purl textures, cables and Arans, yarnover-based lace, and traveling stitches.[6](https://www.interweave.com/wp-content/uploads/KnittingStitches.pdf)
- **Knit-purl textures** use only the two basic stitches in varying sequences and row repeats.
- **Ribs** alternate columns of knit and purl stitches for elasticity.
- **Cables and traveling stitches** cross groups of stitches over one another.
- **Lace** is composed of increases and decreases, typically yarnovers paired with decreases.[6](https://www.interweave.com/wp-content/uploads/KnittingStitches.pdf)
- **Slip-stitch and mosaic patterns** hold stitches unworked while working others, often with two colors.[1](https://www.craftyarncouncil.com/files/CIP/CYC_CIP_Knit_Program.pdf)
- **Colourwork** such as [Fair Isle](https://www.edgepedia.org/fair-isle) carries multiple yarns across a row.[1](https://www.craftyarncouncil.com/files/CIP/CYC_CIP_Knit_Program.pdf)
## Standard abbreviations, charts, and skill levels
In 2003, the Craft Yarn Council's members from publishing, fiber production, needle and hook manufacturing, and yarn collaborated on creating Industry Standards & Guidelines for crochet and knitting, which unified yarn, needle and hook labeling, patterns, skill-level rankings, standard abbreviations, and standard knit chart symbols.[1](https://www.craftyarncouncil.com/files/CIP/CYC_CIP_Knit_Program.pdf) The Council maintains a master list of knitting abbreviations commonly used by yarn-industry designers and publishers, reflecting U.S. terminology; designers and publishers may also use special abbreviations not on the list, with definitions generally given at the beginning of a book or pattern.[4](https://www.craftyarncouncil.com/standards/knitting-abbreviations)
Among the basic abbreviations are k (knit), p (purl), k2tog (working two stitches as one, a single decrease slanting right), ssk (slipping two stitches as if to knit, then working them as one through the back loops, a single decrease slanting left), yo (yarn over), kfb, M1L/M1R, psso, sl, sl st, tbl, St st, and tog.[1](https://www.craftyarncouncil.com/files/CIP/CYC_CIP_Knit_Program.pdf) • [4](https://www.craftyarncouncil.com/standards/knitting-abbreviations) Cable notation is directional: C4B slips the next 2 stitches onto a cable needle held at the back of the work, knits the next 2 stitches, then knits the held stitches; C3F holds 2 stitches at the front, knits 1, then knits the held stitches; T3F holds 2 stitches at the front, purls 1, then knits the held stitches.[6](https://www.interweave.com/wp-content/uploads/KnittingStitches.pdf) Group-repeat semantics are marked with asterisks, brackets [ ] for instructions worked as a group a specified number of times, and parentheses ( ).[6](https://www.interweave.com/wp-content/uploads/KnittingStitches.pdf)
Chart symbols represent each stitch as it looks on the right side of the work, with standard symbols for knit on right side/purl on wrong side, yo, k2tog/p2tog, and SSK/SSP.[1](https://www.craftyarncouncil.com/files/CIP/CYC_CIP_Knit_Program.pdf) Outside the English-speaking industry, Japan defines its own chart symbols under the Japanese Industrial Standard JIS L 0201-1995, covering knit (K), purl (P), yarn over (YO), knit-two-together (Tog/K2 tog), SKPO, slip stitch (SL), twist stitches, and 2-stitch left/right crosses.[7](https://www.tata-tatao.to/knit/stitches/e-index.html)
Skill levels are ranked 1 to 4: level 2 (Easy) covers projects using basic stitches and repetitive stitch patterns; level 3 (Intermediate) covers basic cables and lace, simple intarsia, and double-pointed needles; level 4 (Experienced) covers advanced techniques and stitches such as short rows, Fair Isle, more intricate intarsia, cables, and lace patterns.[1](https://www.craftyarncouncil.com/files/CIP/CYC_CIP_Knit_Program.pdf)
## Major knit-purl stitches and patterns
**Garter stitch** is the simplest pattern: knit every row. It has a bumpy texture, looks the same on both sides, and does not curl along the edge as some other stitch patterns do; one ridge equals two rows.[1](https://www.craftyarncouncil.com/files/CIP/CYC_CIP_Knit_Program.pdf) The same effect can also be achieved by working every row as purl.[3](https://www.learn2knit.co.uk/knitting/basic-stitches.php)
When worked flat, **Stockinette stitch**, called stocking stitch in UK usage, is made up of one row of knit stitches followed by one row of purl stitches, starting with a knit row, which is the right side of the work.[3](https://www.learn2knit.co.uk/knitting/basic-stitches.php)
**Ribbing** is one of the most common patterns combining knit and purl stitches, most commonly as K1, P1 rib, with yarn held in back when knitting and in front when purling.[1](https://www.craftyarncouncil.com/files/CIP/CYC_CIP_Knit_Program.pdf) It is an elastic fabric often used for garment edgings; the two most usual types are 1x1 rib, alternating one knit and one purl stitch, and 2x2 rib, alternating two of each.[3](https://www.learn2knit.co.uk/knitting/basic-stitches.php) A related textured fabric, fishermen's rib, is worked by knitting into the stitch in the row below the stitch on the left-hand needle.[3](https://www.learn2knit.co.uk/knitting/basic-stitches.php)
Independent designer libraries catalog many knit-purl and rib variants under multiple names, including seed stitch, moss stitch, double moss stitch, pebble stitch, spiral stitch, stockinette ridge stitch, twisted rib, and corrugated rib.[8](https://www.lavisch.com/site/stitches/)
## Cable, lace, and colourwork stitches
**Cables** cross groups of stitches over one another. A cable stitch is usually formed on an even number of stitches worked in stockinette stitch, though cables can also be formed with an odd number of stitches; for a left cross, half the stitches are slipped onto a cable needle held at the front of the work, and crossings are traditionally repeated every 4th, 6th, or 8th row.[1](https://www.craftyarncouncil.com/files/CIP/CYC_CIP_Knit_Program.pdf) In the cable-needle method, the held stitches are temporarily out of the working row, so the crossing order determines whether the cable leans left (front) or right (back).[6](https://www.interweave.com/wp-content/uploads/KnittingStitches.pdf)
**Lace** is structurally simple despite its appearance: it is composed of increases and decreases, with yarnovers supplying the increases and paired decreases keeping the stitch count constant.[6](https://www.interweave.com/wp-content/uploads/KnittingStitches.pdf)
**Mosaic knitting** is a slip-stitch colourwork method. Mosaic patterns are worked with two different colors, using one at a time, with colors changed at the beginning of each right-side row; they may be worked in stockinette or garter stitch, and the yarn is always held on the wrong side when slipping a stitch.[1](https://www.craftyarncouncil.com/files/CIP/CYC_CIP_Knit_Program.pdf)
**Fair Isle (stranded) knitting** carries the unused color across the wrong side of the work; for repeats of four stitches or more, weaving the carried yarn over and under stitches is the most frequently recommended technique.[1](https://www.craftyarncouncil.com/files/CIP/CYC_CIP_Knit_Program.pdf) The Craft Yarn Council places Fair Isle at skill level 4.[1](https://www.craftyarncouncil.com/files/CIP/CYC_CIP_Knit_Program.pdf)
## Gauge and stitch counts
Gauge is the number of stitches and rows per inch, usually given for a 4-inch (10 cm) square, and is described as the single most important element in producing a knit project of a specific size.[1](https://www.craftyarncouncil.com/files/CIP/CYC_CIP_Knit_Program.pdf) Teachers often recommend a 6-inch swatch with the central 4 inches measured, and gauge can drift by about half a stitch per inch over a project.[1](https://www.craftyarncouncil.com/files/CIP/CYC_CIP_Knit_Program.pdf)
## Naming conventions and regional terminology
The same techniques and fabrics carry different names across English-speaking traditions. The Craft Yarn Council's standard records U.S.–Canada differences: "bind off" (U.S.) versus "cast off" (Canada), "gauge" versus "tension", and "slip stitch (sl st)" versus "slip stitch (ss)".[4](https://www.craftyarncouncil.com/standards/knitting-abbreviations) The stockinette/stocking split follows the same pattern: U.S. sources say stockinette stitch, while UK instructional material says stocking stitch for the identical fabric of alternating knit and purl rows.[3](https://www.learn2knit.co.uk/knitting/basic-stitches.php)
Naming also proliferates within stitch families. The seed/moss family illustrates the problem: seed stitch, moss stitch, double moss stitch, and pebble stitch appear as separate entries in designer libraries, and the same texture can carry different names in different dictionaries.[8](https://www.lavisch.com/site/stitches/) Alphabetical indexes such as Knittingfool's, which list stitch names from A to Z, document this proliferation but organize by name rather than by structure, so a knitter searching for a fabric must often check several names.[5](https://www.knittingfool.com/stitchindex/alpha.aspx)
## References
1. [Certified Knitting Instructors Program Handbook, Craft Yarn Council](https://www.craftyarncouncil.com/files/CIP/CYC_CIP_Knit_Program.pdf)
2. [Stitch — Knitwork](https://knit.work/stitch/)
3. [How to Knit Basic Stitches, learn2knit.co.uk](https://www.learn2knit.co.uk/knitting/basic-stitches.php)
4. [Knitting Abbreviations Master List, Craft Yarn Council](https://www.craftyarncouncil.com/standards/knitting-abbreviations)
5. [Alphabetic Stitch List, Knittingfool](https://www.knittingfool.com/stitchindex/alpha.aspx)
6. [Techniques for Knitting Stitch Patterns: A Guide to Knitting Stitches, Interweave (Harmony Guides, ed. Erika Knight)](https://www.interweave.com/wp-content/uploads/KnittingStitches.pdf)
7. [ABCs of Knitting — Basic Stitches (JIS L 0201-1995 symbol table)](https://www.tata-tatao.to/knit/stitches/e-index.html)
8. [Stitches, La Visch Designs](https://www.lavisch.com/site/stitches/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Food, customs, and everyday culture › Clothing, textiles, and domestic crafts › Textile and fibre crafts › Knitting and crochet › Knitting and crochet techniques › Knitting stitches and stitch patterns*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license