What?! Can you knit ribbing without purling? Is it true? Eureka! That’s kinda what happened in my head when I realized that there’s a way to knit no-purl rib … If you’ve been hanging around on the site for a bit it’s likely that you have come across my struggle for a purl-free knitting experience.
If not, I think you just got it anyways! I don’t like the purls, no matter how much I work on my purling I never seem to get used to it.
My purling looks quite nice and tidy nowadays, but I feel awkward doing them anyway. So I’m constantly on the search for ways to get around purling.
Characteristics of the no-purl rib stitch
- it’s reversible, just like regular ribbing both sides look alike
- it looks nice and tidy
- it’s elastic, but not as elastic as the basic rib stitches
Knit ribbing without purl stitches
I like this no-purl rib technique as it produces a pretty and reversible fabric that’s similar to ribbing. Another benefit is that it’s easy and fun to knit. But I wouldn’t use it for an item that needs a lot of elasticity because it’s not as elastic as regular ribbing.
More of a visual learner?
If you want to see how to knit this stitch you can watch me knit no purl rib stitch in the video below!
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Abbreviations
K – knit
sl1 wyif – slip one stitch with yarn in front. This means holding your yarn in front of the work like for purling, insert the needle tip in the stitch the same way as when doing a purl stitch and let the stitch slip over to the tonight needle without knitting it.
No-purl rib stitch pattern – aka cartridge belt stitch pattern
This is a one-row repeat pattern, so it’s easy to remember.
Cast on in multiples of four + one stitches (my swatch is knit over 21 stitches.)
Row: *K3, sl1 wyif* repeat *–* across the row, K1
Your next read:
––> No-purl Stockinette stitch
––> No-Purl garter stitch in the round
––> 5 Tips for neater ribbing
