How to Knit Fisherman’s Rib Stitch Flat and In the Round

What is Fisherman’s Rib?

Fisherman’s rib is a variation on 1×1 rib. While the purl stitches are worked as normal, the knit stitches are worked into the row below. The result is a thick and textured fabric that’s warm and cozy.

While this is one of the most popular knit stitches today, it was traditionally used by fishermen from the Aran Islands. These seafaring men needed hats and sweaters that were dense and warm enough to face the elements.

Fisherman’s rib fit the bill!

Knitting into the stitch below creates a double layer, making the fabric extra warm (and also twice as long to knit as stockinette stitch or 1×1 rib!)

Key Characteristics:

• • reversible
  • thick and textured
  • bouncy
  • warm
  • looser than 1×1 rib
  • identical fabric to brioche stitch
  • takes twice as long to knit as 1×1 rib

Yarn used: The yarn in this tutorial is Paintbox Yarns Wool Mix Aran in color Pale Lilac (845) and 5mm needles

Fisherman’s Rib Vs. 1×1 Rib

While Fisherman’s Rib is a close cousin of 1×1 rib, it differs in its tension, thickness and loft. It’s both looser and more dense than 1×1 rib.

When knitting fisherman’s rib, the stitches are knit twice, so it takes twice as long to complete one row of knitting. This double knitting occurs when you knit into the stitch below.

While 1×1 rib contracts into itself, with the purl stitches nearly hidden in-between the knit stitches, fisherman’s rib expands. I think of it as 1×1 rib that’s manspreading (or “stitch-spreading”) to the extreme.

Both swatches have the same number of cast on stitches! The difference in width is pretty dramatic and perfectly illustrates fisherman’s rib expansion vs 1×1 rib’s contraction.

Fisherman’s Rib Video Tutorial:

If you’d like a full overview and tutorial of fisherman’s rib, look no further than this tutorial video. I go over how to knit the stitch flat and in the round, along with tips and techniques to make the process smooth and easy.

Fisherman’s Rib Knit Flat (Back and Forth)

Fisherman’s rib knit flat is basically the same as knitting 1×1 rib – but with one big exception: instead of knitting the knit stitches, you will knit into the stitch below.

K1-b means knit into the stitch below. More on this in the “How to Knit into the stitch below” section.

Fisherman’s Rib Knit Flat Instructions

Cast on an ODD number of stitches (ie. 3, 5, 7, 9, etc.)

Set-up Row (WS): *K1, P1; repeat from * to last stitch, K1

Row 1 (RS): *P1, K1-b; repeat from * to last stitch, P1

Row 2 (WS): K1, *P1, K1-b; repeat from * to last 2 sts, P1, K1

Repeat Rows 1-2 until piece is desired length.

Bind off in pattern or with Italian tubular bind off.

A note on the selvedge: the above instruction is the easiest way to knit fisherman’s rib flat with a simple purl stitch selvedge edge on each side.

You can also experiment with slipping the first stitch to create a knit selvedge edge.

How to Knit into the Stitch Below: A Closer Look

Here you’ll find a comparison between knitting (not what we want) and knitting into the stitch below.

Being Defensive About Mistakes

The most frustrating thing about fisherman’s rib is when you drop a stitch. Rescuing a dropped stitch is nearly impossible with this stitch. (If someone has found a sane way, please tell me!)

Therefore, the best strategy is a defensive one. If you’re feeling a bit shaky knitting fisherman’s rib, insert a lifeline every few inches.

If you drop a stitch or make a mistake, you can always unravel to the lifeline and pick up stitches from there.

Fisherman’s Rib in the Round

When knitting in the round, you will alternate between one round of knitting into the stitch below and one round of purling into the stitch below.

K1-b means knitting into the stitch below and P1-b means purling into the stitch below. More on this in the “How to Purl into the stitch below” section.

Fisherman’s Rib Knit in the Round Instructions

Cast on an EVEN number of stitches (ie. 2, 4, 6, 8 etc.)

Set-up Round: *K1, P1; repeat from * to end of round

Round 1: *K1-b, P1; repeat from * to end of round

Round 2: *K1, P1-b; repeat from * to end of round

Repeat Rounds 1-2 until piece is desired length.

Bind off in pattern or with Italian tubular bind off.

How to Purl into the Stitch Below: A Closer Look

My Best Tip for Knitting in the Round

When knitting Fisherman’s rib in the round it’s easy to lose track of which round you’re on.

You can figure out where you are in the pattern by looking at the round you’ve just knit.

For example, on the last round, the purl stitches look extra fluffy. When I investigate further I can see that there are two strands of yarn around the purl stitch. This tells me that on the last round I purled into the stitch below.

A double strand of yarn means that the stitch was worked twice: it has been knit or purled into the stitch below.

Back to my example: if the purls on the last round were purled into the stitch below, that means my last round was Round 2.

Therefore, my next round should be Round 1.

Mystery solved!

Other Cast On and Bind Off Techniques for Fisherman’s Rib

Generally, a long tail or cable cast on works fine and looks good.

However, if you want an invisible cast on, meaning that the cast on edge merges seamlessly with the stitches, you can try the alternating cable cast on.

If you’re knitting fisherman’s rib flat, you’ll cast on an odd number of stitches.

The alternating cable cast on is written for an even number of stitches, but it can be modified by casting on an extra stitch.

Work the set-up row to the last two stitches. Then instead of K1, you’ll K2tog. The stitches will now be an odd number.

Continue in Row 1 and 2 for fisherman’s rib knit flat.

For knitting in the round, you can follow the alternating cable cast on instructions as they’re written.

When casting off fisherman’s rib, binding off in pattern works beautifully.

However, for a seamless finish that matched the alternating cable cast on, consider the Italian tubular bind off.

This is a sewn bind off, meaning that a tapestry needle is used instead of a knitting needle.

The Italian tubular bind off is an advanced technique, but it yields a truly beautiful and professional finish.

If it’s your first time trying this bind off, I suggest inserting a lifeline a few rows beforehand.

Fisherman’s Rib Knitting Projects

Twisted Headband: Give fisherman’s rib a spin with a small project like my Twisted Headbands. This is a quick one-skein project you can complete in a weekend!

Simple Scarf: When a stitch is “scarf-worthy,” that means it’s beautiful, interesting and worthy to be knit into a whole scarf.

Not many stitch patterns are scarf-worthy, but to me, fisherman’s rib makes the cut. The stitch is beautiful, classic and reversible – all important features for a scarf!

Experiment to find the best number of cast on stitches for the scarf width. Then simply follow the instructions for fisherman’s rib knit flat. Knit until the scarf is your desired length and bind off.

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