These three stitch patterns create an allover textured pattern using a combination of knit and purl stitches. As such, these three textured patterns are great for decorative borders. Between the USA and UK there is some confusion related to the Moss Stitch – I have seen references to the Moss Stitch which are exactly the same as what I know as a Seed Stitch here in the USA.
Seed Stitch (Moss Stitch):
This is one of my favorite patterns for borders with the stockinette stitch. It lies flat and does not roll or curl. It is reversible and I love it for front bands on cardigan sweaters.
This stitch pattern is a multiple of two and a repeat over two rows. The first row is the same as a 1 X 1 ribbing: K1, P1 across the row. On the following row, all stitches are worked the opposite of the way they face you – i.e. you purl the knit stitches and knit the purl stitches. Seed stitch tends to expand widthwise and is wider than the same number of stockinette stitches.
Irish Moss Stitch:
This stitch has a diagonal texture. It is a multiple of two stitches with a repeat over four rows. The first two rows are knit the same as 1 X 1 Ribbing: K1, P1 across the row. Then the next two rows are knit the opposite: P1, K1 across. You repeat these four rows to make the textured pattern.
Just like the Seed Stitch, the Irish Moss Stitch creates a reversible fabric that lies flat and does not roll or curl. The fabric will tend to expand crosswise and the stitches may “seat” themselves after washing. If you are using this pattern stitch as the main body of your garment, it is best to knit the garment to the actual measurements of the chest of the intended wearer before the first washing.
Double Moss Stitch (Double Seed Stitch, Box Stitch):
This stitch pattern is a multiple of four stitches repeated over four rows. The first two rows are the same as 2 X 2 Ribbing: K2, P2 across the row. On the next two rows, you do P2, K2 across. It has essentially the same properties as the Irish Moss Stitch. This pattern is wonderful for knitting textured scarves that do not roll or curl on the edges.
I have read several Facebook posts and Ravelry forums where new knitters are asking about how to knit a basic hat. There are many basic beanie style hat patterns available for free on Ravelry, including one of mine: Basic Beanie Hat.
But the truth is that a basic beanie hat is fairly easy to knit without any pattern if you are familiar with its structure and know your gauge for the yarn you want to use for the hat. So this post is about the basic structure of a beanie, knit in the round.
Now, a beanie can be knit top down or bottom up, but if you look at most patterns, they are written with a bottom-up construction and this will be the approach I will follow here. There are three parts to a basic beanie: The brim, the body, and the crown. The brim of a beanie is usually done in either 1×1 ribbing (k1,p1) or 2×2 ribbing (k2,p2). The length of the brim can be relatively short – and intended to not be folded, or it can be longer so that it will be worn with the brim folded.
The body of a beanie is the part of the hat that covers the head from just above the ears to where the crown is formed. The length of the body varies according to the size of the hat, with children’s hats being shorter than an adults’ and Men’s hats are usually longer than Women’s. For a basic beanie this length is approximately the length from the top of the head to the bottom of the earlobe or half the length of measuring from the bottom of one earlobe to the other up over the top of the head.
The crown of a beanie is the area that covers the top of the head and is shaped by making decreases to form a circle that is closed at the very top.
To begin knitting the basic beanie you need to do a little math. You need to know what circumference you want it to be. If you have the measurement of the circumference of the head of person you want to fit, you can use that. If you don’t know the circumference, then you can use a standard size chart for the measurements. See the chart below. For a women’s head, I usually use a circumference of 21 – 22 inches as a starting point.
Knitted beanies are made with negative ease. Now what do I mean by that? Negative ease means that the knitted hat will be smaller than the actual circumference and I usually factor in about 10% negative ease for my beanies. This gives the hat a good fit and it hugs the wearer’s head and stays in place. Using an example of a 21 inch circumference, the knitted circumference with 10% negative ease is 19 inches. (10% of 21 = 2.1; 21-2 = 19 or if you prefer: 21 x 0.9 = 19)
You are now ready to determine how many stitches to cast on to start the brim of the beanie. For this you will need your stitch gauge in stitches per inch (spi). I usually have a gauge of 5 spi with worsted weight yarn, so in this example, I multiply 19 inches by 5 sts which gives me 95 sts. However, if I am doing 1×1 ribbing, I need an even number of stitches, so I can either round down to 94 or round up to 96 sts. If I do 2×2 ribbing, I need an even number of stitches, but the number also has to be divisible by 4. In this example, 96 is divisible by 4, so I would start with 96.
For a Women’s beanie, I usually like to knit the ribbing to a length of approximately 2 inches and then start the body. For a basic beanie, I knit the body in stockinette stitch. The body area is where you can add various textured stitch patterns or knit stripes using different colors of yarn. But the very basic beanie is knit in stockinette stitch.
The length of the hat is determined by measuring the length of the wearer’s head from the lower earlobe to the top of the crown. Another way is to measure the head from the bottom of one earlobe over the top of the head to the bottom of the other earlobe and then divide that number by 2. For a women’s hat, I usually use a length of 10.5 to 11 inches, for a men’s hat I use 11 to 11.5 inches. See the standard size chart above for further information. The crown of the hat is approximately 1/3 of the total length of the hat. So, once the ribbing is done, you knit the body to the desired length where the crown shaping starts (measured from the cast on edge). In my example of a women’s hat with a total length of 11 inches, I would knit to a length of 7.5inches. The remaining length of the hat is where the crown is shaped using decreases.
My next post covers things you need to consider to knit the crown of the beanie.
First, a definition: A Helpful Swatch is a swatch that gives you, the knitter, information that helps you in the planning, preparation and construction of your knitting project. It tells you a number of things that are essential for successful completion, among them:
Your stitch and row gauge with the yarn and needles you have selected for your project
The type of fabric produced with your yarn and your gauge.
What happens when the yarn is washed and dried.
What adjustments are needed to make a garment that fits the way you want it
How a given stitch pattern looks when knitted using your selected yarn.
In addition, you can use your swatch to test out different techniques such as decreases or increases that you might want to use during construction. Full disclosure here: You’ll need to knit more than one swatch to get a helpful swatch. This is why most experienced knitters will tell you that you should buy an extra skein of yarn just for swatching.
One of the first issues new knitters encounter when doing a swatch is not knitting a big enough swatch — they tend to cast on only enough to knit a 4 inch square. In most cases, this isn’t big enough to provide helpful information. So, how big does a swatch need to be? The short answer is: Big enough to get a good sense of how the project will knit up. Elizabeth Zimmerman wrote that “a hat is a good swatch” – which is true if you are planning to knit your sweater in the round. Some knitters use a sleeve as their swatch, others knit a swatch that is at least 6 inches wide by 6 inches high. I would say that the 6 X 6 swatch is a good starting point – but you made need to make one that is even wider.
GAUGE: Here’s one inescapable truth about yarn, needles, and gauge: “Your Mileage May Vary”. Meaning that gauge is a very personal thing – it’s yours and yours alone. It is a measurement of the fabric YOU produce when you knit. So doing a swatch to identify your gauge is important to your success.
Before you start your first swatch you need to decide what size needle works best for the project. Yarn labels usually have a recommended needle size and gauge listed. Some manufacturers state a range on the label, others use a symbol to indicate the recommended gauge. Either way, this is just the starting point. A pattern may also include information about the yarn, needles and gauge the designer used to create the pattern. Both sources provide you with a starting point for selecting the size needle you need to use to obtain the knitted fabric you want to make.
Gauge written on label
Symbol showing gauge
Here are the steps I follow to make a Gauge Swatch:
Select 3 sizes of needles – if the recommended needle size on the yarn label is a US 7, I use a US 6, US 7, and US 8 for this swatch.
Cast on enough stitches on the smallest needle size for a width of at least 6 inches. (To estimate the number of stitches to cast on, I use the recommended gauge on the yarn label. For example, the label states 20 stitches in 4 inches, that’s 5 stitches per inch, so I’d cast on 30 stitches for 6 inches.). Knit in stockinette stitch for at least 3-4 inches ending with a right side (knit) row.
Knit the wrong side row to indicate where the change in needle size occurs.
Change to the US 7 and knit in stockinette stitch for another 3-4 inches.
Repeat steps 3 & 4 with the US 8. Bind off loosely. (You can also just put the live stitches on waste yarn).
Take stitch and row gauge measurements for all needle sizes and make note of these before blocking per step 7.
Block this swatch using the care instructions on the yarn label.
Once the swatch is dry, take stitch and row gauge measurements for each needle size and write them down in your project notes. These are your “finished gauges”.
Select the needle size by looking at the fabric produced by each size needle. Which one gives you the best fabric? Do you like the stitch definition? Do you like the way it drapes and feels? Is one better than the other two? It’s your choice – but this helps you select the needle that works best with you and your choice of yarn.
Measuring the Swatch for Gauge:
Stitch gauge is expressed as “number of stitches in number of inches (or centimeters)”. You may see this as “20 sts/4 in (10cm) or 5 sts/in. To determine your stitch gauge you need to count the number of stitches in a horizontally measured row of stitches. This measurement should be taken using a ruler and marking the starting point and ending point away from the edges.
Row gauge is expressed as “number of rows in number of inches (or centimeters)”. You may see this as “28 rows/4 in( 10cm) or 7 rows/inch. To determine your row gauge you need to count the number of rows in a vertically measured column of stitches. Again, the measurement needs to be taken using a ruler and away from the top and bottom edges of the swatch.
Note that it is not necessary to measure just 4 inches horizontally or vertically. If you measure more than 4 inches, you may get a more accurate gauge because it will give you a better average – yes – gauge is actually the average number of stitches or rows per inch. And, math is required to determine gauge.
There are any number of YouTube videos available on measuring gauge swatches to determine stitch and row gauge. I recommend the following ones for more detailed explanation:
I have decided that I have too many projects in progress and absolutely cannot start anything else until I get at least three of them done: Not only do I have 5 knitting projects and 1 crochet project “in the works”, but have 3 more planned, plus a sewing project that must be completed in the next two weeks. I have always had the tendency to have several things going at once – but really, this is ridiculous!
Here are the knitting projects I must complete BEFORE starting anything else:
Knitted Bunny – ready for assembly.
Knitted Bunny
Lace Scarf – this is a Christmas gift:
Lace Scarf WIP
Cable Ribbon Socks – Guild Meet Up project.
Cable Rib Socks - knitting magic loop method
Vintage Crochet Edging – just need to finish the write up on the pattern:
Vintage Crochet Edging -- WIP
I plan to do the sewing project over the Labor Day Weekend and will post pictures when finished.
