Instructions for ribbing and seed stitch can get very cumbersome, depending on whether they’re worked on an even or odd number of stitches. (See the possibilities at the bottom of the post.)
But working these fabrics, without reference to instructions at all, can be very easy once we understand how the fabrics are constructed. I’m not saying we memorize the instructions. Instead, we understand the underlying theory of how the fabrics are formed.
Since these fabrics are reversible, it’s easy to forget whether you’re working a public- or private-side row.
Work Any Ribbing Without Instructions
All ribbing, whether it’s the common 1×1 and 2×2, some variation like 2×1, 3×3, or 1×6, or any other combination of knits and purls, is simply alternating columns of stockinette and reverse stockinette. Each column is one or more stitches wide.
To make any kind of ribbing, once we’ve established the first row, then for all remaining rows, public side and private side, we knit the knit stitches and purl the purl stitches. An alternate phrasing is that we work the stitches as they present themselves.
Of course, we must establish that first row absolutely correctly, but that’s a different issue entirely!
Work Seed Stitch Without Instructions
Seed stitch is a checkerboard of knit and purl stitches. While 1×1 ribbing alternates knits and purls horizontally, seed stitch alternates knits and purls both horizontally and vertically.
So once we’ve established the first row of seed stitch, for all remaining rows, both public side and private side, we knit the purl stitches and purl the knit stitches. An alternate phrasing is that we work the stitches the opposite of how they present themselves.
Note that this is the opposite of what we do for ribbing. Since seed stitch is “broken ribbing,” we never want to purl a purl stitch or knit a knit stitch—because that would start to form ribbing—so we always do the opposite of what the current stitch is.
(Note that in ribbing, we never want to purl a knit stitch or knit a purl stitch, because that would start to form seed stitch.)
Work Moss Stitch Without Instructions
For moss stitch, we have to tweak what we did for seed stitch.
In moss stitch, we set up the first row with alternating knits and purls. But as we work back on the private side, we knit the knits and purl the purls (work the stitches as they present themselves). If it sounds like the first two rows of moss stitch are identical to two rows of 1×1 ribbing, you’re exactly right.
On all subsequent public-side rows, we “break” the ribbing by knitting the purls and purling the knits (working the stitches the opposite of how they present themselves).
All subsequent private-side rows are worked the same way as the first private-side row, by working the stitches as they present themselves (knitting the knits and purling the purls).
So moss stitch consists of pairs of rows of 1×1 ribbing, with each pair moved over one stitch from the previous pair.
Work Alternate Moss Stitch Without Instructions
Some sources have a different fabric called moss stitch, and other books call this same fabric box stitch. This fabric starts with two rows of 2×2, not 1×1, ribbing. On all subsequent public-side rows, we “break” the 2×2 ribbing by moving the pairs of knits and purls over by two stitches, so that we knit the purls and purl the knits (work the stitches the opposite of how they present themselves).
On all subsequent private-side rows, we still work the stitches as they present themselves.
So this alternate moss stitch works pairs of rows of 2×2 ribbing, with each pair of rows moved over by two stitches. It’s still a checkerboard like regular seed stitch, except that each square is two stitches wide and two rows tall.
Written-Out Instructions for Ribbing and Seed Stitch
If you’re squeamish, or simply want to avoid a migraine, stop reading now!
1×1 ribbing on an even number of stitches
Row 1: * K1, P1 *, repeat between * across.
Repeat row 1.
1×1 ribbing on an odd number of stitches
Row 1: * K1, P1 *, repeat between * across, K1.
Row 2: * P1, K1 *, repeat between * across, P1.
Repeat rows 1 and 2.
Seed stitch on an even number of stitches
Row 1: * K1, P1 *, repeat between * across.
Row 2: * P1, K1 *, repeat between * across.
Repeat rows 1 and 2.
Seed stitch on an odd number of stitches
Row 1: * K1, P1 *, repeat between * across, K1.
Repeat row 1.
Moss stitch on an even number of stitches
Rows 1 and 2: * K1, P1 *, repeat between * across.
Rows 3 and 4: * P1, K1 *, repeat between * across.
Repeat rows 1 through 4.
Moss stitch on an odd number of stitches
Row 1: * K1, P1 *, repeat between * across, K1.
Row 2: * P1, K1 *, repeat between * across, P1.
Row 3: Repeat row 2.
Row 4: Repeat row 1.
Repeat rows 1 through 4.
2×2 ribbing on a multiple of 4 stitches
Row 1: * K2, P2 *, repeat between * across.
Repeat row 1.
2×2 ribbing on a [(multiple of 4) + 1] stitches
Row 1: * K2, P2 *, repeat between * across, K1.
Row 2: P1, * K2, P2 *, repeat between * across.
Repeat rows 1 and 2.
2×2 ribbing on a [(multiple of 4) + 2] stitches
Row 1: * K2, P2 *, repeat between * across, K2.
Row 2: * P2, K2 *, repeat between * across, P2.
Repeat rows 1 and 2.
Alternate moss stitch on a multiple of 4 stitches
Rows 1 and 2: * K2, P2 *, repeat between * across.
Rows 3 and 4: * P2, K2 *, repeat between * across.
Repeat rows 1 through 4.
Alternate moss stitch on a [(multiple of 4) + 1] stitches
Row 1: * K2, P2 *, repeat between * across, K1.
Row 2: P1, * K2, P2 *, repeat between * across.
Row 3: * P2, K2 *, repeat between * across, P1.
Row 4: K1, * P2, K2 *, repeat between * across.
Repeat rows 1 through 4.
Alternate moss stitch on a [(multiple of 4) + 2] stitches
Row 1: * K2, P2 *, repeat between * across, K2.
Row 2: * P2, K2 *, repeat between * across, P2.
Row 3: Repeat row 2.
Row 4: Repeat row 1.
Repeat rows 1 through 4.