Textured stitches add fun to your knitting projects. From baby blankets to dishcloths, hats to scarves, textured knitting makes them special. And, even though it adds so much to the beauty of patterns, all you need is your knitting needles, yarn and the knowledge of knit and purl stitches. Moss stitch is a beautiful textured pattern that we’ll be discussing in this blog. We’ll be using our stainless steel knitting needles from the Mindful Collection.
Knitted with rows of alternating knits and purls every stitch, the Moss Stitch is a relative of the textured seed stitch - that creates a pattern that looks like seeds. As the stitch pattern has a balance of knit and purl stitches, the pattern does not curl and is also reversible. Moss stitch looks great on your first hand-knit sweater, scarves, blankets, and other projects where both sides of the fabric are visible.
The American/ Irish Moss Stitch is a four-row repeat stitch pattern while the British Moss Stitch is a two-row repeat stitch pattern, So, if you want to try out the stitch with a pattern, make sure to take a look at the pattern, whether it is in UK terms or whether it has US terms. It is fun and the best thing is you don’t need a pattern designer. You can make them interesting with your own additions.
So, let’s get started.
Knitting needles – You can choose single-pointed or go for circular knitting needles. Double-pointed needles serve you well for round projects, especially small circumference ones. Circulars, both fixed and interchangeable are preferable as long as you have the right cord length to go with it. For example, if you are planning to knit a dishcloth, you can easily go for single-pointed needles or knit flat on circular needles. But, if you want to go for a blanket or a hat it’s best to take out the circulars. The smooth stainless steel surface and pointy tips of our Mindful knitting needles assist with all kinds of textured stitch patterns.
Yarn – The choice of yarn is totally dependent on your project. The yarn for socks is different from the one you would like to use in a shawl. If you want to practice, use any yarn in your stash. Just remember to have the right knitting needle.
Accessories – Knitting accessories are knitting essentials. Be it stitch markers, sharp scissors, measuring tapes, row counters or knitting bags & cases, accessories assist you with the project and having fun.
Moss Stitch Pattern:
The Moss Stitch is a very easy pattern. Just remember your knit and purl stitches. It’s recommended that you understand how the knit stitches look like “V” and purl stitches look like upside “U”.
- Cast on an even or odd number of stitches.
- Row 1: work alternating 1 knit stitch and 1 purl stitch until the end of the row.
- Row 2: work alternating 1 purl stitch and 1 knit stitch until the end of the row.
- Row 3: repeat row 2
- Row 4: repeat row 1
Repeat rows 1 to 4 till your pattern instructs or until you reach the desired length.
Moss Stitch in the Round:
Cast on an even number of stitches
Round 1: 1 knit stitch followed by 1 purl stitch to the end of the round.
Round 2: 1 purl stitch and 1 knit stitch to the end of the round.
Round 3: repeat round 2
Round 4: repeat round 1
Repeat rounds 1-4 till your pattern instructs or you have the measurements you wanted.
A common mistake when it comes to the moss stitch is, getting confused with the similar-looking seed stitch. The double moss stitch (seed stitch) is a variation where you knit two stitches and purl two stitches in each row before switching their order after two rows.
Tips & Tricks for Knitting Moss Stitch
- As you alternate between knit and purl stitches, make sure your yarn tension is the same between the two types of stitches.
- The Moss stitch is reversible. It is helpful to place a stitch marker on the right side of your work (the side facing you while knitting) so you know which side is which. Also, when knitting in a round the stitch markers keep you on track.
Patterns Using Moss Stitch
There are many patterns that use the moss stitch, you can probably find patterns for just about anything you would want to knit using it. If you are planning your own start with a Moss stitch dishcloth or a scarf. A blanket is super comfy to curl up with but a time-taking project. Even for accessories, you'll find endless projects to choose from. An adorable bow headband pattern or simple fingerless mittens or baby hats.
We hope you have enjoyed creating the moss stitch as much as we did. With the Mindful Collection knitting needles and accessories, you can enjoy your craft. What will be your next project in this beautifully textured stitch?
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