Cartridge Belt Rib Stitch

Looking for an easy, highly textured stitch pattern that looks the same on both sides of the fabric and doesn’t curl at the edges? Try cartridge belt ribbing.

The fabric formed by this stitch pattern is similar to the fabric formed by brioche stitch – same distinct ribs and luscious texture – but without yarn overs and knitting “into a stitch below”.

Cartridge belt rib is built only by knits and slipped stitches. We add purls when we work this stitch pattern in the round, but other than knitting, purling, and slipping stitches, you don’t need to have any special knitting skills.

With a simple 4-stitch and 2-row repeat, this type of ribbing is an easy stitch pattern even for newer knitters.

The fact that cartridge belt rib is fully reversible, has a gorgeous texture, good structure, and does not curl at the edges makes it perfect for scarves and blankets.

I used this stitch when I designed the Helsinki Hat and Collar. And yes, we can absolutely make cartridge belt rib in two colours. The pattern explains how to do that.

But first, let’s see how we can easily add the one-colour variation of this stitch pattern to any project, seamless or worked back and forth.

THIS STITCH IN A NUTSHELL

• Level of difficulty – Easy
• Reversible? Yes
• Textured? Yes
• Best for – Scarves, cowls, blankets, hats, cozy roomy sweaters and cardigans
• Stitch multiple – 4 stitches
• Row multiple – 2 rows / rounds

VIDEO TUTORIAL
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WRITTEN INSTRUCTIONS

HOW TO KNIT CARTRIDGE BELT RIB BACK AND FORTH

Cast on a multiple of 4 stitches plus 2 selvedges.

Because the natural side edges of this stitch pattern are uneven, it is better to add selvedges. That’s why we add two extra stitches to the number of stitches we cast on. They will be used as edge stitches – one stitch at each side edge of the fabric.

Any kind of slip-stitch selvedges will do. I’ll use my favourite Silesian selvedges method – knit the first stitch of every row through the back loop and slip the last stitch of every row purlwise with the yarn at the front of the work.

Note: In this stitch pattern, we slip all stitches purlwise.

Use any cast-on method you like. Because this stitch pattern has moderate stretch, it works well with most types of cast on. For my swatch, I used a slingshot version of the long-tail cast on.

The pattern is built over four stitches and two rows – a pattern repeat that you will easily memorize after the first few rows.

Even though the texture is identical on both sides of the fabric, I’ll still distinguish between a right-side row and a wrong-side one.

Row 1 (right side): selvedge, [ knit 3, slip 1 with yarn in front ], repeat the brackets to the last stitch, selvedge.

Row 2 (wrong side): selvedge, [ knit 2, slip 1 with yarn in front, knit 1 ], repeat the brackets to the last stitch, selvedge.

Repeat these two rows to form the pattern.

As you work on your project, you will notice that the pattern repeat in both pattern rows is basically the same – we knit 3 stitches and slip 1 stitch with the yarn in front of the work.

But this sequence shifts in the second row to form identical columns of slipped knits on both sides of the fabric. This little trick makes this stitch pattern both highly textured and fully reversible.

HOW TO KNIT CARTRIDGE BELT RIB IN THE ROUND

To add this stitch pattern to a seamless project, cast on a multiple of 4 stitches.

Because seamless projects don’t have side edges, we don’t need to worry about selvedges, so we don’t add any extra edge stitches.

Arrange stitches for working in the round on double-pointed needles, two circular needles, or one circular needle (with or without using the magic loop method).

Join stitches in a circle and place a marker to mark the beginning of the round.

Because we don’t turn the work when we knit in the round, the second round will be different from the second row we’ve just discussed.

Round 1: [ knit 3, slip 1 with yarn in front ], repeat the brackets to the end of the round.

Round 2: [ purl 1, slip 1 with yarn at back, purl 2 ], repeat the brackets to the end of the round.

Work rounds 1 and 2 again and again until your project is as long as you want it to be.

As you repeat these rounds, you will see that thanks to the slipped stitches, this stitch pattern does not form any visible jog. The texture is even and looks the same along the whole circumference of the fabric.

It is a great bonus if you plan to add cartridge belt rib to a hat or a cowl, as I did when I designed the Helsinki Hat and Collar.

When it is time to bind off stitches, it is best to bind them off in pattern. This way, the texture of this stitch will not get flattened at the bind-off edge.

CHART

If you are not sure how to read a knitting chart, here’s a guide for beginners that explains what knitting charts mean, how to understand the symbols, why there is a red frame in a chart, and how to read lace, cable, or any other knitting chart when knitting back and forth or in the round.

GIVE IT A TRY!

Take any yarn and needles in a size recommended for this yarn and cast on 14 stitches (including 2 selvedges).

Follow instructions for rows 1 and 2 until you make 10 rows.

Look at the texture of your swatch, stretch it to see how elastic it is, notice how slipped stitches combined with garter stitch form textured ribs all by themselves.

Also, see that there is no difference between the right and the wrong sides of the fabric. Both sides are identical.

What is the first project that comes to mind? When you submit your choice to the fully anonymous poll below, you will see what other knitters picked.

PATTERN CARD

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