If you are looking for a beautifully textured stitch pattern that is identical on both sides of the fabric and doesn’t curl at the edges, cartridge belt rib is a good option to consider.
The fabric formed by this stitch pattern looks very much like the fabric formed by brioche stitch – same distinct ribs and luscious texture – but without yarn overs and knitting “into a stitch below”.
These stitches often make brioche stitch confusing, especially when we want to fix a mistake that happened a few rows or rounds below.
Cartridge belt rib has better structure than brioche. It holds its shape well, and that makes is perfect for scarves and blankets.
But the most attractive feature of this stitch pattern is the fact that it is built only by knits, purls and slipped stitches. No special skills required. Relaxed, mindless knitting for any crafter.
Let’s see how we can form this beautiful fabric when we work back and forth and in the round.
CARTRIDGE BELT RIB WORKED BACK AND FORTH
Remember I told you that this stitch pattern is built only by knits, purls and slipped stitches? It gets even better when we add this pattern to a project worked flat – there is no purling, just knits and slipped stitches.
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The pattern is built over four stitches and two rows – a pattern repeat that you will easily memorize after the first few rows.
Cast on a multiple of 4 stitches using any cast on method you like. To make my little swatch, I cast on 12 stitches using the “good old” long-tail cast on.
ROW 1
We start by knitting the first 3 stitches.
Then we bring the yarn to the front of the work and slip the next stitch from the left needle to the right needle. We do it purlwise, inserting the tip of the right needle into that stitch from right to left.
Repeat the sequence of [ knit 3, slip 1 with yarn in front ] to the end of the row.
Turn the work and get ready to work the second row of the pattern repeat.
ROW 2
Because we slipped the last stitch of the previous row without knitting it, the working yarn is not attached to that stitch. Ignore this little nuance and knit the first two stitches of this row as usual.
Then bring the yarn to the front of the work and slip the third stitch purlwise from the left needle to the right needle.
Finally, knit one more stitch.
Repeat the sequence of [ knit 2, slip 1 with yarn in front, knit 1 ] to the end of the row.
Now repeat these two rows for as many times as you need.
As you work on your project, you will notice two things.
First, you will see 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.
The second thing you will notice is that the side edges of the fabric do not look the same. One edge looks like a string of beads, while the other edge is decorated with a lovely chain to elongated stitches.
Both edges look nice, but if you want the edges of your project to be identical, you will need to add one or more selvedge stitches to each side edge of your project. Use any method you like that will help you form neat side edges.
You won’t have to worry about side edges if you choose to add this stitch pattern to a seamless project.
CARTRIDGE BELT RIB WORKED IN THE ROUND
The pattern repeat is 4 stitches, so we cast on any number of multiples of 4, arrange those stitches for working in the round using any setup that allows us to make a seamless project, join stitches for working in the round or get ready to work the first round without making any kind of join.
To make my swatch, I cast on 20 stitches, split them in half and arranged them on one long circular needle ready to work using the magic loop method.
ROUND 1
As it is usually the case with most stitch patterns, in the first round of cartridge belt rib we follow exactly the same instructions as the instructions for the first row of this stitch pattern worked back and forth.
First, we knit 3 stitches.
Then, we bring the yarn to the front of the work and slip the fourth stitch purlwise to the right needle.
Repeat the sequence of [ knit 3, slip 1 with yarn in front ] to the end of the round.
ROUND 2
In the second round of the pattern repeat, things get a little more different.
We start by purling the first stitch of the round.
Then we bring the yarn to the back of the work and slip the second stitch purlwise from the left needle to the right needle.
Finally, we purl the next two stitches.
Repeat the sequence of [ purl 1, slip 1 with yarn at back, purl 2 ] to the end of the round.
Then work rounds 1 and 2 of the pattern 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 Helsinki hat and collar.
If you prefer to follow charts rather than written instructions, here are the charts for this stitch pattern worked back and forth and in the round.
Now you are well-equipped to add this textured, great-looking yet simple stitch pattern to any project.
Many thanks to Bruce for introducing me to this amazing stitch pattern.
SAVE IT FOR LATER
This and 31 other in-depth tutorials are part of Knitting Collection #8.
