There are stitch patterns that form a texture like nothing else in knitting. Loop stitch—also known as fur stitch—is one of them.
Both names, “loop stitch” and “fur stitch”, describe this pattern well. We use loops to create a fur-like texture that looks great as an all-over pattern or as a decorative element, for example, on cuffs or collars.
Because loop (fur) stitch pattern has a one-stitch repeat, we can add this texture to any section of any project, no matter whether the project is worked flat or in the round.
The only places that we should keep loop-stitch-free are edge stitches. The loops tend to fold over to the other side of the fabric, making the edges quite messy. Otherwise, feel free to add this beautiful texture wherever you like.
All it takes is four simple steps.
STEP 1
In this step, we “almost knit” a stitch.
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We bring the yarn to the back of the work, insert the right needle from left to right into the first stitch on the left needle, wrap the tip of the right needle with the yarn as we do when we knit a stitch, and we pull this yarn wrap through the stitch, but we don’t slip the original stitch off the left needle. We are not done with that stitch yet.
STEP 2
Now, it is time to make the loop that is the highlight of this stitch pattern.
The way we do it is the same regardless of the knitting style—we bring the yarn to the front of the work, wrap it around the thumb before we move the strand back to the wrong side of the fabric.
But the approach we use when we hold yarn in our right hand (English knitting style) is slightly different than the approach we take when we hold yarn in our left hand (Continental knitting style).
Let’s take a look at both methods.
ENGLISH KNITTING
Pinch the right needle with your left thumb and index fingers so that the needles are almost parallel, there is a slot between the tips of the needles, and your right hand holds only the working yarn.
With your right hand, bring the yarn to the front of the work through the slot between the needles, then place your left thumb on top of the yarn.
Move the yarn over your left thumb and to the back of the work through the slot between the tips of the needles.
The loop is formed, and the yarn is at the back of the work, waiting for the next step.
CONTINENTAL KNITTING
Pick the yarn with your right index finger and use that finger to move the yarn to the front of the work.
Insert your left thumb into the loop formed by your right index finger.
Use your right index finger to move the strand back to the wrong side of the work.
Of course, every knitter has their own ways to use fingers, needles, and yarn. It is likely that you will find a way to make loops that is more comfortable to you than the ways described above. It is perfectly fine. The process described here is only a suggestion.
STEP 3
Once the yarn is wrapped around your thumb, you can easily adjust the length of the loop. Pull the thumb away from the work to make the loop longer, or pull the yarn a bit to tighten the loop. Whatever you choose to do, be consistent and do it every time you form a loop.
When you are happy with the length of the loop, insert the right needle from left to right into the same “almost-knitted” stitch.
And knit it again, but this time, slip this stitch off the left needle, as we always do when we knit a stitch.
Because we knitted this stitch twice, we added one more stitch to the work. We’ll deal with this stitch in the final step of making a loop stitch.
STEP 4
This step is all about efficiency. Not only do we get rid of the extra stitch, but we also make it secure the loop to keep it from unravelling.
We do it by passing the stitch formed in step 1 over the stitch that we made in step 3. Here’s how it happens:
Insert the tip of the left needle from left to right into the second stitch from the tip of the right needle.
Pass this stitch over the first one and off the needles, the same way we do when we bind off stitches.
Repeat these four steps every time you want to add a loop to a stitch. It can be every stitch, or every other stitch, or a cluster of stitches if you add a fur-like effect to a section of your project.
Count your stitches every now and then. If, at some point, the number of stitches on your needles is bigger than expected, it means you didn’t work step 4 as you formed some of the loops.
In the next row, you can knit all stitches to make a garter-stitch background, purl all stitches if you want the fabric to be based on stockinette stitch, or work another row of loop stitches that will add furry texture to the wrong side of the project.
As you make a swatch, you will notice that the loop stitch takes up a lot of yarn. Take that into consideration when you get yarn for a project that you plan to decorate with this texture.
SAVE IT FOR LATER
This and 26 other in-depth tutorials are part of Knitting Collection #9.