There are simple versatile stitch patterns that are handy when we want to add an interesting detail to our knits or to “whip up” a simple project from scratch.
Ottoman rib is one of those patterns. It forms a lovely textured fabric that looks a lot like ribbing, but is in fact, a “gathered” stockinette stitch.
It works great in cases when we want the fabric to resemble ribbing, but without the excessive stretch. For example, when we make hems or warm textured hats.
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Unlike regular ribbing, ottoman rib is not reversible. The wrong side of the fabric looks like honeycomb stitch, and that makes this stitch a nice option for cowls, scarves and blankets that benefit from different, but equally beautiful sides of the fabric.
The best part is – this interesting pattern is ridiculously easy to knit. The magic happens over a 3-stitch and 2-row repeat.
In this tutorial, we’ll see how we can add ottoman rib to projects worked flat and the ones worked in the round.
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OTTOMAN RIB WORKED FLAT
Cast on a multiple of 3 stitches plus 1 stitch. For example, to make my swatch, I cast on 4 x 3 stitches + 1 stitch = 13 stitches.
Use any cast on method you like. Because this stitch pattern has a 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.
ROW 1
This row is as easy as it gets – we simply knit all stitches.
ROW 2
This is the row when the stockinette stitch fabric gets gathered to resemble ribbing.
[ Purl 1 stitch, slip 2 stitches purlwise with the yarn in front of the work ], repeat the brackets to the last stitch, purl the last stitch.
If you are wondering, what “slipping purlwise” means, it simply means that we insert the tip of the right needle into a stitch from right to left before we ease the left needle out leaving this stitch on the right needle. This way we avoid twisting this stitch.
Repeat these two rows as many times as you want. After a few rows, you will see that the fabric starts to look like ribbing even though we never alternated knits and purls.
The strands that stay in front of the slipped stitches on the wrong side of the fabric form a lovely texture that looks a lot like honeycomb. Those same strands also make sure the fabric becomes thicker and more textured – perfect for making any project warmer.
As an added bonus, slipped stitches keep the bottom of the fabric from curling up and limit the amount of curl at the side edges of the fabric.
OTTOMAN RIB WORKED IN THE ROUND
When we want to add this stitch pattern to a seamless project, we cast on a multiple of 3 stitches. For my swatch, I cast on 8 x 3 stitches = 24 stitches.
Rearrange stitches on the needles to get ready for working in the round. As I am going to use the magic loop method, I split all stitches into two equal groups and pulled the cable of a long cable needle out.
ROUND 1
This round is worked in the same super-simple way as the first row of ottoman rib worked flat – we knit all stitches.
ROUND 2
Because we don’t turn the work when we knit in the round, the pattern-forming round will be quite different from the second row of this pattern worked back and forth. In fact, we’ll do almost the opposite of what we did in row 2 described above.
[ Knit 1 stitch, slip 2 stitches purlwise with the yarn at the back of the work ], repeat the brackets to the end of the round.
Repeat these two rounds. Soon you will see that you get a neat rib-looking pattern on the right side of the fabric, and an interesting honeycomb-looking pattern on the wrong side.
You will also notice that as we add ottoman rib to a project worked in the round, we don’t even need to purl stitches. The texture is built only by knits and slipped stitches.
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Despite its rather sophisticated look, this stitch pattern is so easy that even very new knitters can make it without much effort. That’s what ottoman rib is – simple and versatile.
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This and 31 other in-depth tutorials are part of Knitting Collection #8.