How to Knit a Box Stitch

A box stitch is nothing more than an arrangement of knit and purl stitches that create boxes. It's a great stitch to practice knitting once you've mastered garter and stockinette. Gauge can be tricky since purl stitches are wider than knit ones, so you should make a 5-inch swatch if fit is crucial. Since the stitch is reversible, however, it's a good one to use for dishcloths, scarves, baby blankets and afghans.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• 1 ball of yarn
• Knitting needles

1. Choose a worsted, double-knit (DK) or baby weight yarn to practice the box stitch. It's best to choose a light color so you can see what you're doing.
2. Pick knitting needles that match the recommendation on the yarn band. For this trial, the gauge isn't crucial but you want to be sure you use a comfortable needle size.
3. Cast on 24 stitches loosely for your practice swatch. The box stitch pattern is based on a repeat of four stitches plus four extra. When making a scarf, for instance, use anywhere from 36 to 56 stitches, depending on how wide you want it.
4. Use garter stitch by knitting all stitches for the first two rows so you don't have to struggle with first-row tightness when adjusting to the pattern.
5. Knit four stitches. Then alternate between purling and knitting four stitches until you end with four knitted stitches.
6. Begin the next row by purling four stitches. Then knit four and purl four until you end the row by purling four stitches.
7. Repeat Step 5 and Step 6. You should have boxes of four stitches and four rows each of knit and purl stitches.
8. Do Step 6 (beginning with four purl stitches) for the next row. Then repeat Step 5 (starting with four knit stitches). Knit Step 6 and Step 5 again. Your swatch should show two rows of alternating knit and purl boxes.
9. Finish your practice box stitch swatch by knitting Steps 5 through 8 for another 20 rows. End with two rows of garter stitch if you want to create a symmetrical swatch.