How to Knit a Rice Stitch Pattern

The rice stitch is a pattern for the advanced beginner. Once you've mastered the knit and purl stitches and know the difference between garter and stockinette, you can move on to this more complicated technique. An important one to learn is knitting through the back loop of a stitch. Though it takes some practice, once you understand the mechanics of it, you'll see it produces a nice effect.

Things You'll Need

• 1 ball of yarn
• Knitting needles

Instructions

1. Select a light colored yarn to knit the rice stitch pattern. It should be no thicker than worsted weight and have some "give" so it's easy to handle. Animal fibers or wool blends work well.

2. Go by the yarn ball band when choosing your needle size. You don't have to worry about gauge since this is just practice, but be sure to check it when knitting a garment.

3. Cast on 30 stitches for your practice swatch. It's crucial to use an even number of stitches, but there are no other limitations for this pattern. Depending on the yarn weight, anywhere from 30 to 50 stitches would produce a suitable scarf with this pattern.

4. Purl all odd-numbered stitches and knit all even stitches through the back loop. See Step 5 if you're unfamiliar with how to do this; otherwise, skip to Step 6.

5. Note each stitch is shaped like a horseshoe with two "legs," one facing you and the other hidden. Insert your needle so the back leg is pushed to the right. Wrap the yarn around the needle and knit the stitch.

6. Knit all even-numbered rows. Make sure you're tension is relaxed, as knitting through the back loop produces a tighter stitch. This can make it a challenge to knit the stitch when you come to it on the even rows.

7. Repeat Step 4 and Step 6. You should see bumps forming along the right side (the side that faces out) and an attractive lined pattern forming on the wrong side (the side you see when you knit all stitches).

8. Finish your practice rice stitch swatch by knitting the pattern for another 20 rows or so. You'll see how dense the pattern is and what you'd like to use it for.

Tips & Warnings

• The rice stitch is suitable for scarves, dishcloths, hats, socks and afghans because of its dense pattern.