Knit in rounds, reverse stockinette stitch

Gründl Knitting School

Knit purl stitch in the round – Learn to knit comfortably and easily from home with Gründl's free knitting tutorials.

Knit purl stitch in the round – Learn to knit comfortably and easily from home with Gründl's free knitting tutorials.

Watch video

The Gründl Knitting School continues! Our topic today: knitting purl stitch in the round. We'll tell you what you need, how it works, and why you need it:

What does knitting in the round mean?

Knitting in the round means that there is no change of rows while knitting. This creates a completely seamless knitted piece.
That's why a stitch marker is advantageous for counting rounds and thus knowing exactly where a row ends and a new row begins.

How to knit stockinette stitch?

Here is our step-by-step guide to knitting stockinette stitch (reverse stockinette stitch for the purpose of the article): Each right-side row consists of purl stitches, each wrong-side row is knitted exclusively with knit stitches.

If you want to knit reverse stockinette stitch with a selvedge stitch, one selvedge stitch is added at the very beginning of each row and one selvedge stitch at the end of each row, in addition to the required number of stitches. The first selvedge stitch on the needle is always knitted – regardless of whether it is a right-side or wrong-side row. The last stitch in each row – i.e. the second selvedge stitch – is slipped with the yarn in front of the work in every right-side and wrong-side row. This creates an even edge that looks like a chain of stitches.

How do I knit reverse stockinette stitch in the round?

When knitting reverse stockinette stitch in the round, bring the yarn to the front of your work to purl stitch by stitch. You can learn how to cast on stitches and purl stitches in our other Gründl Knitting School videos.

Gründl Tip: If you want to knit reverse stockinette stitch in the round with a set of double-pointed needles, it's best to place the beginning of the round between two needles. If you lose your stitch marker, your starting yarn will show you exactly where the beginning of the row is. Also, make sure you knit the stitches tightly between the individual needles of the needle set to get a smooth transition.

After you have knitted several rows, the typical reverse stockinette stitch pattern, which we affectionately call the bobble pattern, appears on the right side – a stockinette stitch pattern is visible on the wrong side.

When do I use reverse stockinette stitch in the round?

Reverse stockinette stitch patterns are usually combined with other patterns and knitted in between to make them stand out better.
The best example of this is the cable pattern. Because the predominantly knit cables are surrounded by sections of purl stitches, they are highlighted better.

What is the difference between reverse stockinette stitch in rows vs. in the round?

Reverse stockinette stitch patterns are usually combined with other patterns and knitted in between to make them stand out better.
The best example of this is the cable pattern. Because the predominantly knit cables are surrounded by sections of purl stitches, they are highlighted better.

In this video, you will learn step-by-step how to knit cable patterns.

And how to knit knit stitches is also explained in a video from the Gründl Knitting School.

How do I count purl stitches?

If we take a closer look at the purl stitches of our reverse stockinette knitted piece, we find both semicircles that are open upwards (smileys) and semicircles that are open downwards (umbrellas). To count the rows in reverse stockinette knitted projects, either only the smileys or only the umbrellas are counted.

Knit your first scarf – with the Gründl Knitting School

In addition to the general Gründl Knitting School, the "Your first scarf" series offers videos that allow you to easily and comfortably knit your own scarf from home. From color changes to fringes, we show you all the knitting techniques you need.

Free knitting pattern for your scarf

You can download the free pattern here and at the same time order the matching yarn in the colors of your choice.