Just Knit and Purl: Textured Garment and Accessory Patterns

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It’s amazing what you can accomplish with the simplest stitches: knit and purl. A wealth of texture, patterning, and structural elements are possible using just the basics of knitting, combined in new and interesting ways.

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Above: Castile Cardigan by Meghan Jones from Interweave Knits Spring 2020

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The basic structures possible with just knit and purl stitches are: basic garter and stockinette variations (including elements like garter ribs), the ribbing family (including garter rib, mistake rib, and other variations), allover patterning (like moss stitch, basketweave, seed stitch, and others), and true charted patterns in knit and purl.

For each of those structures, we chose one garment pattern and one accessory, so you’ll be covered whether you want a full project of easy stitching, or just a quick break from more complex projects. Some patterns are beginner-friendly, but we also want to show you how far you can take these basics to create more advanced projects.

True Basics: Stockinette, Garter, and Purl Ridges

If you’re looking for very simple knitting, look no further. A sweater knit in stockinette with purl ridges goes incredibly quickly, and accessories will be finished before you know it. And it’s amazing how much visual impact even just a simple section of garter stitch or a purl ridge can add to a design!

Laura’s Pick: Paros Hat by Robin Allen

I love the Paros Hat; I made one for my husband back when we were dating (cleverly avoiding the sweater curse), and it is the only hat that he still wears. The two-color brim is unique, and the swirling garter-stitch stripe is both easy and fun to work—an uncommon combination! I definitely plan to make another one of these, although maybe not in Broncos colors . . .

Andrea’s Pick: Fresh Powder Pullover by Kristen Jancuk

Excellent for confident beginners and ease-seeking experts alike, the Fresh Powder Pullover is worked in super bulky yarn for super-speedy knitting. You’ll work from the top down, which means the whole thing is worked in-the-round. The wide stripes mean you won’t have too many ends to weave in, and the simple garter ridges add to the the visual impact.

Ribbing Family

There are tons of varieties in the ribbing family, to allow you to achieve whatever visual or structural effect you’re looking for. Some more advanced forms of ribbing include slipped stitches, but you can accomplish so much with just knit and purl! Don’t relegate ribbing to just cuffs and hems—these patterns showcase ribbing for its own sake.

Laura’s Pick: Glacier Ice Hat by Mone Dräger

The Glacier Ice Hat uses two different kinds of ribbing to add textural interest. The brim is worked with a 1×1 twisted rib, and the rest of the hat uses a 3×1 garter rib. I like how short- rows are used to give the hat a naturally slouchy shape while still keeping it neatly on your head; I always worry that slouchy hats are going to fall off my head!

Andrea’s Pick: Siula Grande Sweater by Andrea Rangel

Many allover ribbed garments are worked with negative ease to hug the body’s curves, but not all! The Siula Grand Sweater is light and drapey with a relaxed fit. This project is worked in a laceweight yarn; you’ll be knitting on it for a long time, but the stitch pattern couldn’t be easier. Choose this sweater if you’re ready to commit to lots of simple stitching.

Allover Knit and Purl Textures

For high-impact texture with a stitch pattern you can memorize, look to textural stitches like seed stitch, moss stitch, and basketweave. Textural stitches can make your fabric warmer, add visual interest, and make the rows fly by. Here are a pair of knit and purl textured patterns we love.

Laura’s Pick: Notre Dame de Grace Sweater by Veronik Avery

Here’s a throwback favorite: the Notre Dame de Grace is worked in an allover double seed stitch pattern with a garter stitch shoulder and collar. It just looks like the coziest, squishiest sweater ever! I may make this in a soft, plush yarn to cuddle up in while camping. Can’t you just imagine hanging out by the campfire with a mug of cider?

Andrea’s Pick: Firenze Scarf by Joanna Ignatius

I just finished knitting the Firezne Scarf for my husband in a gorgeous black/brown yarn with multicolored tweed flecks. Though I haven’t gotten a chance to photograph my version yet, it turned out just beautiful. If you decide to knit this scarf, you have many hours of happy knitting ahead of you. I was able to quickly memorize the welted basketweave pattern, and the I-cord edging gives it such a neat finish. I’m not the only one on the Interweave staff who loves this pattern—Senior Project Editor Joni Coniglio liked it it so much, she made an entire baby blanket out of this scarf’s stitch pattern!

Charted Knit and Purl Patterning

When you think of ways to achieve geometric or pictorial patterning in your garment, techniques like colorwork, lace, and cables might come to mind before knit and purl. But you can create absolutely gorgeous patterns by using the knit and purl stitches as positive and negative space in a design. Think of sweaters in the Gansey tradition! Here are a couple of charted knit and purl patterns we absolutely love.

Laura’s Pick: Castile Cardigan by Meghan Jones

The Castile Cardigan has All The Textures: ribbing, chevrons, seed stitch, something with triangles, and more! Open-front cardigans are one of my favorite wardrobe basics, and the textured pattern works especially well for staple piece; it adds interest to simple outfits, but also doesn’t fight with bolder prints and patterns.

Andrea’s Pick: Reaper Cowl by Fiona Munro

Look too quickly at the gorgeous Reaper Cowl, and you might miss just how much is going on here—and it’s all accomplished with just knit and purl stitches. There are several different patterning charts to create all that texture. You’ll find it an extremely addictive pattern (“just let me finish this section!”) and also extremely fun and easy to style. That extra-long length means you can wear it around your shoulders, or wrap twice around your neck.

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We had so much fun exploring the patterns in our archive that make use of simple knit and purl stitches. Consider this your reminder that, while flashier techniques like colorwork and cables are wonderful, it’s also worthwhile to go back to the basics.

What’s your favorite type of knit-and-purl patterning? Let us know in the comments!

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Explore the Possibilities of Knit and Purl