Close up of a garter stitch knitting swatch Knit by KnitQ

Garter Stitch

Garter stitch is the starting point for every knitter, because it is super simple to learn: Just knit every row.

The horizontal ridges created by this classic stitch add a nice texture to your knitting projects. We recommend pairing this stitch with a slipped stitch border for clean edges.

Pros of Garter:

  • Extremely easy to knit
  • Lays perfectly flat
  • Reversible
  • Tons of texture

Cons of Garter:

  • Can be a bit boring to knit
  • Many people get sick of this stitch while learning how to knit
  • Not recommended for colorwork (it gets messy)

Instructions for knitting Garter Stitch:

Knitting Flat

Cast on any number of stitches
Row 1: knit
Row 2: knit
Repeat rows 1 and 2 until desired length is reached

In the Round

*Note: Knitting garter stitch in the round is not seamless. You’ll notice a small “jog” at the beginning of each round. If you want to avoid this jog, we recommend knitting flat instead and using an invisible seaming technique.

Cast on any number of stitches and join into a round, taking care not to twist
Round 1: knit
Round 2: purl
Repeat rounds 1 and 2 until desired length is reached

Chart:

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