Pros of the no-purl rib:

• No purl stitches, obviously
• Lays flat
• Reversible
• Deep ridges / tons of texture

Cons of the no-purl rib:

• Less elastic than normal ribbing
• Has a tendency to tighten up at the slipped stitches

Abbreviations:

• k: knit
• sl1wyif: move the yarn to the front and slip 1 stitch purlwise
• Other abbreviations (only used when knitting in the round)
  • p: purl
  • sl1wyib: move the yarn to the back and slip 1 stitch purlwise

Instructions for knitting the no-purl rib:

Knitting Flat:

Below we’ve designated a right side and wrong side, but that’s just for ease of reading / knitting. The end result is reversible.

Cast on a multiple of 4 + 3 stitches (for example 19, 23, 27, 31…)
Row 1 (rs): k1, *sl1wyif, k3, repeat from * to last two stitches, sl1wyif, k1
Row 2 (ws): k3, *sl1wyif, k3, repeat from * to end of row
Repeat rows 1 and 2 until desired length is reached.

In the Round:

Important note: when knitting in the round, purl stitches are required (despite the name of the stitch)

Cast on a multiple of 4 stitches.
Round 1: *sl1wyif, k3, repeat from * to end of round
Round 2: p2, *sl1wyib, p3, repeat from * to last 2 stitches, sl1wyib, p1
Repeat rounds 1 and 2 until desired length is reached.

Chart:

*Note: yes, you see purls on this chart. But those purls are on the WS rows, which means they are actually knit stitches when knitting flat.

Need help reading charts? Here’s a walkthrough we found really helpful.