I started playing with the fisherman’s rib stitch because it looked like a nice, slightly different 1×1 rib. (I found the pattern on knittingstitchpatterns.com.) I didn’t realize until I actually started to knit that it’s a single-color brioche stitch. It’s not done at all like the two-color brioche that I used to make my color block scarf. For fisherman’s rib you only need to know the knit stitch—what matters is where you put your needle to knit the stitch. Like all brioche, it’s super squishy and soft and beautiful, and I had fun knitting this block.
Two minor issues: First, I used size 8 needles because I’ve been using them for all of the charity blocks, and it’s my favorite size to use with worsted weight yarn. But this stitch pattern is really loose, so I really should have gone down a size or two with my needles, or else I should have used a thicker/fluffier worsted weight yarn. (I used Caron Simply Soft, which I love to work with, but it tends to be a tad thinner than other worsted weight acrylic yarns.)
Second, I’m not a fan of the edge stitches. They’re really loose and make the sides too floppy. If I were to do this again, I might add a single knit stitch at the beginning and end of each row so that there’s a garter stitch border along the sides to keep the floppy brioche stitches in line.
On to the pattern:
You will need:
- Size 8 needles
- worsted weight acrylic yarn (see notes above)
Abbreviations:
- k = knit
- k1b = knit 1 through stitch below (Put your right needle through the stitch in the next row down and knit through both stitches, sliding them both off your left needle—see We Are Knitters video.)
Pattern:
Cast on 26 stitches.
Knit 1 row.
Pattern row: *k1, k1b, repeat from * to end.
Repeat pattern row until block measures 9 inches from cast on edge. Bind off. (I bound off with a separate knit row, but you could bind off in the pattern row as well.)
The alternate version, with the garter edge on each side (which I wish I’d done but haven’t tried), goes like this:
Cast on 26 stitches.
Knit 1 row.
Pattern row: k1, *k1, k1b, repeat from * to last st, k1.
Repeat pattern row until block measures 9 inches from cast on edge. Bind off.
