Imagine this Trellis Double-Slip Stitch knit in place of stockinette for a crew neck or cardigan. Adorable, right? Adding simple slip-stitch knitting patterns to basic patterns you love will give old favorites brand new life. Once you start trying different stitch patterns, you’ll be addicted. I am!
My suggestion when trying any new stitch is to make a full swatch (6 x 6 inches) so you can really get a feel for the pattern, how it will hang, and understand its true gauge. Note, I created a border around each swatch with three to four rows of garter stitch on the bottom and top and with three stitches of garter stitch on either side.
This is what the wrong side of Trellis Double-Slip Stitch looks like, beautiful in its own right.
Trellis Double-Slip Stitch Knitting Pattern
To design this slip-stitch knitting pattern, you slip two stitches and carry the working yarn behind the work and then shift the pattern over for the next repeat.
Note: Cast on a multiple of six stitches plus one more over an eight row repeat. When slipping stitches, slip them purl-wise.
Row 1: Knit.
Row 2: Purl.
Row 3: Knit 1, *slip 2 stitches, knit 4, repeat from * to end.
Row 4: *Purl 4, slip 2 stitches, repeat from * until 1 stitch remains, purl 1.
Row 5: Knit.
Row 6: Purl.
Row 7: *Knit 4, slip 2 stitches, repeat from * until 1 stitch remains, knit 1.
Row 8: Purl 1,*slip 2 stitches, purl 4, repeat from * to end.
Repeat rows 1-8 to form the pattern.
Below, I show detailed photos and descriptive instructions to illustrate how the stitch works. These are not meant to replace the instructions above but to highlight specific aspects of it.
Slip one stitch purl-wise, bringing the right needle in front of the left needle as you slip the stitch from the left needle to the right.
Repeat, slipping the next stitch purl-wise as well.
Knit the next stitch carrying the working yarn behind the work. It is okay if this carried yarn tightens the fabric a tiny bit, as it will emphasize the raised slip stitches. The pattern calls for knitting four stitches in between each set of slipped stitches. Repeat this across the entire row.
On the opposite side (wrong side), repeat the slip-stitch process with the same slipped stitches you made on the prior row.
After slipping those two stitches, carry the yarn across the stitches and purl four stitches before you get to the next set of slipped stitches. Repeat this across the entire row.
Knit and purl the next two rows. Then, the pattern shifts so the slipped stitches occur in between the ones slipped below giving the trellis pattern. That’s all there is to the trellis double-slip stitch! Have fun!
For other beautiful knitting stitch tutorials, see Anne Weil’s proflile.