Why would anyone want to
twist knit stitches on purpose?
If you look at this photo, you
can see that the lines of stitches
that zigzag back and forth to
create these diamonds really
pop to the forefront of the panel
of reverse stockinette. Twisted
stitches are responsible for
these well-defined mini-braids
travelling through the swatch.
For the tightest of braids, you'll want to twist the
stitches on both the knit side and the purl side. Work
the stitches to the one that needs to be twisted. Now
look how the stitch lays on the left needle, does the
strand of yarn that's at the front of the work lean to
the left? If so, you’ll need to knit into the back strand,
or leg, to twist the stitch, as pictured below. If the front
strand of the next st lays leaning right, then you can
knit into the front leg.
When you approach the stitch on the wrong side of
the work you'll need to purl into the back strand as
pictured below.
That's it! That’s the twisted stitch. If you’d like to only
twist on the knit side and just purl the wrong side as
usual, you'll get another interesting look. Give that a
whirl and see what you think.
Let’s look at the steps you
should take if you want to twist
your stitches on purpose, and
then we'll look at how to cross
twisted stitches.
Twisted knit stitches
Knitting into the back leg of the stitch to twist it.
Purling into the back leg of the stitch to twist it.
Photos by Charles Voth
KNITmuch | issue 2
15