Knit Stitch on a Loom All Four Versions

Knit Stitch on a Loom

KNit Stitch

When a loom knitting pattern says Knit Stitch it doesn’t always mean what you think it does. That I know of there are 4 versions of this ever-present stitch. I believe most of us have a default Knit Stitch that we always use unless someone says other wise. The problem is that although they all carry the same name they are done differently and the wrong choice can have a dramatic effect on the look and size of your knitted fabric.

So what does a loom knitter do when the pattern only says to Knit?

Instructions for Each Knit Stitch

 Knit Stitch

First lets learn the lingo. If you don’t know the name then you’ll really be in trouble.

There is the easy to do e-Wrap, the True sometimes called the Classic, the extremely tight Flat Stitch and the happy medium U-wrap. I want to help you know how to do all four versions and how to know when to use it. Below are written instructions with pictures to make visualizing the technique easier. If you prefer to watch someone doing it then scroll down this page for a video tutorial.

 

E Wrap Cast onThe e-Wrap:

The “e” in e-Wrap is because of the shape your working yarn takes as you wrap each peg you plan to knit using this method of the Knit Stitch. It resembles a lower case “e”. Some patterns will call this the Twisted Stockinette.

To knit your peg you will completely wrap it with the working yarn forming that lower case e then with the knitting tool you will lift the bottom loop over the top loop and knit off.

This stitch is going to knit up quicker, with loose loops and your fabric will be larger than with the other versions. In some cases as much as twice the size and with less stitch definition. But it’s the easiest one to learn which is why I like to start with it when teaching beginners

Knit Stitch

For a Tutorial on the Double e-Wrap: Click HERE

 

 

Knit stitch

 

.The Uwrap:

Like the eWrap,  gets its name from the shape your working yarn takes when wrapping your pegs.

1. You are half wrapping the peg. That unfinished circle forms a “u”.

2. With your hook knit the bottom loop over the top

 

 

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The True:

This one is sometimes called the Classic. I call it the default stitch because it is the one most knitters resort to when the pattern does not show a specific one.

This version is closest to the needle knitted Knit Stitch. It produces a well-defined stitch but will take longer to knit then the other 3 versions. For many people the extra work is worth the results.

Knit Stitch

1. Place working yarn on the peg, over the existing loop

2. Push  your hook through the bottom loop

3. With your hook scoop the working yarn

4. Create a new loop

5. Take the old loop off

6. Put the new loop on

7. Pull your yarn

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Knit Stitch

The Flat:

The name describes the way your working yarn lies on your peg.

In order to knit the peg you will place your working yarn flat above the existing loop and with your knitting tool you will lift the bottom loop over the working yarn and knit off.

Very easy to do but can be very problematic for beginners. The stitch can become so tight that knitting can become almost impossible.

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Video Tutorial: The Knit Stitch All 4 Versions

It’s always best to watch a video completely before attempting to do the project. Doing so will answer questions you might pick up along the way. Knowing every step before you start also makes you more confident that the task is doable and that you can handle it.

If you like this video subscribe so that you don’t miss any up coming videos: Click HERE

 

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Feel free to leave any comments or questions in the section below. I will do my best to answer them as quickly as possible. Some answers to research and may take longer for a response.

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Comments: 47

  1. Trish K November 5, 2016 at 3:57 pm

    I am a beginner and love your website! I am having a hard time understanding what yarn to use to accomplish a hat. EXAMPLE: If I use Caron Simply Soft, TWO strands, and the E-wrap stitch on the 36 peg loom…the stitches are too open and loose…I’m doing a toddler’s hat…so I switched to a CHUNKY yarn to complete the hat. I would love to be able to use up my stash of old yarns but don’t know how to achieve a tightly knit hat using two strands?

    • Denise Canela December 4, 2016 at 11:01 pm

      Trish sorry for the delay in responding – the u-wrap stitch should work for any yarn but you will need to measure as you go. Without an actual pattern that can be tough. Here is a pattern for a toddler: Click HERE and HERE

  2. Kris Willis October 25, 2016 at 2:49 am

    Thank you so much for all your tutorials. I am new to loom knitting, and am thrilled to finally be able to knit. I could never get the hang of needles. This site has helped me more than all the others combined, and I don’t think I could have picked this up so fast if it weren’t for you. Right now, I’m making tons of dish cloths. It is a great way to practice stitch patterns, and people always seem happy to receive them. I’m also making a lap blanket in linen stitch, and the panels I’ve done so far all look absolutely gorgeous.

    I am having one problem. My knit stitches are even, but consistently much tighter than my purl. I usually do the u-wrap, but I have to loosen every stitch as I go along. I’ve watched so many videos and can’t figure out what I’m doing wrong/different from everyone else. I loosen each knit stitch so much it’s hardly touching the peg, and it still gets tight. How can I control it better, without doing the true knit stitch every time? I notice your yarn is much tighter than mine, but doesn’t seem to knit as tight as mine. Well, my purls are actually too loose, but the knits are tighter even when they start out looking as loose as the purls. This happens whether I use a knifty knitter, or the 1/4″ and 3/8″ gauges I prefer to knit on. I hope that makes some sense to you, because it’s a big issue. I made a plain stockinette dish cloth this evening, and did it all in purl. It came out looking great, and I want my knits to look the same.

    • Denise Canela January 3, 2017 at 11:47 pm

      Kris – wow – so sorry that I missed this comment. Hope I can still be helpful. About those stitches – note that every time you pull on a loop to “loosen” it up – you “tighten” the one before it. Sounds crazy but if you don’t focus on it too much your tension will get better.

  3. Amelia August 10, 2016 at 2:21 am

    Thanx for the info that you give it has taught me a lot

  4. Barrie June 4, 2016 at 10:22 am

    Thank you. I will check it out.

  5. Barrie May 30, 2016 at 8:40 pm

    I am fairly new to loom knitting. I’ve made about 5 hats which turned out good. I’m trying to do a soft cozy baby blanket. The first one I tried was getting too stiff and wouldn’t be a nice blanket. Now I’m just doing it with an e-stitch and it’s unbelievably tight that I can’t continue. Any idea why? I need help on the best stitch for this small blanket.

    • Denise Canela June 4, 2016 at 10:02 am

      Barrie – I LOVE the Tiny Heart stitch for baby blankets – here is a post on the stitch: Click HERE

  6. Donna April 27, 2016 at 12:16 am

    Great video if you don’t need closed captioning. Take a look at the video as if you were deaf. it really doesn’t make sense.

    • Denise Canela April 27, 2016 at 7:06 am

      I don’t provide closed captioning. That is being provided by YouTube. I suggest just reading the words that appear on the screen.

  7. Brenda Dunford March 31, 2016 at 7:51 pm

    I love your videos but I do not understand the u-wrap stitch. Is it like the flat stitch? I am a beginner. My first hat was from your video.

    • Denise Canela April 8, 2016 at 8:58 am

      Brenda – so sorry about the delay in response – the stitches are the same in that you place the working yarn on top of the existing loop – the difference is the curve of the working when you are making the U-wrap. I believe your best bet is to watch a video where the stitch is used alot – here is a really good one – Click HERE

  8. Sarah February 11, 2016 at 5:56 pm

    I truly like the men’s loom knitted hat. It has texture and you can use any color for these types of hats. Thank you for publishing this pattern to share with others. You do good work on your hats.

    • Denise Canela February 11, 2016 at 9:16 pm

      Thank YOU Sarah ! You are super sweet. πŸ™‚

  9. Jeannie January 24, 2016 at 6:11 pm

    To cast on for the last 3 stitches you showed, are you using the e wrap as the first row for each one?

    • Denise Canela January 25, 2016 at 5:42 am

      Yes, only because I plan to tighten the loose loops – other wise any cast-on can be used depending on the project

  10. Diana January 24, 2016 at 3:16 pm

    Hi, your post has been very useful. However, I am finding it hard to see the difference between what you call the “true” knit stitch and the flat stitch. It seems to me that it is just two methods of doing the same thing. Am I wrong?

    • Denise Canela January 25, 2016 at 5:44 am

      That’s right – it is

  11. Helen January 6, 2016 at 1:49 am

    I am a beginner and was trying the easy loom scarf on a long loom and found as I worked it was bowing in the middle. I took it off and started over and made sure I wasn’t getting it too tight, but it was pulling together in the middle again. The loom is plastic. Was I doing something wrong and would it have made a difference in the product if I had continued knitting?

    • Denise Canela January 12, 2016 at 9:01 pm

      Finish the scarf – then steam block it – here is a great video: Click HERE

  12. Lucianna October 5, 2015 at 5:45 pm

    Would you say the “true” knit stitch is tighter than the u wrap?

    • Denise Canela October 6, 2015 at 9:14 am

      No they are about the same. If I had to say which one is tighter I would say its the uWrap over the True

  13. Rose September 21, 2015 at 3:02 pm

    I had no idea there were these different kinds. I started with e-wrap and switched to u-wrap because it’s easier for me. Lol

    • Denise Canela September 21, 2015 at 3:05 pm

      The U-Wrap is my favorite – the best of all worlds – as easy as the e without the loose stitch. As nice as the True without all the work. Some things in life are just sooooooooo cool πŸ™‚

      • Destiny December 30, 2015 at 6:14 am

        Hi Denise How do I make this stich not such a struggle to knit off? I broke my pick doing this stitch. I really like the look but it is hard on my hands and pick.

        • Denise Canela December 30, 2015 at 7:42 pm

          Hi Destiny – you will have to be more specific – there are 4 versions on this page. I would tell you that I prefer the Uwrap over all the versions – but some designs call for different versions because it makes a difference in the look of the item

          • Destiny December 30, 2015 at 7:49 pm

            The uwrap stitch I have a hard time with. I use every mussel in my body to get the loop over the peg.

            • Denise Canela December 30, 2015 at 8:19 pm

              I would suggest to add more “bend”. Bring the working yarn almost completely around and keep it loose. Be careful not to pull on the next stitch – because the causes the previous stitch to tighten up. A bit hard to explain – but that is a technique that in some case is helpful and in others (like in your case) it’s not. So even though you believe you knitted your stitch loose – when you knit the second stitch you might be tightening the previous – it becomes a vicious cycle. To better understand what I mean watch the video in this post: Click HERE

  14. Doris H. July 15, 2015 at 1:29 pm

    Hi Denise,
    Awesome, fantastic, super, great, I was able to understand the different knit stitches.
    I am going to try each like you have shown.
    New question what is purl stitch for the loom and how many of those are there and how do you do them?
    Thanks much πŸ™‚
    Doris H.

    • Denise Canela July 15, 2015 at 9:26 pm

      The Purl is just one. It is literally the opposite of the True Knit. Here is a post that I hope will help: Click HERE

  15. Emily June 8, 2015 at 4:59 pm

    Thank-you! Very helpful for a beginner!

  16. Hannah April 3, 2015 at 2:35 pm

    Which knit stitch would you recommend for a slouch beanie? Id like to finish the project quickly but i think the ewrap may be to chunky,and too open of a weave. Would the uwrap work instead? Any thoughts are appreciated. πŸ™‚

    • Denise Canela April 7, 2015 at 9:04 am

      Hanna, the eWrap is the BIGGEST stitch and will help you finish your hat the quickest. The U-wrap is my favorite of all the knit stitches and will look way way better but it will take a lot longer then the e-Wrap. You could always consider a Garter stitch – 1 row of knit and 1 row of purl until you finish your project.
      Hope that helps some,
      denise

      • Hannah April 7, 2015 at 1:11 pm

        Ok,thanks! When you. Say 1 row of knit,is it the ewrap knit stitch?

        • Denise Canela April 8, 2015 at 8:40 pm

          That will be up to you… do you want to finish quickly (e-Wrap) or do you want a tight stitch (U-wrap). Only you can decide what works best for you. The Garter stitch will look different depending on which of these 2 choose to work with.

          • Hannah April 29, 2015 at 4:21 pm

            Is it possible to alternate a row with U-wrap and a row of E-wrap? Will it look odd? I’m thinking that might be a way to combine getting the project done relativley quickly with a slightly tighter weave.

            • Denise Canela April 29, 2015 at 7:58 pm

              Hi Hannah, take into consideration that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I looks fine to me – it’s a matter of whether it cooperates for the project you have in mind. Remember that the U is tighter and is not going to “behave” like the e-Wrap – won’t stretch the same way.

              I have seen this done by one of the members of the Knitting Paradise Forum. Her user name is Moon Loomer… to see the pic Click HERE
              Hope that Helps – Big Hugs,
              denise

  17. judy madahana March 6, 2015 at 1:53 pm

    easy to follow and enjoyable

  18. lisa callahan March 1, 2015 at 1:13 pm

    Thanks so much….love your site

  19. lisa callahan March 1, 2015 at 12:43 pm

    Thanks sooooooo much

  20. Renee March 1, 2015 at 1:22 am

    Thank you for posting this. I have learned so much from you!

    • Denise Canela March 1, 2015 at 1:32 pm

      Thanks for the Thank you Renee… Glad I could help in anyway.
      Hugs,
      denise

  21. Dawn February 28, 2015 at 10:05 pm

    So which flat stich do I use for the basket weave hat?

    • Denise Canela February 28, 2015 at 10:20 pm

      There is only 1 Flat stitch. You can use any of the 4 versions of the knit stitch to create the basket weave stitch.

      • Dawn February 28, 2015 at 10:45 pm

        Thank you so much!

        • Denise Canela February 28, 2015 at 10:49 pm

          You are VERY welcome Dawn !

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