How to Knit Herringbone Stitch

By
Mollie Johanson
Mollie Johanson
Mollie Johanson
Mollie Johanson is a professional needlecrafter with over 10 years of hands-on embroidery, sewing, and knitting experience. She is the author of “Stitch Love: Sweet Creatures Big & Small." Mollie also designs and sells stitching projects, co-hosts a crafting podcast, and has taught online embroidery courses.
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Updated on 10/30/20
Herringbone Knitting Stitch Tutorial Swatch

The Spruce / Mollie Johanson

Add warmth and texture to your knitting with herringbone stitch. This stitch resembles herringbone fabric and is common for home decor projects such as pillows. When worked in the round, it's also great for accessories like hats and cowls. Herringbone forms a tight, dense knitted fabric.

When working this stitch you need to use knitting needles that are several sizes larger than what is recommended for your yarn. For example, the yarn in the sample swatch suggests size 7 to 9 needles, but the swatch uses size 11 needles. There are several variations of herringbone stitch, though most look nearly identical. To create this version of the stitch pattern, there's just one basic stitch for each row of a two-row repeat. That makes it especially easy to remember. 

Tip

Before you try this stitch, it's helpful to be familiar with how to knit and purl two stitches together, as well as the difference between knitting in the front or the back of each stitch.

What You'll Need

Equipment / Tools

  • Knitting needles

Materials

  • Yarn

Instructions

  1. Knit Row: Work in the Back Loops

    Cast on any number of stitches. Knit two stitches together in the back of the stitches, but don't let the stitches drop off the needle yet.

    Knit Two Stitches Together Through the Back Loop
    Mollie Johanson

  2. Knit Row: Let One Stitch Drop Off the Needle

    Normally, you would let both of the stitches you just knit drop from the needle. For herringbone stitch, drop only one stitch (the one closest to the end) off. Leave the second stitch on the needle and it becomes part of the next two stitches that you knit together. Repeat this as you work across the row: knit two together through the back, dropping only one stitch off. When you reach the end and have only one stitch left, slip the last stitch through the back of the stitch.

    Drop Only One Stitch Off the Hook
    Mollie Johanson

  3. Purl Row: Purl Two Stitches Together

    Purl two stitches together (purling as usual), but don't let the stitches drop off the needle.

    Purl Two Stitches Together
    Mollie Johanson

  4. Purl Row: Let One Stitch Drop Off the Needle

    Just as with the knit row, only drop one stitch off the needle. The second stitch becomes part of the next two stitches to purl. Repeat this as you work across the row: purl two together, dropping only one stitch off. When you reach the end and have only one stitch left, slip the last stitch purlwise. Repeat the knit and purl rows to continue the pattern.

    Drop Only One Stitch Off the Hook
    Mollie Johanson

The Back of Herringbone Stitch

The front of the work creates a herringbone pattern, while the back looks like ridges or ribbing. While it isn't a reversible stitch, the back looks interesting and good enough to show on projects like scarves.

Back View of the Herringbone Knitting Swatch
Mollie Johanson

Knitting With Herringbone

Want to work herringbone stitch in the round? The process is similar, but with a twist. You'll need to knit every row and twist a stitch at the end of each round. 

Herringbone Knitting Stitch Tutorial Swatch
Mollie Johanson

  1. Cast On

    After casting on an even number of stitches, join the ends and place a marker. 

  2. Round One

    Knit two together (knitting as usual), letting only one stitch drop off the needle. 

  3. End the Round

    When you reach the last stitch before the marker, slip the stitch briefly to remove the marker. Slip the stitch back. Knit the last two stitches together, letting only one stitch drop from the needle. Place the marker again. Twist the next stitch. 

  4. Round Two

    Knit two stitches together in the back of the stitches, letting only one stitch drop off the needle. End the round just as you did at the end of round one, while still knitting through the back of the stitches.