What makes a rib a rib?

Hello sweater makers,

I hope you are well, safe, and working creatively!

Last spring, I shared a newsletter about jersey. Today's topic is ribs: useful balanced ribs and eye-catching novelty ribs. And we mustn't forget the double jacquards. Yes, jacquards knitted on a double-bed machine can be rib fabrics too.

Each wale (column of stitches) in a rib fabric has knit stitches and no purl stitches, or it has purl stitches and no knit stitches. Though knit stitches appear on each side of the rib fabric, knits and purls never appear in the same wale.

We often see rib bands (sometimes called a welt) at the bottom of a sweater or when they're used as cuffs. My guess is that ribs on sweater edges became popular for two reasons:

A balanced rib at the bottom of a sweater or as a neckline trim can pull the garment closer to the body, keeping out the cold.
On a double-bed knitting machine, the start of a professional-looking rib is quick and easy, requiring no transfers or hand manipulations.

Milano, pique, and ponte fabrics also fall into the broader category of rib fabrics, although their structure is a little different from what we typically refer to as ribbing.

Something to keep in mind, whether you're machine knitting ribs or sewing rib fabric — most rib fabrics do not roll. For this very reason, I recommend that sewists use a rib fabric for their first cut-and-sew projects.

Novelty ribs at the top, balanced ribs at the bottom

Over the past few years, I've also recommended that new machine knitters begin on double-bed machines, knitting ribs as their first swatches. I know this is a somewhat controversial opinion! You can read more about my thoughts on this topic in my Knitting in the Fast Lane blog post linked below.

Stay curious and creative!

Kind regards,

Olgalyn