Staggered Fisherman’s Rib Scarf
You’ve knit the prerequisite garter stitch scarf, followed by a ribbed or seed stitch one, too, and now you’re wondering what’s next. Or maybe you’ve been knitting for decades and, along the way, just missed the door for Fisherman’s Rib. Either way the Staggered Fisherman’s Rib Scarf is the perfect next challenge!
Fisherman’s Rib is just a basic 1×1 rib pattern, but instead of knitting into the next stitch, you knit into the one below it. (Get a full run-down with our step-by-step tutorial.) It’s an easy-to-learn little modification that creates lots of extra loft and depth. Ingenious!
The finished result is a real crowd-pleaser: beautiful to the eye, cushy and cozy around the shoulders, fascinating to learn, and super fun to knit!
We used our incredibly soft Worsted Twist merino wool, a sublime yarn with a combination of stitch definition and bounce that’s pitch perfect for this piece. For an early dose of spring, we knit ours in pretty Peony Pink. Pick the same or whatever color you need to face a bit more winter!
Yarn lovers, if you adore the yarn used in this project, you’ll love exploring all of our other yarn collections! Discover over 45 thoughtfully designed yarns in nearly every natural fiber and in every spectacular color you can imagine. Only available here at Purl Soho’s online yarn store, where every skein is created with care and your creativity in mind!
Designed by Purl Soho designer, Jake Canton. Click here to see even more of Jake’s designs!
Share your progress + connect with the community by tagging your pics with #PurlSoho, #PurlSohoBusyHands, #PurlSohoStaggeredFishermansRibScarf, and #PurlSohoWorstedTwist. We can’t wait to see what you make!
Materials
- 3 (5) skeins of Purl Soho’s Worsted Twist, 100% merino wool yarn. Each skein of this worsted/aran-weight yarn is 164 yards/ 100 grams; approximately 492 (800) yards required. We used Peony Pink.
- US 8 (5 mm) straight or circular needles
Gauge
12 stitches and 30 rows = 4 inches in stitch pattern
Size
Scarf (Wrap)
Finished Dimensions: Approximately 10¼ (16¼) inches wide x 68 inches long. (The scarf will grow approximately 5% in length with blocking.)
Sample: The piece pictured here is the Scarf size.
Notes
Stitch Multiple
This pattern works over an odd multiple of stitches.
K1B (Knit One Below)
Insert the tip of the right needle into the stitch below the next stitch, knit normally (wrapping the yarn around the needle and pulling it back through the stitch below) and let the stitch above fall from the left needle.
For a demonstration of how to work this technique, please visit our Working into the Stitch Below tutorial.
Pattern
Using a basic Long Tail Cast On, cast on 31 (49) stitches.
Row 1 (wrong side): K2, *p1, k1, repeat from * to last stitch, k1.
Row 2 (right side): K1, *k1b (see Notes), p1, repeat from * to last 2 stitches, k1b, k1.
Row 3: K1, *p1, k1, repeat from * to end of row.
Row 4: K1, *p1, k1b, repeat from * to last 2 stitches, p1, k1.
Repeat Rows 1-4 until piece measures approximately 65 inches, ending with Row 3.
Bind Off Row (right side): K2, pass first stitch over, *p1, pass first stitch over, k1, pass first stitch over, repeat from * to last stitch, k1, pass first stitch over.
Weave in ends and gently wet block.
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I like this pattern but I have a short little neck so I like my scarves to be only 6 – 7″ wide. How many stitches would I need to cast on to make that width of scarf and how many yards of yarn would be needed? Thank you!
Hi Chris,
Thanks for the question! This lovely scarf works over an odd multiple of stitches. With a gauge of 12 stitches and 30 rows = 4 inches in stitch pattern, you will want to cast on 19 stitches for a roughly 6 inch wide scarf or 21 stitches for a 7 inch wide scarf! Two skeins should be enough for a scarf of this width!
I hope that this helps!
Yes, it does. Thank you for your help.
I don’t believe this is a fishermans rib pattern on the scarf. I was looking at the other fishermans patterns on your website and they don’t look the same at all. Could this be a different stitch on the pink scarf?
I’ve made fishermans rib before and the pattern on this scarf looks more like a seed stitch – I’m interested because I’d like to learn the pattern of the pink scarf. Just think theres a discrepancy. Thanks for checking!
Hi Andrea,
Great question! This is a variation of Fisherman’s Rib that does have quite a lot in common with seed stitch, but you are correct that it looks very different from a traditional Fisherman’s Rib! It still has the same lofty depth, but looks more like garter stitch on the wrong side and seed stitch on the right side.
I hope that clears things up!
Julianna
Great idea !
I love this pattern! It reminds me a little of the linen stitch, which is one of my favorites. Would this pattern be suitable to stitch in the round for a cowl? Or are there modifications that would need to be made at the beginning and end of each row? It seems to me that it would not work as it’s written, but I don’t know how to figure out a modification.
Thank you, the stitch is just beautiful.
Hi Sheryl,
Great question! With a few modifications, yes, this stitch can be knit in the round! There will be a slight seam at the row beginning, but otherwise the stitch will turn out the same as ours by knitting the right side rows as written and reversing the wrong side rows, as follows:
Round 1: P2, *k1, p1, repeat from * to last stitch, p1.
Round 2: K1, *k1b (see Notes), p1, repeat from * to last 2 stitches, k1b, k1.
Round 3: P1, *K1, P1, repeat from * to end of row.
Round 4: K1, *p1, k1b, repeat from * to last 2 stitches, p1, k1.
Happy knitting!
Julianna
Thank you so much, Julianna. I can’t wait to give it a try!
How could I alter this to make a cowl.
Hi Mindy,
Thanks for writing in! With a few modifications, this stitch can be knit in the round! There will be a slight seam at the row beginning, but otherwise the stitch will turn out the same as ours by knitting the right side rows as written and reversing the wrong side rows, as follows:
Round 1: P2, *k1, p1, repeat from * to last stitch, p1.
Round 2: K1, *k1b (see Notes), p1, repeat from * to last 2 stitches, k1b, k1.
Round 3: P1, *K1, P1, repeat from * to end of row.
Round 4: K1, *p1, k1b, repeat from * to last 2 stitches, p1, k1.
For a 66″ long cowl, you will need to cast on 199 stitches.
I hope that helps, and please do let us know how it turns out!
Julianna
Love the scarf. Maybe it’s me but I can’t make the pattern work; first row ends with two knit stitches, following row ( right side) instructions say K1, K1b but that second stitch is a purl stitch…what am I missing. Thanks.
Hi Stephanie,
Thanks for reaching out! I am delighted to help! It sounds like you are doing everything correctly! You will be k1b into the second stitch which was a knit on the other side but will appear as a purl on the side that you are working. This may feel a little funny at first but after a few rows, you will be able to see how the pattern appears!
I hope that this clears things up!
Cassy
Do you have other yarn suggestions?
Thanks.
Hi Ann,
Thanks for reaching out! Almost any worsted to aran weight yarn will work for this pattern. Some of my favorites include our brand new Linen Quill Worsted, Manos del Uruguay Maxima, Tosh Merino, and Blue Sky Worsted Cotton!
Best,
Julianna
Your video shows how to knit into the stitch below in a knitting stitch. But your pattern Row 1 ends in two knits. The reverse, Row 2 then puts the knit below in a purl stitch all the way across. How do you do that?
Hi Nancy,
Thanks for writing in! Although we don’t have a video showing how to knit below a purl stitch, the method is exactly the same! Instead of inserting your right-hand needle into the “v” of the stitch from the previous row as you would for a knit stitch, you will insert it below the purl bump directly under the needle and then finish the knit stitch in the same manner.
I hope that clears things up!
Julianna
I keep on having to rip the entire scarf each time I mess up. How do I know which row I am ripping until so I can restart on the right row?
Hi Natalie,
Thanks for reaching out! Taking out stitches in Fisherman’s Rib and its variations can be very challenging! If you are ripping out multiple rows at once, it will help to make sure you end with a wrong side row so you are about to knit a right side row, which will be either Row 2 or Row 4. You can then take a look at the first two stitches right below the needle which are the last two stitches from the previous row. If you see two purls at the beginning of the row with the right side facing, you are about to start Row 2, and if you see a purl followed by a knit, you are about to start Row 4.
I hope that helps!
Julianna
Yes! This helps. I also switched from shorter bamboo needles to long metal ones, and it has helped tremendously.
It says that the piece pictured is the scarf, not the wrap. I have just started knitting the scarf and it looks much more narrow than the piece pictured on the model. Are you certain the piece on the model is the scarf, not the wrap? My piece is only about 6 inches wide – very narrow for either a scarf or a wrap. I wonder if I am doing something wrong….
Hi Susannah,
Thanks for writing in! It sounds like you might be knitting at a tighter gauge than we did! The pictures do indeed show the scarf, which should measure 10.25 inches wide. I would suggest using a US 9 needle to see if the scarf turns out the correct width!
I hope that helps!
Julianna
I know what you are referring to Susannah. I think the picture below the pattern is the scarf but the picture of the woman wearing the finished piece is the wrap.
Hi Rachel,
Thanks for reaching out! All the pictures, including the ones with the model show the scarf version of the pattern not the wrap!
Best,
Gianna
Hi,
I’d like to make this using the worsted twist but also some silk with it. I was thinking of the black twist and the black Mineral Silk. Would that work?
Hi Julie,
Thanks for reaching out! I think that would be a beautifully striking combination! The Mineral Silk is such a fine yarn that adding it in with the Worsted Twist should’t have much effect on the overall gauge, but I would recommend working a gauge swatch to insure that you are consistent with the pattern!
Please let us know how this turns out!
All the best,
Gianna
Hi there,
Love this pattern!! Started it out as a scarf but don’t think I have enough wool so thinking I’ll turn it into a beanie instead? any suggestions? Thought I might merge a beanie pattern with the suggestions for the cowl above? Or am I just walking into a head ache?
Thanks for all the free patterns
Hi Isobel,
Thanks for reaching out and for your kind words! I believe you could easily use the stitch we used in this pattern for a beanie!
All the best,
Gianna
is there staggered fishermans scarf video,,,,, love it, thanks
Hi Ruth,
Thanks for reaching out! We don’t currently have a video on this stitch but thank you for expressing your interest and I will be sure to pass this along to the team!
All the best,
Gianna
Hi there – ending on row 3, I assume this means I do a last row 3 then bind off?
Hi Kristin,
Thanks for reaching out! That is correct, you will end by repeating row 3 and then going on to the bind off!
All the best,
Gianna
Hi there,
What does Using a basic Long Tail Cast On, cast on 31 (49) stitches. What does the number in the bracket mean? Trying to figure out how many to cast on?
Hi Stephanie,
Thanks for reaching out! Since there are two size options for this pattern the number indicates the cast on for the size you plan on making, Scarf (Wrap)! If you are making the scarf size you will cast on 31 stitches and if you are making the Wrap size you will cast on 49 stitches.
I hope this clears things up!
Warmly,
Gianna
Oh I see, thank you so much for the quick response 😊
Hi there,
Thank you for this beautiful pattern !
Do you mean that we have to knit a p1b on the row 2 ?
Sorry for my english but I’m french !
Have a good day !
Hi Aurélie,
Thanks for writing in! For row 2 you will k1b, not p1b! So for row 2, you will k1, then k1b, p1 and repeat the k1b, p1 to the last 2 stitches, and end the row by k1b, k1.
For more information on how to work the k1b see the notes section or you can check out our Working into the Stitch Below tutorial!
I hope this helps, happy knitting!
Gianna
Hi,
Can cashmere merino bloom be substituted for the worsted twist yarn for this pattern? If so, how many stitches should I cast on (was calculating 51- too many – more, less?). And would 3 skeins be enough and would needles size US 7 be ok?
Am currently making this in the worsted twist and I love it!
Hi,
Am reposting just in case my questions got lost in crack. Will cashmere merino bloom work for the worsted twist yarn for this pattern?
If yes, how many stitches should I cast on (was calculating 51- too many – more, less?). And would 3 skeins be enough and would needles size US 7 be ok?
Hi Babs,
Thanks for reaching out! My apologies for the delayed response, we have had a high volume of comments to reply to lately! Cashmere Merino Bloom would be great for this scarf in place of Worsted Twist! However you will need to make a few adjustments to the cast on and needle size, I would suggest starting off by working a gauge swatch with a US 6 or 7 needle and from there you can calculate your cast on amaount. I think 3 skeins will be plenty for the scarf size, but you can always purchase an extra skein to ensure you have enough yarn, and if you don’t end up needing it you can return it to us (in original condition) for store credit within 6 months!
I hope this helps and please let me know if you have any more questions!
Gianna
This may be a dumb question, but, I’m a bit confused with the number of skeins, 3 (5). Do I get 3 or 5 skeins?
Hi Carol,
Thanks for reaching out! The two numbers reflect the two sizes we offer in the pattern! 3 skeins are for the Scarf size, and 5 skeins are for the Wrap size. For the pattern, if you are making the Scarf size you will follow the numbers outside of the parentheses, and for the Wrap size, you will follow the numbers within the parentheses!
I hope this clears things up, happy knitting!
Gianna
Thank you very much.
I’d love to do this as a lap blanket.
Hi Karen,
Thanks for writing in. You can absolutely use the staggered fisherman’s rib stitch pattern for a lap blanket! To figure out your cast-on number, you will want to first knit a gauge swatch in pattern. Once you know how many stitches you are getting per inch, you can multiply that number by the width that you would like and cast on the nearest odd number. Hope this helps!
All the best,
Lili