Mini Herringbone
This is a beautiful stitch pattern with an all-over texture that alludes to a classic herringbone tweed. It involves working every other stitch twice, perhaps a complicated sounding maneuver, but not so hard once you get the hang of it!
And because we love a video tutorial, we’ve also created this useful tip for the final step in this project: The Bind Off!
We used it for our Mini Herringbone Scarf in Understory. Get the free pattern to try it out yourself!
Will this herringbone pattern lay flat? It is so pretty.
Hi Ashley,
Thanks for writing in! This stitch pattern does lay flat!
Happy knitting!
Cassy
Is there anyway to do the stitch in the round? I would like to avoid so much purling if I can ?
Hi,
Thanks for asking! We do show this stitch in the round on the Big Herringbone Cowl:
https://www.purlsoho.com/create/2011/01/05/whits-knits-big-herringbone-cowl/
Hope this helps!
Kindly,
Anna
The herringbone stitch in the Big Herringbone Cowl looks quite different than the herringbone stitch in the Mini Herringbone Scarf. I would love to be able to knit a hat to match the scarf, and would prefer to do it in the round so I don’t have to sew ends together. Is there no way to replicate this stitch in the round?
Hi Justin,
Thanks for reaching out! Although the two projects do seem to differ, it mostly because they are worked at quite different gauges. The Mini Herringbone Scarf is worked in a DK weight yarn on US 10 needles for a tighter knit fabric, and the Big Herringbone Cowl is worked in a worsted weight yarn on US 17 needles so the stitch is a bit more open and drapey. I would suggest knitting a swatch in the round in the Big Herringbone Cowl stitch pattern using the same yarn and needles as you did for the scarf to see if you are happy with how it looks.
I hope that helps!
Julianna
I watched the video tutorial which is really helpful, thank you. The thing I wanted to make sure I’m clear on is – in the video it looks like the instructions for the right side row is to knit through the backloop as you are bringing the slipped stitch over the knitted stitch. The printed instructions say “with left-hand needle raise up the slipped stitch as if to bind off but before dropping off right-hand needle, knit it and then drop from needle”. Should that say “knit it through the backloop and then drop from needle”?
Thanks for this beautiful pattern.
Hi Cecilia,
Thanks for writing in! I watched the video in detail and Laura is knitting the k1 through the front loop. The picking up of the slipped stitch and knitting into it does look a bit like it may be through the back loop but I suspect that that is due to multiple stitches being engaged at once. I find it helpful to sometimes open the video in YouTube so that I can make it full screen and see the fullness of the technique. You can even slow down the speed of the video! Here is the direct link to the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=128&v=A0RJX_BWVlk
I hope that this helps!
Cassy
Please help! At the end of row 2 there are 5 remaining stitches, not 4. I’ve pulled it apart 5x’s and am not learning my lesson. Any thoughts on what I may be doing wrong?
Thanks!
Kerrie
Hi Kerrie,
Thanks for writing in! It sounds like you are doing everything correctly! On row 2, you should have 1 stitch left after finishing the “*slip 1 with yarn in back, k1, then with left-hand needle raise up the slipped stitch as if to bind off but before dropping off right-hand needle, knit it and then drop from needle, repeat from *” repeat that you will then knit.
I hope that this helps!
Cassy
I have seen a pattern for the men’s Herringbone Pattern in vertical stitch, but I can’t seem to get the pattern. Can you help?
I love this Mini Herringbone and have some beautiful yarn for it.
Hello Rachel,
Thank you for writing in! I’m happy to help- Is there something specific that you are having trouble with?
Warmly,
Marilla
Beautiful scarf. Just curious if it truly takes three skeins of Understory, 100 grams/250 yards, on size 10 needles, to complete this. It seems like too much yarn to me.
Thank you for your reply.
Lisa
Hi Lisa,
Thanks for writing in! This pattern does indeed use 3 skeins of our Understory. The stitch pattern here is quite dense and in order to get the correct length, 3 skeins are needed!
I hope that this helps!
Cassy
Where has the video tutorial gone? It isn’t anywhere and I can’t figure out the second row stitch. Help, please.
Hi Sandra,
The video tutorial can be found on the Mini Herringbone pattern page.
Here’s the link: Mini Herringbone Scarf
I hope this helps!
Carly
I tried this and the scarf will roll up from the bottom .. how do I stop it
Hi Qin,
Thanks for reaching out! Although the Mini Herringbone stitch has a slight tendency to curl up similar to stockinette stitch, it should be easily corrected with blocking. I would recommend working a small swatch and wet blocking it, and if it is still curling up too much, move up a needle size to loosen the stitches – this will also help minimize the edges curling.
I hope that helps!
Julianna
I have been working on the mini herringbone. A beautiful stitch pattern and your video is quite helpful. What I am having trouble with is unknitting it when I make a mistake (sometimes miss that the yarn slipped off the needle when knitting into the slipped stitch). Having trouble tracking the yarn back through the stitches. Ugh.
Do you have a video on correcting mistakes with this stitch?
Thanks!
Hello Cordelia,
Thank you for writing in! I hear you, this is a unique challenge with this stitch. The best advice I can give here, is to slowing rip out a few rows, carefully watching how the loops and stitches interact with one another. That way, by the time you pull out your knitting down to the error, you’ll know what the stitches should look like and how to pick them back up.
I hope this helps and good luck!
-Marilla
Beginner knitter here,
After finishing the 2nd row (right side), I end up with an even number of stitches on the left needle. What am I doing wrong?
Hi Anushka,
Thanks for writing in! It is hard to say what exactly is going wrong without seeing your knitting, but you should have the same number of stitches that you started with after each row. I suspect you may be accidentally casting off one stitch instead of knitting it again. I would suggest trying a small swatch to see if you can get the hang of the stitch before casting on the full scarf, but if you are still having trouble, please feel free to send us a picture of your work at customerservice@purlsoho.com so we can troubleshoot this for you!
Best,
Julianna
When I try to purl 2 together on the wrong side row, the 2nd stitch is so tight that I can’t pcik up both stitches to purl the. I am an intermediate knitter and have started this scarf 3 times. What am I doing wrong?
Hello Cyndy,
Thank you for reaching out! It is hard to say exactly what could be going wrong without seeing a picture, but I will say that purling two together is always a bit tighter than knitting two together. Is it the fist part of the purl 2 together or the second part where you are leaving the two stitches on the needle and purling the first stitch?
I hope I can help and happy knitting!
-Marilla
Hi – I am so having a love it / hate it relationship with your pattern for the mini herringbone scarf – sorry
Can I ask if you have a video for the border – slip stitch rib edges
I have tried looking through you tube / online but no luck
Thank you in advance for your help
Sherall
Hi Sherall,
Thanks for reaching out! Unfortunately we don’t have the resources at the moment to do a video tutorial of this. We will keep your request in mind though for the future! In the mean time, if it is the edging on the Men’s Mini Herringbone Scarf that you are referring to, I would suggest placing a marker after the first three and before the last three stitches to help keep track of where the border begins and ends.
I hope that helps!
Julianna
To clarify, is this the same stitch that is used in the Big Herringbone Cowl?
Hi Tapia,
Thanks for reaching out! Although it has been modified for knitting back and forth in rows instead of knitting in the round, this is the same stitch as our Big Herringbone Cowl.
Best,
Julianna
Hi, I think I am struggling a bit and I’m wondering if it’s due to the way I hold the working yarn in my left hand instead of my right as in the video tutorial… I think I have the wrong side row figured out but not the right side row. 2 things are tripping me up: first, it says to slip one purl wise but she seems to have the yarn in back whereas if I were to purl a stitch I would have the yarn in front, right? The other part is when she knits the next stitch it looks like she is going in to the back of the loop from the right instead of in from the left at the front of the loop.
It’s a beautiful pattern and I really want to get it right! Thanks for any clarification!
Hello Sara,
Thank you for reaching out and for your detailed questions! It sounds like you are a Continental knitter rather than an English style knitter (or thrower). This will not change how to do this stitch, so don’t worry about that. You will be slipping your stitch purlwise with your yarn in bak (good eye!). When slipping purlwise or knitwise the pattern will specify if your yarn should be in back or in front and for this pattern you want your yarn in the back. The next stitch after your slipped stitch is just a regular knit stitch and is not knit through the back loop.
I hope all of this clears things up! If you have any other questions don’t hesitate to reach out.
Happy knitting,
Marilla
Hi. I am knitting this for the first time. My question is regarding needle size. If I’m reading correctly the needle size for Understory wool is US 7-8 but this pattern calls for size 10. Also Understory shows a gauge of 20-22 stitches in 4” yet the pattern says the gauge is 28 stitches in 4”. I’m just beginning to understand gauge do I’m a little confused with this pattern. Thank you for your help
Hi Susan,
Great questions! When you’re looking at the recommended needle size and gauge on a yarn label, that information is based on knitting in stockinette stitch, one of the most common stitches in knitting. However, the Mini Herringbone stitch creates a much denser, thicker fabric than stockinette, and it turns out best if you knit it on a larger needle than you normally would use for the yarn – otherwise it can get very stiff and heavy! It also results in a different number of stitches and rows per inch than stockinette. As you try new projects in different stitch patterns, you will probably see this cropping up more and more often, as almost any variation in stitch pattern will alter the gauge from what is listed on the label. You will also notice that many patterns, including our Mini Herringbone Scarf, have the words “in stitch pattern” after the gauge. This means that you should knit your gauge swatch in the stitch pattern, not in stockinette stitch, to make sure everything turns out the way it should!
I hope that clears things up!
Julianna
Hallo,
Ik heb zo moeite met de rand. Langs de verkeerde kant; slip 1 with thé yarn in front, ik krijg daar zo een losse lelijke steek. De randen lukken mij maar niet. Bedankt voor hulp!
Groetjes
Marina
Hi Marina,
Thanks for reaching out! My best guess for your edges coming out like that is that when you are slipping the stitch it is getting overstretched leaving it loose. I would suggest going forward when you slip the stitch to be extra careful not to stretch it when you do so. Also, once you finish, Blocking your finished scarf can help you re-distribute the loose edges!
I hope this helps, happy knitting!
Gianna
Hi, you start with the knitting already well underway. Do I cast on an odd or an even number of stitches? Is there a foundation row?
Any help is appreciated.
Hi Terry,
This stitch pattern works over any odd number of stitches greater than 5, and you can begin with any type of cast-on that you’d like. You can find more details in our Mini Herringbone Scarf pattern. Hope this helps!
All the best,
Lili
This pattern/stitch is beautiful.
I’m knitting this one with sports weight on size 8 needles.
It’s a little wider than I wanted, is there a multiple to start with/cast on?
Hi Elaine,
Thanks for reaching out! You can work this stitch pattern over any odd number greater than 5.
All the best,
Lili