Miniature Smocking Stitch
Miniature Smocking Stitch creates a beautiful stitch pattern that reads like the intricate smocking you might see in the yoke of a special little dress. Distinctive concave arcs animate the pattern, creating a deep and impactful texture. Working this stitch pattern involves a three-step combination that’s incredibly easy to master: reverse yarn over; knit 2; pass the yarn over, over… And that’s it!
In our Miniature Smocking Stitch Tutorial, the smocking stitches come one right after the next and are staggered from row to row. This variation is called the Fish-Scale Pattern, and you can find it in Barbara G. Walkers’ legendary book, Charted Knitting Designs: A Third Treasury of Knitting Patterns.
Miniature Smocking Stitch: Video Tutorial
Click To See Video Transcript
I’m going to show you how to do the stitch pattern for the Cozy Corners Baby Blanket. As you can see, I just have a small swatch of just the textured stitch pattern. For my swatch I’m going to start with a knit one, but then we’ll get into the pattern repeat. The pattern repeat starts with a yarn over in reverse. What that means is that rather than taking your yarn between the needles to the front, what you’re going to do is take the yarn over the top of the needle. Then you’re going to take the yarn to the back in order to knit two. Next you use the tip of your left needle to pick that yarn over up and pass it over those two knit stitches and off the right needle. So let’s do it again: Yarn over in reverse, take the yarn to the back, knit two, pick the yarn over up, pass it over the two knit stitches, and off the needle. Yarn over in reverse, knit two, pick the yarn over up, pull it off the needle, and you just continue doing these steps. Do it one more time. Yarn over in reverse, bring the yarn to the back to knit two, pick that yarn over up, pass it over the two knit stitches and off the right needle.
Miniature Smocking Stitch: Written Instructions
How To Work A Smocking Stitch Sequence
First, let’s break down the sequence step by step…
Work a yarn over in reverse: To “yarn over in reverse,” bring the yarn from the back, over the right needle to the front, then between the needles to the back.
Knit two stitches.
Insert the left needle into the front leg of the yarn over stitch.
Pass the yarn over stitch over the two knit stitches and then allow it to fall off the needle.
And that’s one repeat of the Miniature Smocking Stitch pattern! Now you’re ready to put it together into a stitch pattern.
Stitch Pattern
The following instructions include a 1-stitch garter-stitch selvage.
Cast on an even number of stitches.
Row 1 (right side): K1, *yarn over in reverse, k2, pass yo over 2 knit stitches, repeat from * to last stitch, k1.
Row 2 (wrong side): K1, purl to last stitch, k1.
Row 3: K2, *yarn over in reverse, k2, pass yo over 2 knit stitches, repeat from * to last 2 stitches, k2.
Row 4: K1, purl to last stitch, k1.
Repeat Rows 1-4.
Give It A Try!
The Miniature Smocking Stitch in the Fish-Scale Pattern enlivens our fantastically nubbly Cozy Corners Crib Blanket. We no longer sell the yarn that we originally used for this pattern, but our cotton-linen June Worsted would be a great substitute. Give it a try!
Looking for more inspiration? Explore all of our free knitting patterns and knitting tutorials, buy one of our many knitting kits and yarn bundles, and shop for beautiful yarn. We have over 35 gorgeous natural fiber yarns in 100’s of magnificent colors, designed to bring integrity, beauty, and joy to your next knitting project and only available at Purl Soho!
There is no video or a link showing for this technique.
Can you fix this? I would love to see this!
Thanks!
Hello Kathy!
We unfortunately don’t have a video tutorial for this technique in the works at the moment, but which part is most confusing for you? Please let us know so that we can more carefully help you troubleshoot! Thanks for writing in! -Alyson
I think what is confusing is that it says “In this video” but there is no video. There is also a space where it looks like a video should be.
Hello Kat!
I made a mistake! Here is the link to the video on our pattern page: https://youtu.be/ZUVSJRzUJYM
I’m sorry it wasn’t working for you! Let me know if you’re still having trouble. Thanks! -Alyson
Hi Alison and thanks awfully four yr explanations. I would appreciate further advice on the four row repeat. Are all the rows equal?. Does the pattern change every four rows?. If so, how.
Hello, Maria!
Thank you so much for writing in! Sorry about the delayed response! I would really like to help you, but I am not sure if you are asking about the Miniature Smocking Stitch tutorial or the Cozy Corners Crib Blanket which utilizes this stitch. Please let us know so that we help you further!
Best wishes,
Kumeko
Your instructional videos are, BY FAR, the easiest for me to learn from. Clear visual instruction, with no background clutter. Clear and simple audio instructions as well. I wish you could do a video for every stitch I’d like to knit! I’d like to work up a swatch using only the “Miniature Smocking Stitch”. I’ve searched the site for written instructions on this particular stitch alone, but haven’t found it. Such as the multiple of stitches to cast on, and if there are any other rows to work, other than the pattern repeat in the instructional video above.
Hello Lindsy,
Thanks for writing in! I’m thrilled to hear how helpful you have found our videos. The “Miniature Smocking Stitch” can be found in Barbara Walker’s Charted Knitting Designs: A Third Treasury. The repeat that we used is written out in our Cozy Corners Crib Blanket pattern. I hope this helps. Please let us know if you have any further questions!
-Marilla