How to Work Textured Stitches in Double Knitting

Double knitting makes two layers on one set of needles. In the usual stockinette version, you knit a facing-layer stitch and purl its back-layer partner. The purl produces a knit stitch when viewed from the other side. Each pair therefore contributes one stitch to each face. Brooklyn Tweed explains this paired structure in its double-knitting tutorial.

Texture changes the stitch operation without changing the layer assignment. For example, purling a facing-layer stitch puts a bump on that face; knitting its back-layer partner puts a bump on the opposite face. The Knitting Guild Association confirms that double knitting can incorporate stitches beyond stockinette in Jennifer Kent’s “Double Knitting” technical article.

Keep these two decisions separate: which layer owns this stitch, and which stitch operation does its texture require? In the sampler below, yarn A always belongs to one layer and yarn B to the other. There are no color swaps within the fabric.

Here, “front” and “back” describe positions relative to you while working the current row. After turning, the layer previously at the back becomes the facing layer. Move yarns between the needle tips whenever changing their position.

Use F for the yarn belonging to the currently facing layer and B for the yarn belonging to the back layer. These are temporary roles, not permanent color names.

Pair	First stitch: facing layer	Second stitch: back layer	Appearance on both outer faces
S: smooth pair	With both yarns behind the needles, knit using F	Bring both yarns forward; purl using B	Knit V
T: textured pair	Put F in front and leave B behind; purl using F	Keep F in front and B behind; knit using B	Purl bump

For a T pair, the strands stay separated throughout the pair. When returning to an S pair, take F behind the needles so both strands are ready for its knit stitch. This positioning follows the layer-by-layer explanation and reverse-stockinette movements in Norman’s double-knitting ribbing tutorial.

Practice alternating one S pair and one T pair before starting the sampler. Watch the unused strand: during a facing-layer stitch, it stays behind that layer; during a back-layer stitch, it stays in front of that layer. Both positions keep it inside the fabric.

Choose two smooth yarns of the same weight, suitable needles, a removable marker and a tapestry needle. Contrasting solid colors make the layers easier to distinguish. Treat needle size as a swatching decision: double-knitting tension may differ from your ordinary knitting tension, as discussed in the Knitting Guild Association article.

The following sampler is an original exercise derived from the stitch-pair mechanics above. It uses 24 individual stitches: 12 pairs, giving 12 stitches on each face. No extra edge stitches are included.

1. Using yarn A alone, cast on 24 stitches with your usual long-tail cast-on.
2. Foundation row 1: repeat knit 1 with A, purl 1 with B across the row. Introduce B at its first purl stitch, leaving a tail for weaving in. Use the S-pair yarn movements.
3. Turn. Foundation row 2: work 12 S pairs, now knitting with B and purling with A.
4. Work two more foundation rows in S pairs, using A as the facing yarn on the third row and B on the fourth.
5. Mark the A face. Restart the row count for each texture section below.

After the first foundation row, identify stitches by their yarn color rather than by whether they look knitted or purled. On A-facing rows, the pairs are A then B; on B-facing rows, they are B then A.

To join the side edges, cross the two working strands once at the beginning of each row, then position them for the first pair. Keep the crossing relaxed. Brooklyn Tweed describes crossing at a row edge to connect the layers when working double knitting flat.

Work the following sequence on every row for eight rows: 2 S pairs, 8 T pairs, 2 S pairs. Keep each yarn assigned to its own layer throughout.

The middle eight columns receive outward-facing purl stitches on both layers. The two smooth columns at either side provide a clear boundary for comparing the surfaces. Reverse stockinette is stockinette viewed from its purl side; Jill Wolcott’s reverse-stockinette instructions explain its knit-and-purl relationship.

Because this block is centered, its sequence reads the same after turning. You still swap the facing and back yarn roles: A is F on A-facing rows, while B is F on B-facing rows.

After eight texture rows, work four rows entirely in S pairs. Before continuing, inspect both faces. Each should show a central bumpy rectangle surrounded by smooth knitting. Check that you still have 24 individual stitches.

For the next section, restart the row count with the A face toward you. Work eight rows using this two-row repeat:

• Row 1, A facing: repeat 2 S pairs, 2 T pairs three times.
• Row 2, B facing: repeat 2 T pairs, 2 S pairs three times.
• Repeat these two rows four times in total.

The return-row order matters. Turning reverses the order in which you encounter the columns: the two textured columns worked last on row 1 are encountered first on row 2. Beginning that return row with T pairs keeps the textured columns aligned.

This exercise keeps one color on each face. Norman’s double-knitting ribbing tutorial also demonstrates color changes within ribbing, but those are an additional choice. Learn the yarn positioning with fixed layer colors first.

Work four S-pair rows after the ribbing. Compare the ribbed section’s width with the smooth section before using the same stitch count in a larger project.

Restart the section count with A facing. Work eight rows using this repeat: row 1, all S pairs; row 2, all T pairs.

This is a useful application of the pair system. Across those two rows, the A layer is knitted from each of its sides, while the B layer is purled from each of its sides. Both produce garter texture. The instructions are a derivation of the layer mechanics, rather than a reproduction of a separate published pattern.

Keep the distinction between alternating rows and alternating columns clear. Switching S and T across a row creates a horizontal arrangement of different stitches; switching whole S and T rows creates the garter section in this sampler.

Finish with four rows of S pairs. For a straightforward practice finish, use A to knit and bind off all 24 individual stitches conventionally, passing each previous stitch over the newly knitted stitch. This joins the layers across the top and leaves an A-colored edge visible from both faces. Cut the yarns and weave in the ends.

Inspect a few pairs after each change of texture. It is easier to retrace a short sequence while you remember which movement you made.

What you see	What to check	Next action
A contrasting strand across an outer face	The unused yarn may have been left outside its layer	Undo to that stitch and restore the appropriate yarn position
An unexpected contrasting stitch	The stitch may have been worked with the other layer’s yarn	Check the stitch color below it and rework with its assigned yarn
Rib columns change texture every other row	The return-row sequence may be reversed incorrectly	Use the specified T-first return row
More or fewer than 24 stitches	A strand may have passed over a needle, or two stitches may have been worked together	Locate the first count change before continuing

An unattached area between the layers is expected in this fixed-color sampler. Texture alone does not necessarily connect the layers internally; the edge crossings provide the side joins. The Knitting Guild Association’s structural explanation distinguishes separate layers from connections made by crossing yarns.

Use the finished sampler to choose a texture and assess its dimensions before planning a larger piece. Keep a note of the pair sequence, return-row order and needle size beside it. Once you can preserve the yarn positions through an S-to-T transition, you have a practical method for arranging smooth and bumpy stitches across both faces of double knitting.

• Brooklyn Tweed, “How To Knit: Colorwork in Double Knitting”.
• Jennifer Kent, The Knitting Guild Association, “Double Knitting,” Cast On, Spring 2024.
• Nimble Needles, “Double knitting ribbing”.
• Jill Wolcott Knits, “Rev St st or Reverse Stockinette stitch”.