How to Knit the Diagonal Basket Weave Stitch
Step-by-step instructions and video showing how to knit the diagonal basket weave stitch.
This lovely knit stitch creates a woven pattern that is much denser than a stocking stitch. Because the knit stitches are worked on the front, and purl stitches are worked on the back, technically, this stitch will cause your work to curl, but my experience has been that it doesn’t as much as stocking stitch. However, to be safe, you could add either a seed stitch or garter stitch to the edge of a blanket, washcloth, or towel worked in the diagonal basket weave.
patterns that use the diagonal basket weave stitch
I love the resulting fabric that the diagonal basket weave stitch creates. So much so that I have two patterns that make this lovely weave the focus.
This Diagonal Basket Weave Washcloth is finished with a sweet crochet edge. Because of the little crochet edge, I did not add a seed stitch or garter stitch edge. If you’d prefer, you can skip the crochet and add two rows of seed or garter stitch at the cast-on and bind-off edge, as well as two stitches of seed or garter at the beginning and end of each row.
Table of Contents
With this diagonal basket weave blanket, we loosen up a bit by using knitting needles two sizes bigger than the yarn recommendation.
tip
KNIT LOOSELY!! This stitch can get really tight very quickly. Be conscious of this as you knit each stitch.
how to knit the diagonal basket weave stitch
O.K., let’s get don’t to the nitty-gritty.
- The diagonal basket weave stitch is knit over a multiple of two plus 1 stitches. In the images below, I cast on twenty-three stitches. I worked four rows in seed stitch. In the images, I have just knit the first three stitches of the row in seed stitch and will now begin the diagonal basket weave stitch.
on the knit side
Three stitches knit in seed stitch and then beginning the diagonal basket weave.
Skip over the next stitch after the seed stitch border and knit into the back of the next stitch.
If you are working on a sample without the SS border, then just skip the first stitch and knit into the back of the second stitch.
Make sure you don’t knit the two stitches on the left-hand needle together. You will need to get your right-hand needle tip between the two stitches as you pull up the yarn and new stitch on the right-hand needle.
The new stitch you just made will be on the right-hand needle (so you should have four stitches on your right-hand needle if you knit the three stitches). But the bottom of the new stitch and the stitch you skipped will still be on the left-hand needle.
Then, bring your right-hand needle to the front and knit the stitch you initially skipped.
Allow both to stitches to slip off of your left-hand needle.
Repeat this process, skipping over the next stitch and knitting into the back of the second stitch over.
Assuming you have the three seed stitch border, work until you have four stitches on your needle.
If you don’t have the border, work until you have one stitch on your needle.
Slip that one stitch knitwise.
on the purl side
Seed stitch border on first three stitches on the purl side of work if you are working a sample with a border.
Skip the next stitch (first stitch if not using a border) and purl into the front of that stitch, but leave the stitch you just purled into on the left stitch.
The new stitch will now be on your right-hand needle, while the bottom of the old stitch and the stitch you skipped will be on the left-hand needle.
Then, bring your needle up front and purl into the front of the one you skipped.
Let both stitches fall off of your left-hand needle. Stay in this pattern, skipping over the next stitch, purling into the front of the second stitch, and then purling in front of the stitch you initially skipped over.
You will slip the fourth stitch from the end (if you have a three-stitch border) or the last stitch purlwise.
Just repeat the pattern for the knit and the purl sides.
video
Here’s the video showing how to knit the knit and purl sides of the Diagonal Basket Weave Stitch.
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I like your patterns very much as well as the other items you have in your blog. Thank you for all the helpful ideas and that.
Oh Nancy, thank you so much for your very kind words! I started this blog years ago to share all the ‘stuff’ I liked to do and hoped that there would be like-minded readers out there with whom I would connect. Thanks for making this little job of mine so much fun!
Have a great day.
Hugs, Lynn