Get to Know Herringbone Stitch

There are several different knitting stitch patterns known as herringbone stitch, but the one I most commonly think of when I think of herringbone is the horizontal herringbone stitch. If you don’t know this one you can check it out at Mama in a Stitch or New Stitch a Day.

This is considered a somewhat advanced stitch pattern because of the strange technique used to make it. It’s like working decreases except you don’t actually decrease, because when you slip the stitch off the needle you only take one loop, not two. This might make more sense if you check out a video or photo tutorial of the stitch pattern, which you can find above.

It’s really pretty fun once you get the hang of it, and I love the texture, which gives you a firm fabric that looks woven. If you want to try it, check out these fun patterns.

Mama in a Stitch made a bag with the horizontal herringbone stitch, which is a great basic project to practice the technique on. Or try the Herringbone Knit Scarf from Originally Lovely. This one is worked from a short side so you can make it as long as you like, or turn it into a cowl or infinity scarf if you like.

Speaking of infinity scarves, the Big Herringbone Cowl from Purl Soho is another great, easy herringbone pattern. This one is worked in the round on big needles (size 17 US/12mm with worsted weight yarn), which changes the technique a little bit, but the pattern includes a great tutorial for how to work the stitch.

This slouchy herringbone hat from Muki Crafts on Etsy is another fun way to try this stitch. It uses worsted weight yarn and is sized for kids and adults.

This herringbone throw from Arianna Frasca uses super bulky yarn and looks super cozy. You’ll definitely become an expert at working this stitch if you make this project. You can grab it on Ravelry.

While you’re at it, you can stitch up a pillow to match with this pattern from Modern Made Shop on Etsy. This one uses worsted weight yarn and slightly larger needles than the yarn might usually call for, too, which makes forming the stitches a little easier.

Stitch a Fun Herringbone Lace Hat

How to Knit Herringbone Stitch

Knit a Wee Scarf in Blooming Color

Lacing is a great fine motor activity, and most kids go through a phase where they enjoy working with lacing cards. It helps promote focus and is a great quiet activity for kids to do in the car or to fill time in the classroom. And of course knowing how to lace is the beginning of knowing how to sew, which is great for all kids to learn (more on teaching kids to sew here).

There are lots of ways to make your own lacing cards. This one is just a pin but it’s easy to make lacing cards with any shape a child is into using cardboard and a nail to poke the holes. This could be fun for letter and number recognition or spelling the child’s name. Or try this version from Hey Azka, which uses a hole punch to make bigger holes so you can lace with shoe laces.

You can also just do lacing cards with paper, but it’s a great idea to print them on card stock and/or laminate them to make them sturdier for little hands. Homeschool Share has a set of alphabet lacing cards, which are free with email signup. Deceptively Educational has a set of number lacing cards with numbers 0 to 10.

Picklebums has some basic shape lacing cards, too.

Living Life and Learning has a bunch of cute printable lacing cards, including back to school designs, shoes kids can lace and learn to tie and ocean themed lacing cards. She also has tips for making your own lacing cards.

A Rose Tinted World made their lacing cards with craft foam, which makes them a little more durable than paper and you can cut it more easily than cardboard. They used a die cutting machine but you can also cut shapes by hand.

I also love the cat and mouse cards from Seam Whisperer. They also have some spring themed designs. So cute!

If you want to make lacing cards that are more open ended, check out this tutorial form Pretty Life Girls to make lacing cards that are more like geo boards. Theirs are made with wood but you can also do this with cardboard, craft foam or card stock.

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