Pattern Scout
My Forever Stitch
Every knitter has that one stitch they come back to again and again. It’s the one that feels like home the moment it’s on your needles. For some people, it’s garter, or ribbing, or good old stockinette. For me? It has always, always been seed stitch.
It’s the texture I reach for without thinking; the thing my hands seem to know before my brain catches up. I’ve designed a lot of seed stitch patterns over the years—cowls, sweaters, accessories— and whenever people ask me why I love it so much, I usually laugh and say ‘I don’t know!’ But the truth is, I think I do know.
Seed stitch is simple, but it’s not boring. The texture is delicious. It’s rhythmic without being sleepy. And it just…works. With every yarn. Every gauge. Every color. Seed stitch is totally that song-on-repeat in your life. Familiar, comforting, and somehow always exactly the vibe you need.
I realized this way back when I designed the Gaptastic Cowl. The texture was so dimensional, so satisfying. So good that fifteen years later, people are still knitting that cowl. That blows my mind in the best way. (I’ll be hosting a KAL in December to celebrate its 15th anniversary!)
And honestly, seed stitch has followed me through my making life ever since. Whenever I’m designing something new, I try other stitches. I really do. I experiment. I swatch. And then nine times out of ten, I find myself saying, ’What if I tried seed stitch, just to see?’ And then I see, and that’s that.
My newest design, the Strange Brew Vest, is one of those seed stitch moments that just clicked. I knit it in my all-time favorite shade of chartreuse—that bright, fresh, mood-lifting color that somehow works with everything. If yarn could glow from within, this is what it would look like.
The thing I love most about wearing a seed stitch piece is that it looks so easy. You throw it on and suddenly your outfit has depth. It looks stylish in that quiet way that never tries too hard. With the Strange Brew Vest, I immediately started planning outfits in my head: over a white tee, layered with denim, under a jacket, with wide-leg pants. It’s one of those pieces you want to style five different ways before it even gets out of the blocking water.
But here’s the thing: seed stitch isn’t just for garments. It works its charm in accessories, items for the home, and basic everyday pieces.
Here are a few of my favorite patterns that celebrate this humble, perfect texture:
Seed Stitch Scarf by Camellia Fiber Co.
A long, cozy, endlessly wearable classic. Simple and low-stress in the best way, it’s perfect for settling in with your favorite show or audiobook.
Slipped Seed Stitch Hand Towel by Purl Soho
Seed stitch for the home, elevated with neat slipped stitches. It’s meditative, useful, and honestly kind of fancy for a hand towel. The best kind of kitchen flex.
Raw Honey Mitts by Alicia Plummer
Fingerless mitts that use seed stitch to create a cozy mitt that hugs your hands. Quick, sweet, perfect for gifting.
The Wedding Necktie by Susan B. Anderson
Seed stitch as formalwear. I adore this. It’s charming and unexpected, and the texture makes it feel extra special.
Blue Bayou by Isabel Kraemer
An allover seed stitch dream with total cozy-sweatshirt energy. It’s one of those everyday sweaters that feels like home the moment you put it on.
Mabel Cardigan (by me, again)
Soft, minimal, and quietly stylish, and knit in MDK Atlas! It’s the perfect “live-in-it” cardigan. Easy to knit, even easier to wear.
Seed stitch is my forever stitch. Maybe it’ll become yours too.
P.S. If you’re itching to cast on something seed-stitchy right now, my new Strange Brew Vest is 10% off on Ravelry with the code JEN10.
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My go-to is double moss stitch, for the same reasons. Easy and works with everything. Stockinette and garter are too much of the same thing for me.
Appalachian Baby Yarn has gorgeous baby blankets put seed stitch and variations on it that are a joy to knit.
I hear you! I’ve always loved it and sort of put it on a pedestal, for fear of having everything look alike that comes off of my needles. It has to be very deliberate, special, perfect yarn, perfect pattern. Love the movement, the flow, oh dear sweet seed stitch.
Jen, thank you for the suggestions-I love them all!
I also love seed stitch! Your Gaptastic Cowl is one of my favorite patterns to knit for a gift. I have made so many over the years.
I must learn to embrace seed stitch, moss stitch, flat knitting, frankly, anything that involves the “p” word (purling), anything that slows me down. I rationalize my avoidance because the majority of my projects are gift knits, but I am painfully aware that I am becoming a project knitter rather than a process knitter. In watching Jen’s YouTube videos, it seems she has discovered the secret of marrying the two – how did you manage to re-knit Alicia Plummer’s Finest Thing in 10 days!?!? In this vein I will be joining the Gaptastic KAL – yarn has been ordered (in chartreuse since it is my favorite, also), I’ve got the needles, most holiday knitting will be complete or almost. So, bring it on, Gaptastic. See you December 1st!
You are so right, Jen! Back in the dawn of the new knitting age (around 2004) when big box stores like A.C. Moore (RIP) starting selling even semi-luxury yarns at a 40% discount I scooped up some cashmere mix yarn in a worsted weight and made a seed stitch scarf. The pillowy depth and richness of that thing I have not been able to equal. And thank goodness I still have it, because those 40% days are gone. For me seed stitch requires concentration because you can easily go off track, so mostly accessories or trim for me. Your vest – between garment and accessory – is very tempting. I have some Atlas on hand. And as another side to seed stitch. If you use a variegated yarn, it can produce a pleasingly blurred, Impressionistic effect. Maybe swatch first. (Even though I didn’t.)
I love the look of it but struggle with how to weave in ends so they don’t show. Any tips on that?
If there’s no edging or seam to hide the end in, I do this weird thing where I weave it behind a purl bump on the RS then a purl bump on the WS, etc. Works pretty well, and even if I weave it all in on the WS, I think it looks pretty good.
I’m with you ! And I love how different lofts, twists and yarns can make things pop or be more linen-y and silky.
Yes! In some fibers seed stitch (which as a Rowanette, I still call moss stitch) has such a lush drape.
Oh my gosh! I made a seed stitch tie for my first hubby about a hundred years ago. (Or maybe it just seems like it) It is a beautiful stitch even though I’m slow at it because of all the purling. I plan to make another Reunion cardigan by Brienne Moody (a wonderful pattern) and instead of the garter stitch front, I’m going to do it in seed stitch.