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Drop Stitch Garter Knitting Pattern

Today we are knitting up the Drop Stitch Garter Pattern.

Dropping a stitch is usually considered bad, or something to avoid, in the wonderful world of knitting, but we’re doing it purposefully to achieve this beautiful knit stitch pattern.

It’s a great knitting pattern for your Summer Knitting because it has wonderful breathability. It is also reversible!

The Drop Stitch Garter Pattern will make a beautiful scarf and you can get really creative with other fashions like lightweight sweaters and even dresses.

Drop Stitch Knitting Pattern texture in white color yarn atop pink background.
Table of Contents

Knitting Supplies

Feel free to use any size yarn and needles for your creative project. My stitch sample was created with size 7 US knitting needles and worsted weight yarn, along with a Tapestry Needle and Scissors. 

Materials to Knit Stitch Pattern Written Instructions with Video Tutorial by Studio Knit

Knitting Techniques

The Chevron Rib Stitch is an easy combination of simple Knit and Purl Stitches. Find my entire library of Knitting Techniques to help knit up this project.

Swatch of drop stitch knitting pattern with white yarn with stitches on a needle.

Knitting Instructions

Cast On Any Number of Stitches

We begin by creating our beloved Slip Knot. And I am casting on using the Long Tail Cast On method. You can do it however you’d like. And it’s great because we can cast on any number of stitches. In my example here, I am casting on 30, but you can cast on absolutely any number you chose. So, for rows 1, 2, 3, and 4, all we’re doing is knitting every single stitch. 

In my example here, I am casting on 30, but you can cast on absolutely any number you chose. So, for rows 1, 2, 3, and 4, all we’re doing is knitting every single stitch. 

Casting on stitches onto a knitting needle.

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Rows 1 – 4

So, for rows 1, 2, 3, and 4, all we’re doing is knitting every single stitch. And that’s why it’s called the Drop Stitch Garter pattern, because in between those dropped stitches, all we’re doing is knitting up that garter knit stitch pattern that you’re all familiar with.

Finishing row 1, after knitting every single stitch on your needle, you are going to be repeating that until you have four rows of knit stitch in the garter pattern.

Knitting stitches to make the Drop Stitch Garter pattern.
Two hands holding a knitting needle with rows of stitches.

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Row 5

You’ll see in the pattern it’s knitting one. And then after knitting just one stitch, we’re going to be doing a yarn over, that’s what YO means, 2 times. So, yarn over, we bring it to the front in between our two needles, that’s yarn over one. And we do it one more time into the front, that’s yarn over two. We’re going to do this another time, so you’ll definitely catch on.

Again, in between the asterisks, we are going to knit one and then we bring it around and we have done knit one and then these next two stitches that we completed, those are the two yarn overs and then we knit it one more time. And continue with the yarn over two times.

And we just repeat this all the way down row 5 until the very last stitch after your two yarn overs it is simply knitting one, you’ll see that in the pattern. Now we have about three times as many stitches on our needle because of all of those extra yarn overs that we did.

Yarn over to knit the drop stitch garter pattern.

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Row 6

Now we’re ready to get dropping! So, row 6, it is knit one, and then we are dropping two. So those yarn overs, those two yarn overs, we are just flicking them, dropping them off of our needle. One and two. And you’ll see that the yarn is long and it is in the front. It naturally will just fall to the front for you. And then knit that knit stitch again. We are always knitting the knit stitch that we knit in row five.

So, drop drop, and here is how those dropped stitches are looking. And we just continue this pattern all the way down row six, drop drop, and we finish with that last knit stitch right there. Here is how our dropped stitches are looking and now we just repeat rows 1 through 6 until we reach the length we desire.

We are always knitting the knit stitch that we knit in row five. So, drop drop, and here is how those dropped stitches are looking. And we just continue this pattern all the way down row six, drop drop, and we finish with that last knit stitch right there.

Just repeat rows 1 through 6 until we reach the length we desire.

First row of drop stitch garter pattern on knitting needle with white color yarn.

Watch Video Tutorial

Printable Knitting Instructions

Drop Stitch Knitting Pattern texture in white color yarn atop pink background.

Drop Stitch Garter Knitting Pattern

Yield: Drop Stitch Garter Knit Pattern
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Active Time: 2 hours
Additional Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 20 minutes
Difficulty: Intermediate

The Drop Stitch Garter Knitting Pattern is a 6-Row Repeat pattern.

Materials

  • Yarn in any weight, fiber, & color of your choice

Tools

  • Knitting Needles - Appropriate Size for Yarn
  • Tapestry Needle
  • Scissors

Instructions

KNITTED FLAT ON STRAIGHT NEEDLES:

Cast On: Any Number of Stitches

  1. Row 1 (Right Side):  Knit All
  2. Row 2 (Wrong Side): Knit All
  3. Row 3: Knit All
  4. Row 4: Knit All
  5. Row 5: * K1, YO 2x *, K1
  6. Row 6: * K1, Drop 2 ST *, K1

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IN THE ROUND ON CIRCULAR NEEDLES:

  1. Row 1 (Right Side):  Knit All
  2. Row 2: Purl All
  3. Row 3: Knit All
  4. Row 4: Purl All
  5. Row 5: * K1, YO 2x *, K1
  6. Row 6: * P1, Drop 2 ST *, P1

Notes

Repeat Rows 1 – 6 until your piece is the length you desire

Repeat pattern between the * * asterisks

Reversible Knit Stitch Pattern

6-Row Repeat

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Knitting Techniques

  • CO = Cast On Long Tail Method
  • K = Knit Stitch 
  • YO = Yarn Over
  • Bind Off
  • Weave in Yarn Tails
  • ST = Stitches

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Thank You for Visiting Studio Knit

I hope you are inspired to knit up this Drop Stitch Garter Knitting Pattern in your next knitting project. Check out my entire library of free stitch patterns!

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Happy knitting to you!

Kristen Signature in red ink
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