Knitting Backwards – Garter Stitch Without Turning!

Have you ever knit something really narrow like a border or edging worked sideways? Turning your work after every few stitches can get really annoying. Knitting backwards is the solution! By working the knit stitch backwards, you can knit garter stitch without ever turning your work at all. That makes it much faster too!

Garter Stitch

When working in rows, knitting every row produces garter stitch. You knit on the right side, so you see knit stitches on the front of your work. Then you turn your work and knit on the wrong side, producing purl bumps on the front of your work.The goal of knitting backwards is to work those wrong side rows from left to right, on the right side of your work.

A Sideways Border

The sample I am using in this tutorial is my Polyantha Rose Garden shawl. The edging on this shawl is worked sideways and connected to the main portion of the shawl by a decrease on each right side row. This means lots (and lots) of garter stitch rows with only 3 stitches. Turning the whole shawl around after every 3 stitches would take much longer than knitting the wrong side rows backwards!

Knitting Backwards

The Working Needle

After you finish a right side row, do not turn your work around. We are going to knit back in the opposite direction. Your stitches should all be on the right (or left for lefties) needle. The other needle (left for righties, right for lefties) is your working needle.

Yarn in front

If we had turned our work and were working knit stitches, the yarn would be at the back of our work. However, since we’re looking at everything backwards, the yarn needs to be in front.

The Backwards Knit Stitch

Insert the working needle from the back, through the back leg of the first stitch. It should be sticking out towards you. If you turn your work around carefully, you can see that this is the same as inserting your needle knitwise from the other side.

To yarn over, bring the yarn up between the points of the needles, and then back down again over the top of the working needle.

Now use your working needle to scoop that yarn over out, from the front to the back, creating your knit stitch. Drop the stitch from the non-working needle. If you turn your work around, you will see that it looks just a like a knit stitch from the other side.

Repeat with each remaining stitch on your row. Now all the stitches should be back on your other needle, so you can knit the right side row as normal!

Try Knitting Backwards!

Knitting Backwards – Video Tutorial

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