Yarn: Artfibers Yaqui, US 7 needle.
Bee stitch is my favorite honeycomb stitch. It is easy to do, gives great texture and depth and holds its shape even loose knit. It is all knit stitches, but with an unusual element called “Knit Below”.
The first time I used Bee stitch for a garment was while lying in bed with a flu/cold thing that didn’t want to let me just take a pill and get on with life (rare for me!). It was so comfortable and soothing that the redundancy allowed my mind to wander on to other things. The garment was a tunic length pullover with 3/4 sleeves knit in separate pieces. I used 2 strands of a slightly thick and thin cotton/linen blend; one strand a solid color and the other a painted color.
There are things to know about knitting in Bee stitch, but they are easily learned. Here is the pattern:
Cast on any number of stitches.
Row 1: Knit all stitches.
Row 2: *K1, K1 below; repeat from * to the last stitch. If the last stitch should technically be a “knit below” stitch, don’t do this. Just knit it as a normal knit stitch.
Row 3: Knit all stitches.
Row 4: K2, *K1 below, K1, repeat from * to the last stitch. If the last stitch should technically be a “knit below” stitch, just knit it as a normal stitch, which provides a smoother edge.
To “Knit Below” put your needle into the stitch on the row below the stitch you normally would knit, wrap the yarn, then finish the stitch by pulling your new stitch back out as you normally do and slipping the stitch still on your left needle that you normally would have knit into off of the needle.) It feels as if you are dropping a stitch when you do this, but that stitch is suspended on the stitch you just made. This gives the fabric a more open look. The back side looks like loose Garter stitch, but more interesting.
In order to do the shaping I found it easier to learn to recognize the pattern by eye rather than keep track of written instructions. It became obvious after completing 6 rows or so that a distinctly larger “V” shape sat below the stitch that was to be the Knit Below stitch, so I just watched for that when starting every “Row 2″ while doing any shaping.
The butterfly swatch came about as a result of wanting to use Bee stitch sideways and produce something symmetrical. I worked 2 pieces starting both at the wide edge and when the “wings” seemed a good size I did a 3-needle bind off, forming the “body”.
I have probably knit a hundred swatches in this stitch pattern over the years and it looks different in every yarn. It is very amusing when a visitor to our facility in Pinole asks “what is this stitch pattern”, and tell them it is Bee Stitch, explain it to them, then as they are drawn to it again in another yarn they ask “what is this stitch pattern”? and I tell them it is the same stitch pattern as the other one they liked.
The gauge is similar enough to alternate Bee Stitch with other all knit patterns such as Garter and Garter Stitch Lace. Because Bee Stitch tends to spread wider, I’ve used it to shape onion dome hats and bags without increasing the number of stitches. Try it with multiple yarns held together, try it loose and try it tight. I think Bee Stitch is a pattern you will add to your repertoire for many types of projects.
I wonder if one could knit a bee hive? Hmmm…..
right: double stranded bee stitch in The Yarntasting Museum
below: Shrug in Bee Stitch from Rox’s Pattern Store on Ravelry
Tags: bee stitch, pattern
