How to know the rib stitch (video tutorial & written pattern)

The rib stitch is often one of the first steps up from basic garter or stockinette stitch. It creates a dense, stretchy fabric using alternating knit and purl stitches.
Ribbing is an essential part of most fitted knit garments. The snug cuff that keeps a sock up, the brim of a knit cap that keeps the cold out, the bottom edge of the perfect winter sweater: all of these are made possible through ribbing.
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Even if you’re not quite ready to knit in the round, ribbing still has its place in flat knitwear. A scarf knit completely in rib stitch will be extra dense and warm. That’s because the rib stitch is incredibly stretchy (making it perfect for all the aforementioned cuffs and edges). When unstretched, the purl stitches in the pattern become almost invisible, and the knit stitches snug together, making a double-thick layer of knit goodness for wrapping around your neck and shoulders.
Watch the simple ribbing video tutorial:
The most basic rib is a 1x1 stitch pattern knit flat across an even number of stitches. You can knit up a swatch using the 12 stitch pattern below.
Abbreviations
CO - Cast on
K - Knit
P - Purl
Written pattern
CO 12 stitches
Row 1: (k1, p1) repeat these two stitches to end of row
Row 2: (p1, k1) repeat these two stitches to end of row
After you get your first two rows finished, you can practice “reading” your knitting instead of keeping track of your rows. No matter what side of the work you’re on, whenever you come to a knit stitch, knit it! Whenever you come to a purl stitch, purl it!
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Once you get the hang of it, grab your favorite yarn and needles and cast on more stitches (though always an even number) and make yourself a nice rib stitch scarf. Remember: this stitch pattern is bouncy, so your finished knitting will only be about half as wide as your cast-on edge. Also, experiment with this stitch at different gauges. Knitting ribbing on needles that are smaller than the size called for on your yarn label will yield a tighter rib, whereas using larger needles will produce a much more open ribbing.​