There are a lot of knitting stitches, to say the least. I don’t know all of them, and I certainly haven’t knit even a tiny portion of them. But of the ones I have, Fisherman’s Rib (aka Brioche) is by far my favorite. The name itself calls to mind fishermen in gansey sweaters, wearing layers and layers of wool to keep warm in the blustery winds. It involves knitting every row twice, using up a lot of yarn--but it produces the thickest, warmest, squishiest fabric.

The Fisherman’s Rib doesn’t really look any different from a regular single-rib stitch; the difference is all in the feel. It’s created by knitting into the stitch below the loop on the needle, causing that loop to drape over the stitch. It feels a little odd, so it takes some practice. But like most things that stretch your mind a bit and cause you to look at something familiar in a slightly different way, it’s entirely worth it.