Big Herringbone Knitting Stitch Pattern

There’s something deeply satisfying about a stitch pattern that manages to look complicated but works up faster than you’d expect. The Big Herringbone stitch is exactly that kind of pattern — bold, textured, and visually striking in a way that makes people stop and ask, “Wait, did you make that?” Whether you’re a knitter who loves dramatic texture or someone looking to level up from basic stockinette and ribbing, this stitch is going to become one of your favorites.

At Oh La Lana, we’re always on the hunt for patterns that feel exciting to work and even more exciting to wear or display. The Big Herringbone stitch checks every box. It creates a rich, interlocking diagonal texture that looks almost woven — a nod to the classic herringbone fabric pattern found in tweed coats and tailored suits — but rendered entirely in knit and purl stitches with a clever slipping technique that gives it that oversized, architectural quality.

In this post, we’re going to walk you through everything you need to know about the Big Herringbone stitch pattern: what it is, how it works, what projects it suits best, tips for getting clean results, and of course the full written stitch instructions so you can cast on right away.

What Is the Herringbone Stitch Pattern in Knitting?

Before we get into the “Big” version, it helps to understand where herringbone comes from in the knitting world. The traditional herringbone stitch creates a V-shaped pattern of interlocking diagonals, mimicking the skeleton of a herring fish — hence the name. In fabric, this look is achieved through weaving. In knitting, it’s created through a combination of slipping stitches and working two stitches together, which causes the fabric to develop that beautiful chevron-like diagonal movement.

The standard herringbone stitch is worked on a fairly fine scale, producing a dense, compact fabric. The Big Herringbone takes that same concept and amplifies it. The diagonals are larger, the texture is bolder, and the fabric has a gorgeous sculptural quality that smaller-scale herringbone simply doesn’t achieve. It’s the difference between a delicate houndstooth and a dramatic oversized check — same family, completely different statement.

Why You’ll Love the Big Herringbone Stitch

Let’s talk about why this stitch earns a permanent place in your pattern library.

First, it’s reversible — or close enough to it. While the two sides of Big Herringbone aren’t identical, both sides of the fabric have texture and visual interest. That makes it a wonderful choice for scarves, wraps, and blankets where both sides will be visible.

Second, the fabric it creates is dense and structured. Because you’re slipping stitches and working decreases as part of the pattern, the resulting fabric is thicker and more stable than regular stockinette. This makes it ideal for items that benefit from a bit of body — think chunky scarves, pillow covers, bags, or any project where you want the piece to hold its shape.

Third — and this is the one knitters tend to appreciate most — it works up surprisingly quickly once you get the rhythm. The stitch repeat is simple enough that after a few rows, your hands just know what to do. It becomes almost meditative, which is exactly the kind of knitting experience most of us are looking for after a long day.

And finally, it photographs beautifully. If you share your makes on social media or have a knitting blog of your own, a Big Herringbone project in a luscious, single-color yarn is going to stop the scroll every single time. The play of light and shadow across those deep diagonal ridges is genuinely stunning.

Choosing the Right Yarn for Big Herringbone

Yarn choice matters with this stitch, perhaps more than with simpler patterns. Because the Big Herringbone creates such bold texture, you want a yarn that lets the stitch speak for itself rather than competing with it.

Solid colors and heathered yarns work best. The diagonal movement of the stitch is the star of the show, and a busy variegated yarn will obscure it. If you want to use a multi-color yarn, stick to tonal colorways — ones that shift gradually between shades of the same color family — so the texture still reads clearly.

Yarn weight matters too. The stitch works beautifully in bulky and super bulky weights, which emphasize the “big” in Big Herringbone and let the pattern grow quickly on the needles. That said, it also translates well into worsted weight if you want a finer fabric — for example, a worsted-weight Big Herringbone cowl is an absolute classic. We’d avoid anything lighter than DK weight for this particular stitch, as the delicate nature of finer yarns can make the fabric feel limp rather than structured.

Fiber choice: Wool and wool blends are ideal. Natural fiber has memory and elasticity that helps the stitch definition pop. If you’re making something that will be washed frequently, a superwash wool or a wool-acrylic blend gives you ease of care without sacrificing the texture. Pure acrylic yarns can work, but they tend to produce a softer, less defined fabric — not necessarily bad, just different.

A note on ply: A plied yarn (2-ply, 4-ply in the British sense, meaning multiple strands twisted together) will show stitch definition more clearly than a single-ply yarn. Singles are beautiful and have their own character, but for a stitch where definition is the whole point, a plied yarn is your friend.

What You’ll Need

Before you cast on, let’s cover the basics of what you’ll need to get started with the Big Herringbone stitch pattern.

Yarn: Any weight you prefer, though bulky or super bulky is recommended for beginners learning this stitch, as the larger scale makes the structure easier to see.

Needles: Sized appropriately for your chosen yarn. You may want to go up a needle size from what the yarn label recommends, as the slipping technique in this stitch can cause some knitters to work tightly.

Notions: Scissors, tapestry needle for weaving in ends, and stitch markers if you like to mark your repeat boundaries (optional but helpful when you’re learning).

Gauge: As with any texture stitch, work a swatch and compare it to your pattern requirements before starting your project.

Abbreviations and Techniques Used

If you’re new to knitting or just need a refresher on the specific techniques this stitch uses, here’s a quick breakdown of what you’ll encounter.

K2tog — Knit two stitches together as one. Insert your needle through both stitches as if to knit, wrap the yarn, and pull through. This is a right-leaning decrease.

Sl1 wyif — Slip one stitch with yarn in front. Move the yarn to the front of the work (as if to purl), slip the stitch from the left needle to the right needle without knitting it, then move the yarn back to work position.

Sl1 wyib — Slip one stitch with yarn in back. Keep the yarn at the back of the work and slip the stitch purlwise.

P2tog — Purl two stitches together. Insert your needle through both stitches as if to purl, wrap the yarn, and pull through.

Wyif / Wyib — With yarn in front / With yarn in back. These indicate where the working yarn sits when you slip a stitch, and getting this right is crucial to achieving the correct herringbone texture.

Big Herringbone Stitch Pattern: Full Instructions

Now for the heart of it all. Here is the full stitch pattern for Big Herringbone.

Cast on a multiple of 2 stitches. (An even number of stitches is all you need — this is a simple 2-stitch repeat, which is part of what makes it so satisfying.)

Row 1 (Right Side): Sl1 wyif, k1; rep from to end of row.

Wait — actually, let’s use the full version of the Big Herringbone that creates the most dramatic, oversized diagonal effect. This version involves slipping stitches and working into them on the following row to create those large interlocking diagonal bands.

Setup: Cast on a multiple of 2 stitches.

Row 1 (RS): K2tog but do not drop stitches from left needle; knit the first stitch again; drop both stitches from left needle — rep from * to end.

Row 2 (WS): P1; P2tog but do not drop stitches from left needle; purl the first stitch again; drop both stitches from left needle — rep from * to last stitch, P1.

Repeat Rows 1 and 2 for the pattern.

Let’s walk through that a little more carefully, because the “knit two together but don’t drop” move is the key to the whole thing and it’s worth understanding it deeply.

When you work k2tog without dropping, you’re inserting your needle through both stitches on the left needle as if to do a regular k2tog decrease, and you knit them together — but you leave both original stitches on the left needle rather than sliding them off. Then you knit into the first of those two stitches individually and drop them both. This creates an overlapping, interlocking effect that pulls stitches diagonally across the fabric and produces those wide herringbone bands.

On the wrong side row, the same principle applies with purling: P2tog without dropping, purl the first stitch again, then drop both. The edge stitches (the first purl at the beginning and the last purl at the end on the WS row) keep the selvage tidy.

One thing to know: the fabric produced by this stitch pattern will have some natural width compression. Your swatch will look narrower than the same number of stitches would in stockinette. Account for this when calculating your cast-on number for any project.

Tips for Knitting the Big Herringbone Stitch Successfully

A few common trouble spots come up when knitters first work this stitch, so let’s address them before they become frustrating.

Work loosely. The double-working of stitches (working into the same stitch twice before dropping) creates tension buildup. If you knit tightly, your fabric will become very stiff and difficult to work. Consciously loosen your grip, or go up a needle size if you find the fabric difficult to maneuver.

Watch your yarn position. Particularly on the WS row, making sure your yarn is in the correct position before each maneuver prevents twisted stitches and unintended yarn-overs that can add extra stitches to your count. Check your stitch count at the end of every row when you’re first learning.

Use a smooth, light-colored yarn for learning. Dark yarn and fuzzy yarn like mohair make it very hard to see what you’re doing. A smooth, light worsted-weight wool in a neutral or light color will let you see each stitch clearly while you’re getting the hang of the technique.

Mark your repeats. Even though the repeat is just two stitches, placing a stitch marker every ten stitches can help you catch counting errors quickly.

Project Ideas for the Big Herringbone Stitch

Once you’ve got the stitch rhythm down, the project possibilities open up beautifully.

A chunky scarf is the obvious starting point and remains one of the best. Cast on 20–30 stitches in a bulky yarn, work Big Herringbone until the scarf reaches your desired length, and bind off. The texture will make even a simple rectangle look like a statement piece.

A throw blanket in Big Herringbone is a genuine showstopper. Work it in a super bulky yarn on large needles and the fabric grows quickly while creating that gorgeous woven-looking texture across a large scale. It’s the kind of blanket that becomes a conversation piece draped over the back of a sofa.

Pillow covers are another excellent use of this stitch. The dense, structured fabric is perfect for home décor, and knitting two flat panels to seam around a pillow insert is a manageable project even for intermediate knitters who are new to the stitch.

A cowl worked in the round — or flat and seamed — in a worsted or DK weight yarn is a beautiful, wearable project that really showcases the fabric’s reversible-adjacent nature. Because both sides have texture, you can fold the cowl without worrying about which side faces out.

For the more ambitious knitter, Big Herringbone panels can be incorporated into garments as feature sections — think yoke panels, front placket details, or cuff accents on a sweater that’s otherwise worked in stockinette.

Binding Off Big Herringbone

One small note on finishing: because this stitch creates a dense, structured fabric, a standard bind-off can sometimes feel too tight and pull at the edge. For a more flexible bind-off, try the stretchy bind-off method: knit two stitches, then slip both back to the left needle and knit them together through the back loop, knit one more stitch, slip two stitches back to left needle, knit together through the back loop — repeat from * to end. This gives the bound-off edge the elasticity to match the rest of the fabric.

Washing and Caring for Big Herringbone Projects

Because the structure of this stitch is created through tension and interlocking, it’s important to treat your finished pieces gently.

For wool projects, hand wash in cool water with a gentle wool wash. Do not wring or agitate. Press out excess water gently and lay flat to dry. Blocking a Big Herringbone piece — gently stretching it to your desired dimensions while damp — will even out the fabric and allow the stitch pattern to bloom fully. You may be surprised how much more beautiful the fabric looks after a good block.

For acrylic or acrylic-blend projects, check the yarn label for care instructions. Many modern acrylics are machine washable on a gentle cycle, which is a significant convenience for items like blankets and pillow covers that will need regular washing.

Final Thoughts

The Big Herringbone stitch is one of those patterns that rewards you at every stage — it’s interesting enough to keep you engaged while you’re working it, and the finished fabric is genuinely impressive in a way that feels disproportionate to the effort involved. That’s the best kind of knitting.

Whether you’re making a quick gift scarf, a show-stopping throw, or exploring it as a detail within a larger garment project, Big Herringbone brings a sophistication and texture to your work that people will notice and admire. And the moment you show them it’s “just” knit and purl stitches? That’s always a good feeling.

Cast on, settle in, and enjoy the rhythm. We think you’re going to love this one.

Have you tried the Big Herringbone stitch? Share your projects with us — we’d love to see what you make. Tag us and use the hashtag #OhLaLana so we can find you!