Right Side (RS) vs. Wrong Side (WS) , which is which in your knitting project, let’s learn the difference!
A common point of confusion for beginning knitters is knowing which is the right side of your project and which is the wrong side. It’s also not always immediately obvious why that matters.
To further the confusion, most beginning knitters learn to knit with garter stitch which is rows of knit stitch on both the right side and the wrong side and which ends up as a reversible stitch that doesn’t have an obvious right side.
With the exception of reversible stitches like garter stitch, seed stitch, or some rib stitches (there are others) most knitting stitches and knitting patterns have a distinctive right side (abbreviated RS in patterns) and wrong side (abbreviated WS in patterns).
Why does Right Side (RS) vs. Wrong Side (WS) matter?
Knowing which is the right side and which is the wrong side of your knitting projects is important first and foremost so you can keep track of where you are in the pattern as you knit. When knitting flat, that can get confusing so you need to know which is which to correctly count rows.
Right side vs. wrong side is also important so you know on which side to do things like hide color changes, weave in ends and seam a knitting project that requires seams.
What is the main difference between the right side and wrong side of a knitting project?
Generally speaking, for most knitting projects, the right side of the work is the “nice” side. The stitches on the right side will appear smooth and uniform and are usually knit stitches. The wrong side is usually the bumpy less attractive side, often characterized by purl stitches.
For a hat or sweater, the right side is the outside that looks nice. For Fair Isle or Intarsia knitting projects, the wrong side is where the color work floats are hidden and the wrong side is particularly “ugly.” For many knitting projects, the wrong side will be mostly hidden from view.
Do all knitting projects have a right side and a wrong side?
No! Hopefully a well-designed pattern for a double sided object or garment, like a scarf, will have two nice sides. This may be achieved with a reversible stitch, more than one layer or careful design. And while one might technically be the “right side” for the purposes of keeping track of your knitting, if both finished sides look nice, then it doesn’t matter in the end.
When knitting, do you always alternate between working the right side and the wrong side?
No! This may be a surprising answer to some people, but when you knit in the round, you only work the right side of the work as you knit in a spiral. That is one reason lots of people love knitting in the round. When you knit flat you do alternate between the right and wrong side for each row. The only exception to that for flat knitting that I can think of is knitting icords which are knit flat but also only knit on the right side.
How do you tell the difference between the right side and wrong side of a knitting project?
For many knitting projects, the right side (RS) will be the side you start working on. Usually the right side starts with the yarn tail on the right. The wrong side will start with the yarn tail on your left. This is not a 100% rule as occasionally a pattern can start with a wrong side row, but it can be a helpful rule of thumb for beginners.
It is ALWAYS a good idea to place a stitch marker on the right side to help you remember which side is which so you don’t get lost if you set your knitting project down.
For a lot of knitting projects, the right side is the side using knit stitches instead of purl stitches. Knit stitches look like columns of little v’s. Purl stitches look like horizontal bars or bumps. One of the most common knitting stitch patterns of all time is stockinette (stocking) stitch which has all knit stitches on the right side and all purl stitches on the wrong side.
If you are knitting a more complex stitch pattern, one that mixes knit and purl stitches like a dot stitch below, it may be more difficult to tell the difference between the right and wrong side but it’s usually a difference attractiveness that makes it obvious.
RIGHT side of dot stitch
WRONG side of dot stitch is a lot less attractive
Why is knowing the difference between the right side and wrong side of knitting important?
- Stitch appearance – most knitting patterns are designed to have one side, the right side, as the “nice” side. The right side will have better stitch definition and texture.
- Pattern appearance – many knitting patterns will look completely different on the right and wrong sides.
- Stitch patterns – some stitch patterns are VERY different on the two sides. For example cable knitting stitches have raised beautiful cables on the right side while the back side does not look like cables at all. For lace knitting, while both sides look nice, you usually do all of the lace knitting stitches on the right side and all purl stitches on the wrong side so you need to know which is which to keep track.
- Color changes – you need to know which is the wrong side of a knitting project so you can either hide yarn tails or floats between color changes.
- Seams – If you have to sew any parts of a knitting project together with seams, you need to hide those seams on the wrong side.
- Increases and decreases – increase and decrease stitches look different on the right or wrong side just like knit and purl stitches and they are worked differently on the right or wrong side also.
- Finishing – Weaving in ends, adding buttons or embellishments or embroidery all should be done on the correct side of your work.
Examples of right sides vs. wrong side in knitting projects
Let’s take a quick look at the right side vs. the wrong side in some knitting projects:
Garter Stitch looks pretty much the same on both sides.
Right side of garter stitch
WRONG side of garter stitch
Lace knitting patterns like this eyelet stitch often look nice on both sides but the right side will show the knit stitches while the wrong side will show the purl stitches.
RIGHT side of eyelet lace stitch
WRONG side of eyelet lace stitch
2×2 Ribbing also looks similar on both sides
RIGHT side of 2×2 rib stitch
WRONG side of 2×2 rib stitch
Here’s what a purl ridge stitch looks like on both sides, note the right side is a lot nicer looking.
RIGHT side of purl ridge stitch
WRONG side of purl ridge stitch
Now that you know why right side vs. wrong side is so important, check out my easy tutorials for counting knitting stitches and for counting rows in your knitting. These are crucial techniques for any knitter to learn!
If you liked this, you may also like some of my other posts…
- Gingerbread House and Gingerbread Man Knitting Patterns - December 13, 2024
- Peppermint Candy Cane Wreath Knitting Pattern - December 9, 2024
- Gingerbread Wreath Knitting Pattern - December 9, 2024
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