Stepped adjacent lifts (diagonal wave)

Machine types that can knit it

• Single bed, punch card
• Single bed, electronic
• Single bed, no patterning
• Single bed (punch card) + ribber
• Single bed (electronic) + ribber
• Double bed with pushers (Passap type)
• Double-bed hand flat (V-bed)

Steps

1. Knit one full colour cycle without lifts.
2. On return to colour 1, lift g stitches of colour 1's last row every (g+gap).
3. Knit R rows; switch colour; lift that colour's last row at needles shifted by g.
4. Continue cycling.

The full card

What it looks like

Purl face: stepped diagonal stripes linking colour bands. Knit face: diagonal rolling wave, multicolour.

How it behaves

Diagonal undulation, medium.

How it works

Cycle through C colours (e.g. 4) of R rows each; after each stripe lift g stitches of that colour's last row, each time choosing the needles immediately adjacent to the previous lift group, so the lifts march sideways.

Machines

Single bed; transfer tool.

Parameters

C = 3–4 colours; R = 4 rows; g = 2; gap = 8; step = g needles per stripe; lift source is C×R rows below.

Steps

1) Knit one full colour cycle without lifts. 2) On return to colour 1, lift g stitches of colour 1's last row every (g+gap). 3) Knit R rows; switch colour; lift that colour's last row at needles shifted by g. 4) Continue cycling.

Charting

Greyscale stripes with lift marks forming a diagonal staircase.

Limits and common problems

Long source distance (C×R rows) makes finding the row harder—colour coding is essential.

Combines with

weight/fibre contrast yarns.

Pieces and assembly

Diagonal bias may skew the panel slightly; block before joining.

Related techniques

• Basic lifted stitch (heel hook-up)
• Selective lifts, alternating grid (honeycomb / smocking)
• Charted lift placement (blocks, diamonds, conceal-and-reveal)
• Lifts with contrasting yarn weights/fibres
• Lift-and-shift (directional/twisting lifts)
• Full-row lift (horizontal tuck/roll)