Pitch / half-pitch rib arrangement

Machine types that can knit it

• Single bed (punch card) + ribber
• Single bed (electronic) + ribber
• Double bed with pushers (Passap type)
• Double-bed hand flat (V-bed)

Steps

1. Choose rib N×M.
2. If machine is P: put N working on bed A; on bed B fill only the needles not opposite A's working needles (may be N or N−1).
3. If H: fill N on both beds offset by half.
4. Never place two working needles directly facing each other in P.
5. Racking for repositioning: only one rack step per direction before a row is knitted.

The full card

What it looks like

Not visible after steaming; may leave a one-needle gap beside each column before finishing.

How it behaves

n/a (setup rule).

How it works

In pitch (P) needles of the two beds face each other directly; in half pitch (H) each needle sits in the gap between two opposite needles. Equal ribs (2×2, 4×4) are natural in P: N working on one bed directly opposite N non-working. Unequal ribs (2×1, 3×2) are natural in H. Any rib can be adapted to either: e.g. 3×2 in P = 3 working on one bed, only 2 on the other, so working needles never face working needles (clash risk).

Machines

Domestic ribbers can be switched P/H via pitch lever. V-bed hand flats in this book are treated as fixed half pitch (verify per machine; some hand flats have a half-pitch lever). Book charts are drawn for domestic machine in P; on a V-bed shift the arrangement and accept that "4 out of work" may physically be 5.

Parameters

rib N×M; pitch P/H; per-bed working counts (Nf, Nb).

Steps

1) Choose rib N×M. 2) If machine is P: put N working on bed A; on bed B fill only the needles not opposite A's working needles (may be N or N−1). 3) If H: fill N on both beds offset by half. 4) Never place two working needles directly facing each other in P. 5) Racking for repositioning: only one rack step per direction before a row is knitted.

Charting

Needle notation shows both beds; in P the columns of the two rows align; in H the lower row is offset half a column. Show the one-needle gap (dot) where it occurs.

Limits and common problems

Facing working needles in P → needles collide, yarn tangles, breakage. Small gaps vanish after washing/steaming; tighter stitch size also hides them.

Combines with

every double-bed card.

Pieces and assembly

n/a.

Related techniques

• Vertical rib (N×M)
• Horizontal rib by whole-width bed swap
• Knitting the first row after a transfer
• Travelling rib by edge-stitch transfer
• Travelling rib by shifting all stitches
• Mirrored / zoned travelling ribs