Travelling rib by shifting all stitches

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. Establish N×N rib, knit a few rows.
2. Working from the leading side, move each group (front and back) 1 needle toward the lean.
3. Treat the emptied needle (leave or heel-fill).
4. Knit k rows.
5. Repeat for desired travel.

The full card

What it looks like

True rib columns that bend diagonally while keeping crisp rib definition; outer edges of the panel become slanted/bias; optional row of small eyelets at the trailing end of each shift row.

How it behaves

diagonal rib relief with full rib elasticity; fabric skews (parallelogram) unless blocked.

How it works

Every k rows, starting at the side the rib travels toward, move every stitch on both beds one needle in that direction, group by group. At the leading end two stitches end up on one needle (decrease); at the trailing end one needle is left empty → eyelet, or fill it by lifting the heel (loop below) of the neighbouring stitch onto it. Outermost edge stitches of the piece are not moved.

Machines

Double bed; multi-prong transfer tools speed group moves; on V-bed racking can shift a whole bed by one needle instead of hand-moving (generalization — check rack direction and do both beds consistently). Labour-intensive on wide pieces.

Parameters

rib N×N; k = rows between shifts (book: 2); direction; zone (full width or a panel); empty-needle treatment: hole | heel-fill.

Steps

1) Establish N×N rib, knit a few rows. 2) Working from the leading side, move each group (front and back) 1 needle toward the lean. 3) Treat the emptied needle (leave or heel-fill). 4) Knit k rows. 5) Repeat for desired travel.

Charting

Grid where each transfer row has an arrow in every cell: ↙ in grey cells = "front-bed stitch: move 1 left, then knit"; ↖ in white cells = "back-bed stitch: move 1 left, then knit"; mirror (↘/↗) for right. Plain rows alternate with arrow rows when k = 2. Bed bands step one column per transfer row. Edge columns outside the repeat carry no arrows.

Limits and common problems

Forgetting one bed breaks the rib alignment. Unblocked fabric biases.

Combines with

travelling-rib-multidirection, plating.

Pieces and assembly

Block to rectangle before seaming or exploit the slant as a shaped edge.

Related techniques

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