leecat.art/src/posts/2025/2025-05-26-keffiyah-nets.md

---
title: keffiyah fishing net pattern
image:
  src: 2025/keffiyah-nets.jpg
  alt: "a knitted swatch. it's mostly white yarn, but a grid of dark red- purple- green yarn that looks like a chain link fence is built into it. the diagonal lines are achieved with floats of yarn from one row, then picked up and knit into several rows later."
tags:
  - reference
  - knit
---

## give

this pattern is offered at no cost, but I highly encourage giving to Palestinian relief work.

- [Palestine Children's Relief Fund](https://www.pcrf.net){target="_blank" rel="external"}

## abbreviations

| abbr | term |
| --- | --- |
| **MC** | main color (light in swatch shown) |
| **CC** | contrast color (dark in swatch shown) |
| **RS** | right side |
| **WS** | wrong side |
| **k** | knit |
| **sl** | slip |
| **wyif** | with yarn in front |
| **p** | purl |

## techniques

### knit into a float

in this pattern, you will be creating floats on the front of the work, then picking them up and knitting into them 3 rows later. **Do this as part of the stitch you are working, not instead of!** You should have the same number of stitches afterwards.

when you pick up a float, you want it to sit **in front of the worked stitch, and untwisted.** To achieve this, I have been catching the float on my right needle by dipping the needle down and under the float, from the front to the back. From there, I work the stitch, then slip the float over the new stitch on my right needle.

## knit flat

### cast on

knit flat, the pattern repeat uses 6n + 1 stitches. In the swatch shown, I cast on 29 stitches - 2 on each side for selvedge, then 25 -- 6 \* 4 + 1. To simplify things, I'll write the pattern for the swatch, selvedge and all - but please adapt as you see fit.

with MC, cast on 29 stitches.

### establish the pattern

- **row 0 (WS):** with MC, knit to last stitch, sl1 wyif
- **row 1 (RS):**
    - with MC, k2
    - [with CC, k1; with MC, k5] \* 4, then with CC, k1
    - with MC, k1, sl1 wyif
- **row 2 (WS):**
    - with MC, k1, p1
    - [with CC, k1 and leave working yarn on RS; with MC, p5] \* 4, then with CC, k1 and bring working yarn back to WS
    - with MC, p1, sl1 wyif

### pattern repeat

- **row 3 (RS):** with MC, knit to last stitch, sl1 wyif
- **row 4 (WS):** with MC, k1, purl to last stitch, sl1 wyif
- **row 5 (RS):**
    - with MC, k5
    - [with CC, k1 into the float from 3 rows below; with MC, k5] \* 4
    - with MC, k4, sl1 wyif
- **row 6 (RS):**
    - with MC, k1, p4
    - [with CC, k1 and leave working yarn on RS; with MC, p5] \* 4 -- on the last repeat, move working yarn back to WS before purling
    - with MC, p4, sl1 wyif
- **rows 7-8:** repeat rows 3-4
- **row 9 (RS):**
    - with MC, k2
    - [with CC, k1 into the float from 3 rows below; with MC, k5] \* 4, then with CC, k1
    - with MC, k1, sl1 wyif
- **row 10 (WS):**
    - with MC, k1, p1
    - [with CC, k1 and leave working yarn on RS; with MC, p5] \* 4, then with CC, k1 and bring working yarn back to WS
    - with MC, p1, sl1 wyif

### close the pattern

end after rows 5 or 9 of the pattern repeat. replace row 6 or 10 with the following:

- **row 6 alteration:**
    - with MC, k1, p4
    - [with CC, k1; with MC, p5] \* 4
    - with MC, p4, sl1 wyif
- **row 10 alteration:**
    - with MC, k1, p1
    - [with CC, k1; with MC, p5] \* 4, then with CC, k1
    - with MC, p1, sl1 wyif

to end my swatch, I did the following:

- **row (RS):** with MC, knit to last stitch, sl1 wyif
- **row (WS):** with MC, k1, purl to last stitch, sl1 wyif
- **row (RS):** with MC, bind off

## knit in the round

### cast on

with MC, cast on a multiple of 6 stitches. knit in plain stockinette until you are ready to start the pattern.

### establish the pattern

- **row 1:**
    - [with CC, k1; with MC, k5] repeat to last 6 stitches
    - with CC, k1 and leave working yarn on RS; with MC, k5
- **row 2:**
    - [with CC, p1 and leave working yarn on RS; with MC, k5] repeat to last 6 stitches
    - with CC, p1 and move working yarn to WS; with MC, k5

### pattern repeat

- **rows 3-4:** with MC, knit all stitches
- **row 5:**
    - with MC, k3
    - [with CC, k1 into the float from 3 rows below; with MC, k5] repeat to last 3 stitches
    - with CC, k1 and leave working yarn on RS; with MC, k2
- **row 6:**
    - with MC, k3
    - [with CC, p1 and leave working yarn on RS; with MC, k5] repeat to last 3 stitches
    - with CC, p1 and moving working yarn to WS; with MC, k2
- **rows 7-8:** repeat rows 3-4
- **row 9:**
    - [with CC, k1 into the float from 3 rows below; with MC, k5] repeat to last 6 stitches
    - with CC, k1 into the float from 3 rows below and leave working yarn on RS; with MC, k5
- **rows 10:**
    - [with CC, p1 and leave working yarn on RS; with MC, k5] repeat to last 6 stitches
    - with CC, p1 and move working yarn to WS; with MC, k5

### close the pattern

end after rows 5 or 9 of the pattern repeat. replace row 6 or 10 with the following:

- **row 6 alteration:**
    - with MC, k3
    - [with CC, p1; with MC, k5] repeat to last 3 stitches
    - with CC, p1; with MC, k2
- **row 10 alteration:** [with CC, p1; with MC, k5] repeat for all stitches

with MC, knit in plain stockinette until you want to bind off, then bind off.