PATTERN BASICS
What do RS and WS mean in knitting?
RS means right side, the side that faces out when the piece is finished. WS means wrong side, the side that faces in.
RS and WS rows in flat knitting
When you knit back and forth, you turn the work at the end of every row, so you alternate between RS rows and WS rows. Most patterns make row 1 a RS row. Then every odd-numbered row is RS and every even-numbered row is WS.
Example: “Decrease at each end on RS rows”
If row 1 is a RS row, you decrease on rows 1, 3, 5 and so on, and work the even rows without shaping.
Some patterns start with a WS row, often after a cast-on. If the pattern says “Row 1 (WS)”, the odd rows are WS instead.
How to tell which side you’re on
- In stockinette, the RS shows little V shapes and the WS shows bumps. If the knit side faces you, you’re on a RS row.
- Clip a marker to the RS near the start of the piece. If you can see the marker on the side facing you, it’s a RS row.
- Use the row number. If you know whether row 1 was RS or WS and how many rows you’ve worked, you know which side the next row is.
In the round, every round is RS
When you knit in the round you never turn the work, so the RS is always facing you. That’s why in-the-round patterns rarely mention RS or WS.
RS and WS in charts
In a flat knitting chart, RS rows are usually read from right to left and WS rows from left to right. Each symbol’s key often lists what to do on a RS row and on a WS row, because a knit stitch on the RS is purled on the WS.
Shaping that happens “every RS row” is easy to lose track of. See how to keep track of pattern repeats.