5 Favorite Seed Stitch Patterns

What is The Seed Stitch

The seed stitch is one of the most commonly used knitting stitches by both beginners and experienced crafters. This stitch, made up of alternating knit stitches and purl stitches within the rows, creating little seed-like bumps.

A pair of hands are stretching out a swatch of purple yarn, made using the seed stitch.

Knitters love the seed stitch because when finished the piece will lie flat and be identical on both sides of the piece. The seed stitch is also used for bordering and cleaning up edges, making it a very useful stitch to have in your knitting repertoire!

How To Knit The Seed Stitch

By alternating between knit and purl stitches horizontally and vertically, you will create yourself a stunning seed stitch! With each purl, the purl will pop up, creating the look of little seeds littering your WIP.

Seed Stitch Swatch Pattern:

CO 30 stitches.
Row 1: *Knit 1, Purl 1, repeat from *
Row 2: *Purl 1, Knit 1, repeat from *
Repeat Rows 1 and 2 until piece measures 6” from cast on edge.
Fasten off, weave in ends, & block to 6x6” square.

If you need a visual tutorial, we’ve got you covered at our Stitch Learning Center!

5 Seed Stitch Knitting Pattern Ideas

Looking for some seed stitch practice? Check out these 5 seed stitch knitting kits!

Seed Ridge Cowl

A cowl made of deep red yarn is laying on a white carpet.

Using Malabrigo Mecha bulky yarn, this soft and luxurious project will work up quickly and be ultra-satisfying!

Seed Ridge Beanie

A pom-pom beanie made of deep red yarn is laying on a white carpet.

Perfect for beginners, the pattern is simple, using basic stitches, and is a quick and satisfying make for knitters of any skill level.

Back to School Backpack

A person with a white shirt, wearing a rainbow backpack on their back, facing away from the camera.

This book bag really gets our wanderlust going. Where did you get that? Oh, I made it. And it’s so damn functional. No weird closures, just straight-to-the-point access to hold your tablet and mandatory craft project.

Openwork Lattice Lace Weight Shawl Kit

A white mannequin wearing a large lacy shawl made of pink, blue, and tan lace weight silk yarn.

The elegant Openwork Lattice shawl features a light and airy stitch design, making it the perfect shawl for any season. With so many colors to choose from, it's easy to create a shawl that matches your individual style!

Cozy Lux Adventure Cowl

A woman with blonde hair and blue eyes is snuggling into her white cowl.

Lux fall fashion meets simplicity with this cowl knitting pattern! Soft, warm, trendy and simple to make with our sari silk yarn! Stitch responsibly :)

And we’ve got two free downloadable seed stitch knitting patterns for you!

Knit Stitch Sampler Hat

A person with long brown hair is facing away from the camera, a tan hat perched ontop of their head.

This beanie hat is perfect for those looking to brush up on a ton of different knitting stitches, including the gorgeous seed stitch!

Seed Stitch Clutch

A tasseled clutch made of brightly colored white rainbow handmade silk yarn.

Looking for something a little more difficult? Take a crack at our seed stitch clutch, which is an intermediate pattern - but it’s a ton of fun to make!

Meet the Author

Kate has been on the Darn Good Yarn team since 2018.

They have their degree in Creative Art Therapy & Psychology - and like crafting and animals a little too much.