How to Knit the Inverness Diamonds Stitch (Video + Pattern)

The Inverness diamonds stitch draws a lattice of diamonds in purl bumps on a smooth stockinette background. Two diagonal purl lines travel in from the edges, meet at a point in the middle, then travel back out. Stack the repeat and you get a column of diamonds with a small purl dot at each center.

It's a knit-and-purl pattern only, no cables, no decreases, so it's rated beginner. What makes it work is counting: every row shifts the purl bands by one stitch, and the fabric looks right only when those shifts line up.

Watch: Inverness Diamonds Stitch Video Tutorial

Watch how the purl bands move one stitch toward the center on each right-side row and how the wrong-side rows mirror them.

What You Need

Worsted weight yarn on 5.0mm (US 8) needles matches the swatch. A smooth, light-colored yarn is the best teacher here: the diamond lines are made of purl bumps, and a dark or textured yarn swallows them.

Abbreviations: CO = cast on; K = knit; P = purl. Row 5 writes one group as "k5," which means the same as K5.

Stitch multiple: the diamond panel is 17 stitches wide, plus 3 garter stitches on each edge, for 23 total. To repeat the diamond across a wider piece, add 17 stitches per extra diamond. The full list of terms is in 70 knitting abbreviations.

Inverness Diamonds Stitch Written Pattern

Size: 6"x6"
Gauge: 4x4 = 16sts by 20 rows in stockinette
Yarn: 26g of DGY worsted weight recycled silk
Knitting Needle Size: 5.0mm

Abbreviations: K: Knit; P: Purl

CO 23

Row 1: K3, K1, P3, K9, P3, K1, K3

Row 2: K3, P2, K3, P7, K3, P2, K3

Row 3: K3, K3, P3, K5, P3, K3, K3

Row 4: K3, P4, K3, P3, K3, P4, K3

Row 5: K3, k5, P3, K1, P3, K5, K3

Row 6: K3, P6, K5, P6, K3

Row 7: K3, K7, P3, K7, K3

Row 8: Repeat Row 6

Row 9: Repeat Row 5

Row 10: Repeat Row 4

Row 11: Repeat Row 3

Row 12: Repeat Row 2

Rows 13-36: Repeat Rows 1-12, twice

Row 37: Repeat row 1 and bind off.

Step-by-Step: How the Stitch Works

1. Cast on 23. The first and last K3 of every row are the garter border; everything between them is the diamond panel. Place a marker after stitch 3 and before stitch 21 so you never lose the border.
2. Row 1 is a right-side row. Inside the border, knit 1, purl 3, knit 9, purl 3, knit 1. Those two P3 groups are the start of the two diagonal lines.
3. Row 2 is the wrong side, so the fabric is flipped. The purl lines are now worked as K3, and they sit one stitch closer to the center than they did on Row 1. Everything else in the panel is purled so it stays stockinette on the front.
4. Rows 3 through 6 keep stepping the lines inward by one stitch per row until they meet at Row 6, where the K5 in the middle is the two lines joined. Row 7 is the point of the diamond: a single P3 at the center.
5. Rows 8 through 12 repeat Rows 6 down to 2, so the lines walk back out to the edges. Row 1 of the next repeat closes the diamond at the top and opens the next one.

Tips and Common Mistakes

• Read your knitting instead of only the row counter. On a right-side row, each purl band should sit one stitch inside where it was two rows ago. If it doesn't, the row before has an error.
• The right side is the stockinette face with the purl bumps raised. Odd rows are right-side rows.
• Don't skip the garter border. Without it the stockinette edges roll and the diamonds hide in the curl.
• Keep your purls at the same tension as your knits. Loose purls make the diagonal lines look fatter on the left than the right.
• Yarn use is close to plain stockinette, so you can estimate a project with your usual stockinette numbers.

What to Make With the Inverness Diamonds Stitch

Because the panel is a fixed width, it's at home as a vertical column: a single diamond panel up the center of a worsted weight scarf, or two panels on a cushion front with garter between them. Repeat it across a DK weight blanket for a quilt-like effect, or use one panel on the front of a plain hat. The width-and-border approach in how to knit a scarf works as a starting point for a scarf version.

Related Stitches

• Knit Stockinette Stitch — the background fabric this pattern is drawn on.
• Knit Lattice Stitch — another diagonal-line texture, one step up.
• Diagonal Basket Weave — knit-and-purl diagonals that shift the same way.
• Browse every knit stitch tutorial

Yarn for This Stitch

A smooth worsted weight yarn gives the clearest purl lines, and the swatch is worked in worsted weight recycled silk. For a lighter scarf or a baby blanket, a DK weight or sport weight keeps the diamonds crisp at a smaller scale. Darn Good Twist Sport Weight Silk Yarn, hand-dyed by artisans in India, shows the texture well.

If you'd like a new skein to practice on every month, Yarn of the Month sends three hand-dyed skeins with a knit and crochet pattern written for them, $29 a month plus shipping.

Inverness Diamonds Stitch FAQ

Is the Inverness diamonds stitch reversible?
No. The wrong side shows the diamond as knit lines on a purl background, which is readable but not as sharp. It's a one-sided pattern.

Does it curl?
The stockinette background wants to curl, which is why the swatch has a 3-stitch garter border. Keep a border or block the finished piece.

Is this beginner-friendly?
Yes. Every stitch is a knit or a purl. The only skill beyond that is counting carefully, so it's a good first "patterned" project after stockinette.