For most of my life, my standard over-layer has been the classic, grungy, waffle-knit long-sleeve t-shirt. In my attempts to recreate this garment in a handknit, I’ve met, tried and rejected a veritable ton of “waffle” stitch patterns, usually created using triangles of knit and purl stitches arranged artfully, or some combination of ribbing and garter stitch. Generally, these stitches look great and waffle-y, especially on small needles, but I was unable to find the hand-knitting equivalent to my favorite mass-produced stitch pattern on a larger scale!

I began experimenting with slipped stitches and floats, and came up with a deceptively simple, three-stitch, four-row repeat that will trap extra air to keep you cozy, just like the real thing! And, as an added bonus, the “wrong side” has its own distinct look, opening up extra styling possibilities – my personal favorite is wrapped twice and rolled over into a shawl collar.

The other great thing about this stitch pattern is that it lends itself incredibly well to easy, two-color knitting; only one row out of the four uses both colors at once, and the other rows rely on slipped stitches. I knit this one in the super-bulky but super-lightweight Quince & Co. Puffin, a lightly fulled single-ply yarn that comes in a gorgeous array of complex colors.