French Fishtail Chevron Knitting Pattern (4-Row Repeat)

The French Fishtail Chevron Stitch is a beautifully textured pattern that creates a braided chevron effect. It’s easy to knit, totally beginner-friendly, and perfect for scarves, sweaters, blankets, cardigans, and more.

This stitch works up quickly in just a 4-row repeat and is based on a multiple of 6 stitches + 2.

📌 Materials Used in Tutorial

Worsted-weight yarn
2.5 mm knitting needles

Abbreviations

P – Purl
K – Knit
DWP2 – Double wrap purl 2 stitches (purl into the stitch twice before dropping off)
SL2 – Slip 2 stitches purlwise
C3R – Cross long stitch over 2 stitches to the right
C3L – Cross long stitch over 2 stitches to the left
Edge – Slip 1 at beginning, K1 at end

Pattern Instructions

Row 1 (WS): edge, [P2, DWP2, P2], edge
Row 2 (RS): edge, [K2, SL2, K2], edge
Row 3 (WS): edge, [P2, SL2, P2], edge
Row 4 (RS): edge, [C3R, C3L], edge

Repeat Rows 1–4 for the pattern.

Tips

The pattern starts on the wrong side and forms texture on the right side.
Keep your edges neat by slipping the first stitch and knitting the last stitch on every row.
You can adapt this stitch to any yarn or needle size depending on your project.