In knitting

Knitting

Knitting is a method by which thread or yarn may be turned into cloth or other fine crafts. Knitted fabric consists of consecutive rows of loops, called stitches. As each row progresses, a new loop is pulled through an existing loop. The active stitches are held on a needle until another loop can...

, a dip stitch is made by knitting into a stitch (or even the space between stitches) of an earlier row.

The most common type of dip stitch is to knit into the row below, which may be used for visual effect or to increase the number of stitches (a lifted increase

Increase (knitting)

In knitting, an increase is the creation of one or more new stitches, which may be done by various methods with distinctive looks.-Methods of Single Increasing :...

). Knitting into the row below and dropping the stitch above is a quick alternative to brioche knitting

Brioche knitting

Brioche knitting is a family of knitting patterns involving tucked stitches, i.e., yarn overs that are knitted together with a slipped stitch from the previous row...

, which is normally done by knitting together a yarn over

Yarn over

In knitting, a yarn over is technique in which the yarn is passed over the right-hand knitting needle. In general, the new loop is knitted on the next row, either by itself or together with an adjacent stitch . The yarn-over may also be dropped on the next row, producing a longer stretch of yarn...

 and a slip stitch.

Longer dip stitches can be made for visual effects; they draw a narrow V-shaped pair of yarns from any earlier to any later point in the knitting. Popular motifs made with dip stitches include flowers, flower-stem leaves and fans.