Stockinette stitch, also known as stocking stitch and usually abbreviated "St st", is the most basic stitch pattern in knitting. On a flat knit, it results from alternating a knit row and a purl row. The front of the work is usually as in the left image, and the back as in the right image. When knitting in the round, because it is always the same side facing, only knit rows are necessary to give the same effect. It can be worked on any number of stitches.