The Purl Stitch

The purl stitch is the other fundamental technique you need to be able to knit more patterns. At its most basic description it's a backwards knit stitch, so the bump that is on the back of a knit stitch is on the front of the purl. If you purled every row you would get a garter stitch, however alternating knit and purl rows gives you a flatter look to your work. Examples of stitches that can be made by knit and purl stitches alone are at the bottom of this post, and also on the Stitch Library page.

How to Knit the Purl Stitch

1. Cast on as many stitches as you need, or start a new row.

2. Insert your right needle into the front of the first stitch on the left needle from right to left. The working yarn needs to stay in front of it all.

Continental

English

3. Wrap the yarn around the needle counter-clockwise coming from below.

Continental

English

4. Pull the yarn through the stitch.

Continental

English

5. Slip the stitch you worked through off the left needle to finish the purl stitch.

Continental

English

6. Repeat steps 1-4 as many times as you need or until the end of the row.

Identifying the stitch

The image above is the stocking stitch and I have highlighted one stitch. From the back of the stitch it looks like little V’s or little chains and the front of the stitch is a horizontal bump.

Reading the Stitch

In knitting patterns this stitch appears as ‘purl’ or is abbreviated to ‘P’. normally when it has been abbreviated the letter could be followed by a number, therefore ‘P4’ would mean you need to complete 4 purl stitches. Sometimes the pattern will say ‘purl to the end of the row’ and that would mean you need to purl the remaining stitches of that row. It might also say ‘Row (no.): Purl’, this means that the pattern wants you to purl that whole row.

Common Mistakes

Dropping stitches

This a mistake that can happen in all knitters new and old, but don't panic they can be picked back up and fixed.

Tight/loose tension

This is just a matter of practice and adjusting till you understand the tension you work at.

Stitch Combination Patterns

Below is a list of stitch patterns that you can find in the stitch Library that are made out of alternating rows of knit and purl stitches.

Stocking Stitch 

Reverse Stocking Stitch

Cartridge Stitch

Alternated Smooth Stitch and Tier

Garter Stitch Ridges