How to Knit
Lesson Eight: How to Work the Purl Stitch
How to Work the Purl Stitch
Purling is simply working a knit stitch in reverse, so the bump faces you and the V is on the back. That may not make sense now, but it will after you have worked a few rows of alternating knit and purl stitch and you see how each side of the fabric looks.
How to do it:
Basic Principle:
With the working yarn in front, you will be using two needles to create a series of loops, which are the foundation for the stretchy properties of knit fabric.
Rules of Formation
Whether you’re working in Continental or American style, the purl stitch has the same rules of formation:
Working yarn (the yarn you’re making new stitches with) goes in front of the needles
Working needle (in dominant hand) is inserted into the first stitch on the non-working needle from tip end to back end through front leg of stitch
Working yarn goes from the tip end of the non-working needle to the back end, top to bottom between the needles
Finished stitch should have the leg of the stitch that’s closest to your dominant hand in front of the working needle
Here’s a reminder of what the stitches should look like:
Continental Purl Stitch
Jump to American-Style Tutorial
In Continental (or European) style, the working yarn is held in your non-dominant hand. Holding it in such a way as to achieve correct tension is key. Please see Holding the Yarn.
American Purl Stitch
Jump to Continental-Style Tutorial
In American (or English) style, the working yarn is held in the dominant hand. To create proper tension, pull on the yarn after wrapping. Please see Holding the Yarn.
Application Point
In the next lesson, we’ll be bringing this all together. But if you’ve already started a little swatch, start working as follows:
Right Side Rows: Knit.
Wrong Side Rows: Knit 3, place marker (slipping on subsequent rows), purl to third-last stitch, place (or slip) marker, knit 3.
The wrong side of your fabric for your practice swatch will be whichever side you start purling on.
Read on to the next lesson to learn how long you should keep working this pattern.