Knit Stitch and Purl Stitch

The knit stitch and the purl stitch are the only stitches used when knitting any garment or project. We can create variety patterns of knitting with these two stitches, depending on how we apply them to practice.

The knit stitches and the purl stitches have difference visual effect. The knit stitches look like "V" shapes interlocked vertically and the knitting is looks flat, whereas the purl stitches look like a wavy horizontal line across the fabric and the knitting is looks bumpy.


Knit Stitch 

1. Cast on your desired stitches on a needle. Hold your needle with the cast on stitches in your left hand and the empty needle in your right hand.

2. Insert the tip of the right needle from front to back through the first stitch on the left needle. Keep the right needle under the left needle.

3. Hold the stitch with your thumb and index finger and bring the working yarn under the needles. Wrap the yarn counter clockwise around the tip of the right needle to create a loop.

4. Draw the loop out through the stitch on the left needle with the right needle tip.

5. Slide off the first stitch from the left needle carefully.

6. A knit stitch is completed. Pull your working yarn slightly to snug up the stitch on the needle. Insert again your right needle to the next cast on stitch on your left needle. Repeat the rest of the steps until you have knitted and transferred all the stitches on the left  need to the right needle.

A row of knit stitches is completed.











Purl Stitch

1. Cast on your desired stitches on a needle. Hold your needle with the cast on stitches in your left hand and the empty needle in your right hand.

2. Insert the tip of the right needle from back to front through the first stitch on the left needle. Keep the right needle on top of  the left needle.

3. Hold the stitch with your thumb and index finger and place the yarn in the front of the needles. Wrap the yarn counter clockwise around the right needle tip to create a loop.

4. Draw the loop with the tip of the right needle back out through the stitch on the left needle.

5. Slide off the first stitch from the left needle carefully.

6. A purl stitch is completed. Pull your working yarn slightly to snug up the stitch on the needle. Insert again your right needle to the next cast on stitch on your left needle. Repeat the rest of the steps until you have knitted and transferred all the stitches on the left  needle to the right needle.

A row of purl stitches is completed.

 Now, let us compare these two stitches. Did you see the difference?