Purls of wisdom: discover the purl stitch in knitting

Purling is easy when you know how! Just reverse the action of making plain knit stitches to create one of the most important stitches you'll learn.

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Sarah Winsper

Published: January 22, 2024 at 9:30 am

Once you’ve learned how to do a knit stitch, you’ll find the purl stitch easy peasy. To make purl stitches, you just reverse the action of making plain knit stitches.

A big difference between knits and purls is where you hold your yarn: for knits you hold it at the back of your work and for purls it's at the front.

You can use purl stitches to create stocking stitch, rib stitch, moss stitch and so much more!

In our guide to the purl stitch in knitting we'll show you how it's done.

How to purl stitch

To practise the basic purl stitch, cast on some stitches onto your left needle (if you’re right-handed). We recommend you use double knitting (DK) yarn, a pair of 4mm needles and about 22 stitches to practise with.

Follow the instructions below, then once you get to the end of the first row, all your stitches will be on the right-hand needle. Swap the needles over and you’ll be ready for the second row.

If you alternate rows of knitting and purling like this, you’ll create stocking stitch. If you purl every row, because purl stitches are like knit stitches worked in reverse, you’ll create garter stitch!

Your new favourite stitch
For dozens of beautiful stitches to try check out our guide to knitting stitch patterns.

You will need:

  • Yarn
  • Knitting needles

Step 1

Insert needle from right to left

Purl stitch how to purl step 1

Holding the needle with all the stitches in your left hand, and ensuring that the yarn is at the front of your work, insert the right-hand needle from right to left through the front loop of the stitch, as shown.

Step 2

Wrap the yarn around

Purl stitch how to purl step 2

Wind the yarn around the tip of the right-hand needle from right to left, in an anti-clockwise motion, constantly keeping a slight tension on the yarn.

Step 3

Catch the loop of yarn

Purl stitch how to purl step 3

Now move the right-hand needle back through the stitch, behind the left-hand needle, ensuring that you catch the loop of yarn that you’ve wound around the needle. This creates a stitch on your right needle.

Step 4

Take the stitch off the left needle

Purl stitch how to purl step 4

Pushing the point of the right needle a little further through the stitch you’ve created, pull the original stitch up and off the left-hand needle. That’s your first purl stitch! Repeat steps 1-4 across the row.

Purling will feel different because you’re working at the front of the needles rather than at the back, so keep going until you feel happy that you’ve got it and you’re comfortable with the technique. 28 rows is a good number and should form a square.

Don’t worry if it looks uneven or messy – simply undo your stitches, cast on some more and have another go. With a bit of practice you’ll be creating neat, even purl stitches in no time!

Try the Norwegian purl stitch

As with many knitting techniques, there’s more than one way to work a purl stitch.

Another method is the Norwegian purl, which involves holding the working yarn in your left hand and is often used in Continental knitting. If you don’t get on with the technique above, why not give it a try?

How to undo a purl stitch

Sometimes you'll make a mistake and need to go back to correct it. For mistakes that are only a few stitches back there's no need to take your stitches off the needle and unravel them all – you can simply undo them one by one.

To undo a purl stitch you first need to hold your working yarn at the front of your knitting.

Now look for the live stitch (the last stitch you made, which has the working yarn attached to it). Insert your left needle into the loop below this stitch, going from front to back.

Using the left needle, pull this loop to the left, at the same time dropping the stitch from the right needle. You've now undone one purl stitch.

Repeat this process until you've undone as many stitches as you need.

Master the purl stitch

The purl stitch can feel tricky at first as it's so different to the knit stitch, but persevere and you'll soon have it mastered. Once you're comfortable working both knit and purl stitches, and switching between them, a whole world of knitting stitch patterns awaits!

Learn to knit with Gathered

Now you can knit and purl you're ready to try stocking stitch. This is one of the most commonly used stitches, and is essential for any new knitter to learn.

Stockinette stitch (stocking stitch)

 

Sarah Winsper

Digital Assistant, Simply Knitting and The Knitter

Sarah has been knitting for as long as she can remember, and spends her working days thinking about yarn as Digital Assistant for Simply Knitting and The Knitter. She’s also a knitting designer with a passion for making cosy accessories – you can check out her latest patterns on Ravelry. Sarah has more than 10 years’ experience in the publishing industry, starting as author of The Good Nutrition Guide, and working on magazines including 3D World and The Simple Things. When she’s not in the office you’ll usually find her snuggled up on the sofa with a cup of tea, a packet of biscuits and her latest craft project.
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