The Purl Stitch and Stockinette Fabric — Knitting's Second Foundation

Using straight knitting needles (4-5 mm) and medium-weight wool yarn, cast on 20 stitches using the long-tail cast-on method from the garter stitch blueprint. This gives you a swatch wide enough to see the fabric structure clearly. If you have not yet learned the knit stitch, complete the garter stitch blueprint first — the purl stitch assumes you can already knit comfortably.

In a knit stitch, the yarn sits behind the needle and you insert the right needle from left to right through the front of the loop. In a purl stitch, the yarn sits in front of the needle and you insert the right needle from right to left through the front of the loop — entering from the opposite direction. The wrap goes the same way (counterclockwise around the right needle), but the insertion is reversed. The result is a bump on the side facing you instead of a V. If you turn the fabric over after purling a row, the purl bumps are on the back — and the front shows smooth Vs, identical to a knit row seen from the other side.

Before purling, bring the working yarn to the front of the work — between the two needles, toward you. This is the opposite of the knit stitch, where the yarn stays behind. The yarn must be in front before you insert the needle. If you forget this step, you will accidentally create an extra stitch (a yarn-over) that leaves a hole in the fabric. When switching between knit and purl stitches within the same row, moving the yarn front-to-back and back-to-front is the single most common source of errors for beginners.

With the yarn in front, insert the tip of the right needle into the first stitch on the left needle from right to left — the right needle enters from the right side of the loop and exits on the left side. The right needle tip points toward the left. This is the reverse of the knit insertion (which goes left to right). The right needle should sit in front of the left needle, with both needle tips pointing in the same direction.

Wrap the yarn counterclockwise around the right needle tip — the same direction as a knit stitch. Pull the wrapped yarn back through the stitch on the left needle by drawing the right needle tip toward you and down, pulling the new loop through. Slide the old stitch off the left needle. You have made one purl stitch. The new stitch sits on the right needle with a horizontal bump on the side facing you. Repeat across all 20 stitches to complete one purl row.

To produce stockinette fabric on straight needles, alternate: knit all stitches on odd-numbered rows (right side facing you), purl all stitches on even-numbered rows (wrong side facing you). After 10-12 rows, the pattern becomes visible — the right side shows columns of interlocking Vs running vertically (the smooth or knit face), while the wrong side shows rows of horizontal bumps (the purl face). This is the fabric of nearly every commercial knitted garment. Continue for 30 rows to create a swatch large enough to observe the fabric's behavior.

Remove the swatch from the needles (or keep it on) and lay it flat. The top and bottom edges curl toward the smooth knit side. The left and right edges curl toward the bumpy purl side. This curl is inherent to stockinette and cannot be blocked out permanently — steaming or pressing flattens it temporarily, but it returns. This is why sweater hems, cuffs, and neckbands use ribbing instead of stockinette — ribbing combines knit and purl columns that cancel out the curl. Garter stitch (all knit, all purl on reverse) also lies flat because both sides have the same structure.

Cast on 20 stitches. Row 1: knit 1, bring yarn to front, purl 1, bring yarn to back, knit 1, purl 1 — repeat across the row, alternating single knit and purl stitches. Row 2: knit the knits and purl the purls (the stitches that show a V get knit, the stitches that show a bump get purled). After a few rows, the fabric forms alternating vertical ribs — one column of Vs, one column of bumps. Ribbing is elastic: it stretches widthwise and springs back. This is why every sock cuff, sweater waistband, and hat brim uses ribbing — it grips the body without binding.

Cast on 21 stitches (odd number). Row 1: knit 1, purl 1, repeat across, ending with knit 1. Row 2: repeat the same pattern — knit 1, purl 1. Because the stitch count is odd, the knits and purls offset on each row: a knit sits above a purl, a purl sits above a knit. This produces a fabric with a pebbly, textured surface that looks the same on both sides and lies completely flat — no curl. Seed stitch is used for blanket borders, dishcloths, and any project where a flat, reversible fabric is wanted.

Most knitters purl at a slightly different tension than they knit — usually looser. This creates visible rowing-out in stockinette: alternating rows of tighter and looser stitches that give the fabric a stripy appearance. The fix is practice: consciously snugging the yarn tighter on purl rows until the tension evens out. Some knitters solve this by switching to combination knitting (wrapping the purl stitch clockwise instead of counterclockwise, then knitting through the back loop on the return row) or by using Continental style (yarn in left hand), which tends to produce more even tension across knit and purl.

Every knitted stitch pattern — from simple ribbing to complex Aran cables — is a combination of knit and purl stitches arranged in different sequences. Basketweave: blocks of stockinette and reverse stockinette in a checkerboard. Broken rib: 2 knit, 2 purl, offset every few rows. Moss stitch: like seed stitch but offset every two rows instead of every row. The vocabulary is only two stitches, but the arrangements are infinite. Reading a knitting chart is reading a grid where every cell is either knit or purl — K or P, two symbols, unlimited fabric.