What a Purl Stitch Is and Why You Need It
A purl stitch is the reverse of a knit stitch. When you knit a row of knits, the bumpy side faces you. When you purl a row, the smooth side faces you instead. Learning to purl lets you create texture, switch between knit and purl stitches in the same row, and make reversible fabrics where both sides look finished.
Most knitting patterns use both knit and purl stitches together. Ribbed fabric (used for sweater cuffs and collars) alternates knit and purl. Garter stitch—the bumpy, squishy fabric you see on many beginner scarves—is actually rows of knit followed by rows of purl. Without the purl stitch, you are limited to stockinette (smooth on one side, bumpy on the other), and your options shrink fast.
Key Takeaways
- The purl stitch puts the yarn in front of the needle before you insert it, which is the opposite of a knit stitch where yarn stays in back.
- You insert the right needle from right to left (backwards compared to knit), wrap the yarn, and pull a new loop through toward you.
- The most common mistake is moving the yarn to the front but forgetting to bring it back to the back after you finish the stitch, which breaks your next knit stitch.
- Purling is slower than knitting at first because the motion feels awkward, but speed comes with repetition—aim for 10 to 20 purls in a row before switching stitches.
- Practice purling on a swatch in worsted-weight yarn with size 8 or 9 needles, where you can see each stitch clearly and fix mistakes without frustration.
Position Your Yarn in Front Before You Start
The first difference between knit and purl is where your yarn sits. In a knit stitch, the yarn stays in back of your work. In a purl stitch, you bring it to the front. If you just finished a knit row, your yarn is already in back—bring it forward between the needles toward you, so it rests on top of your work.
This step matters because the yarn position changes how the stitch loops. If your yarn is in the wrong place, the stitch will not form correctly and your fabric will have holes or twisted stitches. Get into the habit of checking yarn position before every stitch, especially when you are learning.
Insert the Right Needle from Right to Left
Hold your left needle (the one with active stitches) in your left hand and your right needle in your right hand, the same way you do for knitting. Now insert the right needle through the first stitch on the left needle—but go from right to left, not left to right like you do in a knit stitch. Your right needle tip should come out on the left side of the stitch, and the needles will form an X shape with the right needle on top.
This backwards insertion is what makes purling feel strange at first. Your brain expects to push the needle forward (left to right), but instead you are pulling it backward (right to left). Slow down here. Watch the needle go through. Once you have done 20 or 30 purls, the motion becomes automatic and your hands stop fighting you.
Wrap the Yarn and Pull the Loop Through
With the right needle inserted and the yarn in front, wrap the yarn around the right needle tip counterclockwise—the same direction you wrap for a knit stitch. Bring the yarn under and around the right needle so it sits between the two needles. Now pull the right needle backward (toward you and to the right) so the new loop slides through the stitch on the left needle.
The new loop stays on the right needle. The old stitch slides off the left needle. You have completed one purl. The stitch on your right needle will look like a small bump or knot. That is correct. Repeat this motion for every stitch across the row.
Common Mistakes and How to Fix Them
The most frequent error is forgetting to move your yarn back to the back of your work after you finish purling. If you purl a stitch and then try to knit the next stitch without moving the yarn, you will accidentally create an extra loop (called a yarn over) between the stitches. Your fabric will have a hole. Before you knit the next row, move the yarn to the back between the needles.
The second common mistake is inserting the needle in the wrong direction. If you insert left to right (the knit way) but keep the yarn in front, you will create a twisted stitch that looks wrong and is hard to fix. Check your needle direction: for purl, always go right to left. For knit, always go left to right.
A third mistake is pulling the yarn too tight when you wrap it. This makes the stitch small and hard to work into on the next row. Wrap loosely and let the yarn sit gently around the needle. The tension comes from how hard you pull the working yarn as you draw the loop through, not from how tight you wrap.
Practice Purling on a Swatch Before a Real Project
Make a small practice swatch in worsted-weight yarn (medium thickness) with size 8 or 9 needles. Cast on 15 to 20 stitches using a long-tail cast-on. Knit one row. On the second row, purl every stitch across. On the third row, knit every stitch. Repeat rows 2 and 3 until your swatch is about 4 inches tall. This creates garter stitch, which is bumpy on both sides and shows you exactly what your purls look like.
Worsted weight and larger needles make individual stitches big and straightforward to see. If you make a mistake, you can spot it when ready and fix it without unraveling the whole row. After you have purled 50 to 100 stitches on a swatch, your hands will remember the motion and you will be ready to purl in an actual project.
Purl Speed and Rhythm Will Improve With Time
Purling is slower than knitting for most people, especially at first. Your hands have to reverse direction, and the yarn position changes. This is normal. Do not expect to purl as fast as you knit for at least a week or two of regular practice. Set a realistic pace: if you knit 30 stitches per minute, expect to purl 15 to 20 per minute while learning.
The speed gap closes as your muscle memory builds. After you have purled several hundred stitches across multiple projects, your hands will move almost as fast as they do for knitting. Some knitters never reach the same speed, and that is fine—the important thing is that the stitch is even and the fabric looks good. Rhythm matters more than raw speed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does my purl stitch look different from my knit stitch?
A purl stitch and a knit stitch are the same stitch viewed from opposite sides. When you purl, you are creating the bumpy side of the stitch. When you knit, you create the smooth side. If you alternate knit and purl in the same row, you get ribbed fabric where the knits look smooth and the purls look bumpy. This is correct.
Can I purl too tightly?
Yes. If you pull the working yarn hard as you draw the loop through, the stitch becomes tight and small. The next row will be hard to work into. Keep your tension the same as your knit stitches—wrap loosely and pull gently. If your purls are consistently tighter than your knits, consciously loosen your pull for a few rows until the tension evens out.
What if I accidentally knit when I meant to purl?
If you catch the mistake in the same row, drop the stitch, unravel back to the mistake, and purl it correctly. If you do not notice until the next row, you can either unravel back or leave it—one wrong stitch in a practice swatch does not matter. In a finished project, most people unravel back a few stitches rather than rip out the whole row.
Do I need to move my yarn between every knit and purl stitch?
Yes. If you knit one stitch and purl the next in the same row, move the yarn to the back before you knit and to the front before you purl. Forgetting this creates yarn overs (extra loops) that show as holes. It becomes automatic after a few rows, but check your work until it does.