What the Purl Stitch Is and Why You Need It
The purl stitch is the reverse of the knit stitch. Where a knit stitch pulls yarn from the back of your work toward the front, a purl stitch pulls yarn from the front toward the back. On the finished fabric, a knit stitch looks like a small V, and a purl stitch looks like a bump or horizontal line. Most knitting patterns use both stitches together to create texture, pattern, and structure.
You cannot knit ribbed fabric, garter stitch, stockinette stitch, or most decorative patterns without the purl stitch. It is as fundamental as the knit stitch itself. Once you can do both, you can follow almost any beginner pattern.
Key Takeaways
- The purl stitch begins with yarn held in front of your needles, unlike the knit stitch where yarn stays in back.
- You insert the right needle from right to left (the opposite direction from a knit stitch) and wrap yarn around it before pulling through.
- The most common mistake is tensioning the yarn too tightly on the first stitch after purling, which makes the next row uneven.
- Practicing purl rows alone before mixing knit and purl stitches in the same row will build muscle memory faster.
- Ribbed fabric (knit one, purl one) is the best first pattern to practice because it forces you to switch between both stitches.
How to Hold Your Yarn for a Purl Stitch
Before you insert your needle, your yarn must be in front of your work. If you just finished a knit row, bring the yarn forward between your needles. The yarn should sit on top of your index finger or in your palm, depending on how you hold tension. Your working yarn (the yarn attached to the ball) should be on the side closest to your body.
Keep the yarn at the same tension you used for knit stitches. Many beginners loosen their grip when switching to purl, which creates loose stitches. Imagine the yarn is a taut line from the ball to your needle — not slack, not strangled.
The Step-by-Step Purl Motion
Insert your right needle from right to left through the first stitch on your left needle. This is the opposite direction from a knit stitch, where you go left to right. Your right needle tip should pass in front of the yarn, not behind it.
Wrap the working yarn around your right needle tip, moving from right to left (counterclockwise if you are looking at the needle head-on). The yarn should loop around the needle shaft once, fully encircling it.
Pull the right needle back through the stitch, bringing the wrapped yarn with it. The new loop slides onto your right needle. Drop the old stitch off your left needle. You have completed one purl stitch.
Repeat this motion for every stitch across the row. Your finished purl row will show bumps or horizontal ridges on the side facing you.
Why Tension Matters on the First Stitch After Purling
The stitch that comes right after you finish a purl row is often too loose. This happens because your yarn has been held in front, and the first stitch of the next row (usually a knit stitch) requires you to move the yarn to the back. If you do not tighten that transition, the first stitch will be visibly larger than the others.
After you complete your last purl stitch and move the yarn to the back for a knit row, gently tighten the working yarn before you insert your needle into the first stitch. Pull the yarn just enough to snug the previous stitch — not so hard that you distort the needle or the stitch itself. This single adjustment prevents a loose column running down the edge of your work.
Common Mistakes and How to Fix Them
The most frequent error is inserting the needle in the wrong direction. If you insert from left to right (the knit direction) instead of right to left, you will twist the stitch. The fabric will look uneven, and the next row will be harder to work. Always pause before you insert and confirm: right needle goes right to left for purl.
Another common problem is wrapping the yarn the wrong way around the needle. If you wrap clockwise instead of counterclockwise, you will create a twisted stitch. The motion should feel like you are drawing the yarn toward yourself and then away, in one smooth loop.
Dropping stitches off the left needle too early is also typical. Keep the old stitch on your left needle until the new stitch is fully formed on the right needle. If you drop it early, the loop may slip off and unravel.
Tension that is too tight on every stitch will make your fabric stiff and hard to work with on the next row. Purl stitches naturally sit a little taller than knit stitches, so do not try to force them to match in height. Let them sit naturally and trust that the fabric will even out as you work more rows.
Practice Patterns: From Single Rows to Mixed Stitches
Start by purling an entire row, then knitting an entire row, then purling again. This creates garter stitch, which looks the same on both sides and is forgiving of tension mistakes. Work at least four rows of garter stitch before moving on.
Once garter stitch feels natural, try ribbed fabric: knit one stitch, purl one stitch, all the way across the row. On the next row, knit the stitches that look like Vs and purl the stitches that look like bumps. This pattern forces you to switch between knit and purl constantly, which builds the muscle memory you need for more complex patterns. Ribbed fabric is also useful — it stretches and recovers, so you can use it for cuffs and edges on real projects.
After ribbed fabric, try stockinette stitch: knit one row, purl one row, repeat. This is the most common stitch pattern in knitting and appears in almost every pattern you will encounter. The knit side (called the right side) shows Vs, and the purl side (the wrong side) shows bumps.
When to Use Purl Stitches in Real Projects
Ribbed cuffs on sweaters and socks use knit and purl stitches to create vertical lines that grip the fabric and prevent rolling. The pattern is usually knit one, purl one or knit two, purl two, depending on the yarn weight and desired stretch.
Seed stitch (knit one, purl one on every row, alternating) creates a bumpy, textured fabric that does not curl and lies flat. It is slower to knit than stockinette but looks professional and is often used for blankets and scarves.
Cable patterns and lace patterns use purl stitches as background to make the knit stitches stand out. Without purl stitches, these patterns would not have the contrast they need to be visible.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is purl stitch harder than knit stitch?
Not harder, just different. Your hands have to move in the opposite direction, so it feels awkward at first. Most knitters find purl stitch takes a few more rows to feel automatic, but the motion is identical in reverse. Practice garter stitch (knit and purl rows) for ten minutes a day, and the motion will become natural within a week.
Why does my purl row look looser than my knit row?
Purl stitches sit slightly taller and looser than knit stitches because the yarn path is longer. This is normal. As you work more rows, the fabric will even out. If the difference is extreme, check that you are not loosening your grip when you switch to purl. Maintain the same tension throughout.
Can I purl with yarn in the back instead of the front?
Technically yes, but you will create a twisted stitch that looks wrong. The purl stitch is defined by yarn held in front. If you hold yarn in back and insert the needle right to left, you are creating a twisted knit stitch, not a purl. Always bring yarn to the front before you purl.
What does it mean when a pattern says "purl through the back loop"?
This means you insert your needle from left to right (the opposite of a normal purl) and wrap yarn as usual. The result is a twisted purl stitch that sits tighter and looks different. Patterns use this to create texture or to decrease stitches. Follow the pattern instruction exactly when you see this phrase.
How do I fix a purl stitch I dropped several rows ago?
Use a crochet hook to pick it up. Insert the hook through the dropped stitch from front to back, hook the horizontal strand of yarn above it, and pull the strand through the stitch. Repeat for each row above the dropped stitch until you reach the current row. If you are not comfortable with this, you can also unravel back to the mistake and reknit those rows.