The purl stitch is just as important as the knit stitch – you can’t do one without the other. I know a lot of beginning knitters who get confused and frustrated when it comes to purl stitches – I actually learned how to purl before the knit, and I find it just as easy. Here are the step-by-step instructions on how to make a purl stitch, English style. You’ll get the hang of it with a few tries.

First, take your nicely cast-on work in your left hand and pick up the ball-end yarn with your right hand. Then take the right-hand needle and slip it into the first loop, right to left, bottom to top (See Figure A).

Then take the yarn in your right hand, and loop it around the right needle counterclockwise from back to front. Make sure the yarn is in front of the needle and not behind it. You might want to hold the right needle in place with your left thumb so the needle doesn’t slip out.

Here’s the most tricky part: using the right needle, carefully lift the new loop into the first loop, under the left-hand needle.

Slip the first loop off the left needle, and there! You have just made a purl stitch.

Repeat until you have finished the row. You’ll see that all the stitches have a loop right under them, almost like they’re wearing little pearl necklaces. Flip your work and start again – now you know how to purl!

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I am an English knitter. No, it doesn’t mean I have tea with cream and scones when I knit. ;) it just means the way I knit, which uses my right hand to wrap the yarn around the needles, is called the English method. The other popular method is called Continental, which I will cover at another time. Most beginners will find out which they prefer soon after starting their first knitting project. As a personal observation, right-handed people usually knit in English and left-handed people in Continental, but it should be whichever you feel most comfortable with.

Take your nicely cast-on work in your left hand and pick up the ball-end yarn with your right hand (Figure A).

Insert the needle into the first loop from left to right, front to back (Figure B).

Take the yarn with your right hand, and loop it counter-clockwise (from back to front) around the needle you just inserted into the loop (Figure C).

This part takes a bit of practice. Pull the yarn straight (but not tight) with your right index finger. Use the right needle and slide it down and out so it picks up the loop you just made. Slide the right needle to the right and pull the old loop off of the tip of the left needle (Figure D). Voila, you’ve just made your first knit stitch.

Repeat until you finish the whole row (i.e. transfer all the loops from your left needle to your right needle), then turn the work over and start from the left side again.

When you use only the knit stitch to make a garment, it is also called the garter stitch.

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After you learn how to make a slip knot, you will need to know how to cast-on. It takes a little bit of practice, but once you get the hang of it, you will be able to do it with your eyes closed.

This method of casting on is called the Long-tail Cast-On. It’s the first type I learned and I find it really fast and easy to do, especially for beginners. So when you make your slip knot, be sure to leave a tail end that is at least three times the width of the item you want to knit. For example, if you are knitting a scarf that is six-inches wide, you’ll want to have a tail that is at least eighteen-inches long.

Got your slip knot ready? Let’s cast-on.

Hold the needle with the slip knot with your right hand. With the left hand, close the bottom three fingers around the yarn, then spread the yarn open with your thumb and index finger (Figure A).

Pull the right hand side down. It will look like you’re holding a slingshot (Figure B).

Here’s the part that will take a bit of practice. Take the needle with your right hand and pick up the left loop closest to you from bottom up (Figure C).

Move the needle to the right side, and pick up the top right loop from bottom up (Figure D). The yarn on the right loop should wrap around the front of the needle counter-clockwise.

With your left thumb, bring the hoop over the tip of your needle (Figure E).

Pull down the yarn, and there you have it! Your very first cast-on stitch, sitting happily next to your first slip knot. Make sure it’s not too tight, because you will have trouble inserting needle when you start knitting later. Repeat until you reach the desired width.

After a few more cast-on stitches, this is what it should look like.

If you need more help, here is an instruction video courtesy of yarnsnob:

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Since I’ve shown quite a few people some knitting basics, I thought I should share them on the site as well. Here’s the first of the tutorials I will be sharing. Stay tuned for more!
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The first step in any knitting project is making a slip knot. It can be done in a few simple steps.

Wrap a piece of yarn on your left hand clockwise between the index and middle fingers, with your fingers spread about one inch apart. Pick up the back loop with your right hand (Figure A, where arrow is pointing) and pull it through the middle of the loop (Figure B).

Continue pulling the loop up with your right hand and pull down the left side until a small loop forms (Figure C), then insert a knitting needle (Figure D).

Keep pulling down, and there you will have made your very first Slip Knot (Figure E)!

Next Step: How to Cast-On

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