Knit vs Purl: A Visual Guide for Beginners

Ever looked at a piece of knitting and wondered how on earth you can tell what’s what? You’re not alone. When you’re a beginner, it’s not always easy to distinguish between a knit and a purl stitch. In fact, I remember when I was first starting out, I would often get the two confused. But don’t worry, with a bit of practice and some helpful visual guidance, you’ll get the hang of it in no time. 

As any seasoned knitter will tell you, the key to mastering any craft is understanding its basic elements. In the case of knitting, these are the knit and purl stitches. So, what’s the difference between knit vs purl? In simple terms, a knit stitch is one where the yarn is in the back of the work, and you’re pulling the yarn through to the front. A purl stitch, on the other hand, is when the yarn is in front of the work, and you’re pushing the yarn through to the back. 

But enough with the theory, let’s take a look at some practical examples that will help you recognise a knit stitch from a purl stitch.

What is the difference between knit and purl stitches?

The main difference between knit and purl stitches is in how you insert your needle into the stitch and where you hold the yarn before you wrap it around the needle. 

Think of it this way: these two stitches are like two sides of the same coin, with the knit being one side, and the purl being the other side. So the backside of a knit stitch looks like a purl stitch, and vice versa.

When you’re knitting, if you see a V shape, that’s a knit stitch. If you see a bump, that’s a purl stitch. 

The knit stitch is considered the most basic stitch in knitting. Chances are, this was the first stitch you learned. 

To make a knit stitch, you insert your right needle into the front of the stitch on the left needle from left to right, then you wrap the yarn counter-clockwise around the right needle and pull it through the stitch. The result is a smooth, flat stitch that looks like a little V.

On the other hand, the purl stitch is essentially the reverse of the knit stitch. You insert your right needle into the front of the stitch on the left needle from right to left, then you wrap your yarn counter-clockwise around the right needle and pull it through the stitch. What you get is a stitch with a little bump on the front, which is the signature of the purl stitch. 

Let’s break it down a bit more.

The Knit Stitch

All knitting stitches are basically loops of yarn that pass through another loop. When you knit, you’re just creating a series of these interlocking loops.

To make a knit stitch, you insert the needle into an existing knit loop (a stitch) and pull the yarn through from the back to the front. 

Since you’re pulling the new yarn loop forward, the top of the old loop ends up at the back which creates the bump, and the legs of the new stitch sit at the front, creating a V shape. 

So after you’ve made that new stitch, the old stitch falls off the needle away from you. It ends up at the back of the fabric, creating a bump at the back. 

That’s why a knit stitch is smooth at the front and bumpy on the wrong side.

Let’s have a quick look at how to make a knit stitch step by step. 

How to Make a Knit Stitch

1. Cast on

Start by casting on the number of stitches you want. This will create loops on the left needle that you’ll be working with. If you’re new to casting on, there are a few various different methods you can try.

2. Arrange the needles

Hold the needle with the cast-on stitches in your left hand, and the empty needle (the working needle) in your right hand. Keep the working yarn at the back of your needles.

3a. Insert the working needle

Insert the tip of the working needle into the front of the first loop from front to back, moving from left to right.

3b. Insert the working needle

The working needle should point away from you, forming an“X” shape with the left-hand needle.

4. Wrap the yarn

Take the yarn and wrap it around the working needle counter-clockwise, bringing it from the back to the front and between the two needles.

5a. Pull the loop through

Gently slide the right needle back through the loop on the left needle while catching the wrapped yarn and pulling it through towards you.

5b. Pull the loop through

This creates a new loop on the right needle.

6. Slip the old loop off

Now slide the working needle to the right to slip the original loop off the left needle. Notice how the old stitch falls to the back of the fabric. The new stitch should be resting on your right needle.

7. Repeat

Continue knitting stitches using the same technique until all loops from the left needle have been worked. 

The Purl Stitch

Now, let’s shift our focus to the purl stitch. 

When you finish a row of knit stitches and turn it around to start the next row, you’ll notice that those knit stitches now look a lot like purl stitches. 

That’s because a purl stitch is just a knit stitch that faces the other way. So the front of the purl stitch has a little bump, and the back is smooth. 

Since it’s reversed you need to pull the yarn through slightly differently compared to a knit stitch. 

Here’s how: when you purl, you’re pushing the new loop through the front of the old loop to the back. 

So this time, when the old stitch comes off the left-hand needle, it falls off the needle towards you to the front of the fabric. 

This creates a bump at the front of the stitch, with smooth V-shaped legs at the back. 

Let’s break it down a bit more.

How to Make a Purl Stitch

1. Position the needles and yarn

Hold the empty needle (the working needle) in your right hand and the other needle in your left hand. The working yarn should be at the front of your work.

2. Insert the right needle

With your yarn in the front, insert the tip of your right needle into the first stitch on your left needle from back to front, moving from right to left. The right needle needle should be on top of the left-hand needle, forming an“X” shape.

3. Wrap the yarn

Now, wrap your working yarn counter-clockwise around the right needle, moving from front to back and right to left. You’ll see the yarn forming a loop on the right needle.

4. Pull the new loop through

Take the yarn and wrap it around the working needle counter-clockwise, bringing it from the back to the front and between the two needles.

5. Slip the old stitch off

Now slide the working needle to the right to slip the original loop off the left needle. Notice how the old stitch falls to the front of the fabric creating a purl bump. The new stitch should be resting on your right needle.

6. Repeat

Continue purling stitches using the same technique until all loops from the left needle have been worked. 

At this point, you might be wondering: if the purl stitch is just a reversed knit, why do we still wrap the yarn around the needle counter-clockwise? Shouldn’t we be wrapping it clockwise instead?

No, and here’s why.

A Closer Look at Purl Stitch Structure

Take a look at how your stitches sit on the needle.

If you open them up a little, you’ll see that those loops are sitting on the needle facing a particular direction. The front leg of the loop (the one closest to you) is on the right, and the back leg is on the left. 

This is true whether you’re knitting or purling.

And it’s super important that your stitches align this way so that they all fall off the needle the right way and line up properly. 

If you wrap the yarn clockwise for a purl stitch, you’ll end up twisting it when you come back around to work it on the next row or round. 

Let’s look at this in action.

For the last two purl rows of this stockinette stitch swatch I wrapped the yarn counter-clockwise for 6 stitches and clockwise for 6 stitches to show you what happens when you knit the next row.

Here, you can see the differences between the two side by side.

The stitch on the left was wrapped around the needle counter-clockwise. It’s sitting on the needle the correct way, with the front leg on the right and the back leg on the left.

The stitch on the right, however, is wrapped clockwise. Notice how it sits on the needle facing the opposite direction.

When you knit that clockwise stitch on the next row, it becomes twisted, which you can see in this stockinette swatch.

When you compare the stitches that were wrapped correctly on the left with the clockwise wrapped stitches on the right of the swatch, it’s clear that the clockwise stitches look more like a “y” than a “v”.

This is where I used to go wrong with my purl stitches. For an embarrassingly long time, I was wrapping the yarn clockwise when purling and couldn’t figure out why my stockinette always looked funny compared to everyone else’s.

Knit vs Purl Stitches: Spotting the Differences in Practice

By now you should have a fairly solid understanding of the differences between knit vs purl stitches and why they’re different. Let’s now take a closer look at how they actually look in a row of knitting. Because, let’s be honest, that’s what really matters. 

I bet at some point you’ve been in the middle of a knitting project, and been pulled away in the middle of a row. It happens to all of us. When you finally get back to your knitting, it can be frustrating to try and figure out where you are in your knitting pattern.

You could start counting the individual stitches, but let’s face it, that’s a tedious task and it’s easy to lose track. So, what’s the solution? 

Learning to read your knitting. It’s a lot easier to look at your stitches and let them tell you exactly where you left off. This is also a helpful skill to help you keep track of the number of rows you’ve worked. Here’s how to do it.

We’re going to look at a swatch of 2×2 ribbing for this because the knit and purl columns are nicely defined. 2×2 ribbing is where you knit 2 stitches, then purl 2 stitches, and repeat that sequence across the row. 

So let’s practice what we’ve learned.

Take a close look at the needle. Remember that knit stitches have a V at the base of the needle and the purls have a bump. 

So if you’re not sure what stitch you need to work next, take a good look at the next stitch on the needle in your left hand. It can be easier to spot the bumps, so if there’s a bump at the base of the needle, it’s a purl stitch and you should purl it. If there’s no bump and you see a V shape, it’s a knit stitch and you should knit it.

In fact, if a knitting pattern ever tells you to “knit the knits and purl the purls” this is exactly what it means. 

Knit vs Purl Diagram: Quick Comparison

Here’s a quick guide to help you compare knit stitches and purl stitches.

How to Switch Between Knit and Purl Stitches

By now you can recognize a knit stitch by the V at the base of the needle, and a purl stitch by the bump or line at the base of the needle. 

So, what’s next? Well, here’s the exciting bit – all those intricate and beautiful stitch patterns you see on knitted items? They’re just different combinations of these two basic stitches: knit and purl.

But how do you switch between knit and purl stitches in the middle of a row?

We’ve already had a look at how to change between knit and purl and the end of a row, and switching it up mid-row is no different. 

It’s all about the position of the working yarn.

Remember, for a knit stitch, hold the working yarn at the back. For a purl stitch, hold it at the front.

So to switch between knit stitches and purl stitches, move the yarn between the needle tips. Bring it to the front for a purl stitch and to the back for a knit. Just be careful not to move the yarn over the needles, as it can cause issues.

Combining Knit and Purl Stitches

Now that you’re comfortable with knit and purl stitches you can combine them to create a huge variety of patterns and textures like garter stitch, stockinette stitch, reverse stockinette stitch, and k2p2 ribbing. 

Here are some common knit and purl stitch combinations:

• Stockinette stitch: Knit 1 row, purl 1 row
• Garter stitch: Knit every row 
• Ribbing: Knit 1, purl 1 or knit 2, purl 2
• Seed stitch (Moss stitch in the UK): Knit 1, purl 1. On subsequent rows you purl the knits and knit the purls
• American Moss stitch (Irish Moss stitch in the UK): 4 row repeat: Rows 1 & 2: knit 2, purl 2 to end. Rows 3 & 4: purl 2, knit 2 to end.

Frequently Asked Questions

Related posts:

How to Read a Yarn Label: A Complete Guide How to Count Garter Stitch Rows How to Count Rows in Knitting