Basic Stitches Explained

Almost every hand-knitted fabric is built from two actions: the knit stitch and the purl stitch. They are mirror images of each other. A knit stitch made from the front of the work looks like a purl from the back, and the reverse is also true. Once that relationship is clear, the named fabrics below stop feeling like separate techniques and start looking like two moves arranged in different orders.

The knit stitch

To knit, the working needle is passed into the front of a loop on the left needle, the yarn is wrapped around it, and a new loop is drawn through. The old loop slides off. The new stitch sits as a small flat "V" on the side of the fabric facing you. A row worked entirely in knit stitches produces ridges on both sides when repeated, which is the basis of garter stitch.

The purl stitch

A purl is the same motion approached from the other direction: the needle enters the front loop from behind, the yarn sits in front of the work, and the new loop is pulled backward. On the side facing you, a purl shows as a small horizontal bump rather than a V. Because a purl is a knit seen from behind, the choice between them is really a choice about which face of the stitch you want to show on the public side.

The four fabrics every beginner meets

Garter stitch

Knit every row. The fabric is reversible, lies relatively flat, and forms horizontal ridges. It is forgiving for a first scarf because both sides look the same and edge curl is minimal.

Stockinette stitch

Knit one row, purl the next, alternating. The right side shows smooth columns of Vs; the wrong side is bumpy. Stockinette curls at the edges, so it is usually paired with a border in another stitch.

Ribbing

Alternate knits and purls within the same row, lining them up column over column on following rows, for example two knit then two purl repeated. Ribbing pulls in widthwise and springs back, which is why cuffs, hat brims and sock tops use it.

Seed stitch

Alternate a knit and a purl, then offset them on the next row so a knit sits above a purl. The result is a pebbled, non-curling texture that looks the same on both sides.

Reading a stitch pattern

A short written instruction captures these fabrics compactly. Ribbing across a row, for example, is written as a repeat:

The asterisk marks where a repeat begins, and "rep from *" means continue the same group until the row ends. Stockinette and garter need no repeat marks because the whole row is a single action.

Practising in order

1. Cast on roughly 20 stitches and work several rows of garter to settle your tension.
2. Switch to stockinette for a few rows and watch the right side form smooth Vs.
3. Add a two-by-two rib section and feel the fabric draw in.
4. Finish with seed stitch to practise switching between knit and purl within a row.

Working all four in one small sample is a quick way to see how the same two stitches produce very different fabric.

For standardised stitch abbreviations used across English-language patterns, the Craft Yarn Council standards are a widely referenced public guide. The Wikipedia article on knitting gives further background on stitch construction.