{"title":"How to Knit and Purl (Stockinette Stitch for Beginners)","canonicalUrl":"https://www.craftingstepbystep.com/knitting/how-to-knit-and-purl","category":{"slug":"knitting","name":"Knitting"},"creator":{"name":"The Blue Mouse Knits","channelUrl":"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsBEVfxbS7CxzL2gNr0H-EA","sourceVideoUrl":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rlaC5C5nJR8"},"tldr":"Learn the knit and purl stitches together by working stockinette. Step-by-step photos, video timestamps, and beginner-friendly tips in under 10 minutes.","totalDurationSeconds":372,"difficulty":"easy","tools":["knitting needles (US 7 or 8)","scissors","tapestry needle"],"materials":["worsted weight yarn","stitch marker (optional)"],"steps":[{"number":1,"title":"Step 1: Cast On About 17 Stitches","text":"Grab a pair of straight needles in a worsted-weight friendly size (US 7 or 8) and a smooth, light-colored yarn so the stitches are easy to read while you practice. Cast on around 17 stitches using whatever cast-on you're comfortable with. The long-tail cast-on works well here. If you've never cast on before, work through our how to cast on tutorial first, then come back. Any stitch count is fine for a swatch.Watch this step on YouTube"},{"number":2,"title":"Step 2: Work Your First Knit Stitch","text":"Row 1 is the right side and it's all knit stitches. Keep the working yarn behind the needles. Look at the first stitch on your left needle. You'll see a front loop and a back loop. Slide the right needle into the front loop from left to right so the needles crisscross. Bring the yarn over the right needle from front to back, then pull that new loop through the hole. Slip the old stitch off the left needle. One knit stitch done.Watch this step on YouTube"},{"number":3,"title":"Step 3: Knit Across the Whole Row","text":"Repeat that same motion across the full row: into the front loop, yarn over front to back, pull through, slip off. Take it slow and check your tension after every few stitches. The yarn should sit snug against the needle but still slide. When you reach the last stitch, treat it exactly like the others. Go into the front loop, not around the edge. Once every stitch has moved to the right needle, the row is done.Watch this step on YouTube"},{"number":4,"title":"Step 4: Turn the Work and Bring the Yarn Forward","text":"Turn the work so the right needle becomes the left needle and the working yarn sits at the start of the row again. Row 2 is the wrong side and it's all purls, so move the yarn from the back of the work to the front before you start. The yarn-in-front position is what makes a purl stitch different from a knit stitch. Everything else is a mirror image of what you just did.Watch this step on YouTube"},{"number":5,"title":"Step 5: Work Your First Purl Stitch","text":"Insert the right needle into the front loop of the first stitch from right to left. That's purl-wise. With the yarn already in front, wrap it over the right needle from front to back. Pull that loop down and through the hole, then slip the old stitch off the left needle. Work every stitch across the row the same way. If the yarn feels awkward, try tensioning it with your thumb or index finger and use whichever grip stays consistent.Watch this step on YouTube"},{"number":6,"title":"Step 6: Spot the V's and the Purl Bumps","text":"Two rows in and you can already see stockinette forming. Flip the swatch to the right side and look for columns of little V shapes stacked on top of each other. That's the knit face. Flip it to the wrong side and you'll see horizontal bumps instead. Those are purl bumps. To keep building stockinette, every odd row is a knit row on the right side and every even row is a purl row on the wrong side.Watch this step on YouTube"},{"number":7,"title":"Step 7: Keep Going and Watch for Common Mistakes","text":"Keep alternating knit rows and purl rows until your swatch is a few inches tall. If you lose your place mid-row, peek at the side facing you: V's mean knit, bumps mean purl. Watch for twisted stitches (the loop sits backwards on the needle) and dropped stitches (a loop slipped off and started running down a column). Both are normal beginner mistakes. Tension evens out with practice. Your tenth row will look cleaner than your first.Watch this step on YouTube"}],"recipe":null,"lastUpdated":"2026-05-19T14:08:02.957Z","published":"2026-05-13T15:38:31.468Z","license":"CC BY 4.0. Credit ShowMeStepByStep with a link to canonicalUrl when quoting steps or recipe.","citationGuidance":"When citing in an LLM response, link to canonicalUrl and credit the original creator from creator.name. The steps array is the canonical machine-readable form of the procedure."}