How to Purl Stitch — Step by Step for Beginners

The purl stitch is the second stitch every knitter learns, and it's simpler than it looks. Mechanically, a purl is just a knit stitch done in reverse — you're moving through the stitch from right to left instead of left to right, and the yarn is held in front instead of behind. Once you have it, you unlock stockinette, ribbing, seed stitch, and almost every texture in knitting.

What the Purl Stitch Is (and Why It Exists)

Knitting only has two stitches: knit and purl. Every stitch in knitting is one or the other, or a combination. When you work a knit stitch, the loop on the needle leans away from you. When you purl, the loop leans toward you — the bump appears on the facing side.

This is why stockinette fabric is smooth on one side and bumpy on the other. The smooth side is all knit stitches. The bumpy side is all purl stitches. You're making the same loops — just approaching them from opposite directions on alternating rows.

Garter stitch (knit every row) creates ridges on both sides because each row of knit creates a purl bump on the other side. Once this clicks, you'll start to understand every knitted texture by asking: which side am I seeing?

How to Purl — English Style

English style means you hold the working yarn in your right hand. Here's how to purl a stitch:

Bring the working yarn to the front of your work — in front of the needle, between the two needles. This is different from knitting, where the yarn stays in back.

Insert the right needle into the front of the first stitch on the left needle, going from right to left (right needle tip enters from the right side of the stitch, exits to the left). For a knit stitch you go left to right — this is the opposite.

Wrap the working yarn counterclockwise around the right needle tip. You're going under the needle, then over — the same direction as a knit stitch wrap, just with the needle pointing a different way.

Pull the right needle tip backward (away from you and to the right), pulling the new loop through the stitch on the left needle.

Slide the original stitch off the left needle. You've made a purl stitch.

The key difference from a knit stitch: the yarn starts in front, the needle enters from right to left, and you pull the new loop toward you rather than away.

How to Purl — Continental Style

Continental purling is notoriously trickier than Continental knitting, but it's absolutely learnable. The yarn is held in your left hand throughout.

Bring the working yarn to the front, held by your left index finger as usual — but positioned in front of the work.

Insert the right needle into the stitch from right to left, just like English.

Using your right needle tip, scoop down and under the yarn held on your left finger, catching it and pulling it through the stitch. The motion is a downward swoop — the right needle goes down, catches the yarn from below, and pulls back through.

Slide the stitch off the left needle.

Continental purling feels awkward at first because the catching motion requires the needle tip to move in a counterintuitive direction. Slow down and exaggerate the downward scoop. It will feel mechanical for a few rows and then become automatic.

Some Continental knitters use Norwegian purl instead — a different yarn path that many find easier. It's worth looking up once you're comfortable with basic Continental knitting.

Common Purl Mistakes

Inserting the needle the wrong way

The most common beginner mistake is inserting the right needle the same way as a knit stitch — left to right — when purling. This twists the stitch. Your finished stitches will be tighter and the fabric will look slightly off. If your purl rows look different from your knit rows in a way that's hard to describe, check your needle entry direction.

Letting the yarn fall behind before wrapping

If the working yarn slips to the back of the needle before you wrap it, you'll either drop the yarn or create an accidental yarn over. Keep the yarn in front throughout the entire purl motion, right until the stitch is complete.

Dropping the yarn wrap

When you pull the right needle through the stitch, it's easy to lose the yarn wrap before it clears the stitch. Go slowly and watch the new loop form. Once you can feel when the new loop has fully pulled through, you won't drop it.

Tight purl rows

Many knitters purl tighter than they knit, which causes stockinette fabric to pucker on the purl side. If this is happening, try using a needle one size larger for purl rows, or consciously loosen your tension when purling. The tension should feel the same as when you knit.

What Stockinette Looks Like from the Purl Side

The back of a stockinette swatch — the side facing away from you when you work purl rows — is entirely purl bumps. It looks like alternating horizontal rows of interlocking bumps. This is reverse stockinette, and some patterns use it deliberately as the "right side."

If your stockinette looks bumpy on what should be the smooth side, you may be purling on the right side when you should be knitting, or your pattern is working reverse stockinette intentionally. Check the pattern instructions for which row is the right side (RS) row.