Step 2: Insert the right needle downward through the front leg of the stitch from right to left. Step 1: Hold the needle with your cast on stitches in your left hand, and bring the yarn to the front of your work. Note: This tutorial was written for right-handed knitters. We’ve condensed the instructions above into a text-only set of instructions to make it easy to practice the purl stitch! Use the steps below for a quick refresher on each step. Time to repeat! You now have one stitch on the right needle, the yarn is in front of your piece and you’re ready to repeat Steps 1-4 until you’ve purled all of your stitches! Purl Stitch Text Tutorial Next, you’ll practice keeping your yarn tension consistent so that you’re making smooth, even stitches. It’s important to pay close attention to how your yarn is wrapped to avoid twisting your stitches (more on that later in this tutorial!). Since purling is a foundational technique, it doesn’t get much easier! The first step is getting the hang of wrapping the yarn around your needles.

In the later sections, we also share some common ways to fix stitches that are too tight or loose before digging into the difference between knit and purls.

In this step-by-step tutorial, we’re going to teach you how to purl for beginners! We have a handy video, photo tutorial, and written steps to get you started and help you practice purling beyond the first row. Once you know how to knit and purl, you’ll have all the skills you need to knit the ribbing stitch, seed stitch, stockinette stitch, and more! Learning how to purl stitch is the second basic stitch in knitting! In fact, knit and purl stitches are the first skills you need to learn in order to make any of the other patterns.

Duplicate stitch