The knit stitch and the purl stitch are the two basic stitches used in knitting. These stitches can be used in endless combinations to produce patterns. It is very important to master BOTH of these stitches in order to produce fun, unique pieces that will stand out from what others create!
KNIT STITCH
The knit stitch is where I recommend beginners to start. The first knitting project I ever created was a scarf. I started by casting 35 stitches on a size 6, 4mm bamboo straight needle (I prefer bamboo because they’re soft and more comfortable to hold – in my opinion). I used a pastel yellow colored yarn so I could easily see if I made any errors. For the entire scarf, I only used the knit stitch until I felt comfortable in my abilities. Ultimately, my scarf ended up with many holes and the width was inconsistent due to a number of dropped stitches. However, this is the process I recommend for beginners until they feel comfortable to move on.
PURL STITCH
The purl stitch is where I recommend the beginner to move on to once they feel they have mastered the knit stitch. The interesting thing about a purl stitch is that it is almost the same steps to a knit stitch.. it just feels like some of the steps are backwards. You’ll understand what I mean after watching the tutorial linked below. Much like making an entire scarf out of a knit stitch for practice, I highly recommend this be done for the purl stitch until you become comfortable. I understand it will feel redundant and maybe a little boring, but it will help you immensely in the long run!
If you haven’t already noticed.. I tend to use A LOT of videos from a YouTube account called Sheep & Stitch. Definitely check them out for tutorials and tons of other knitting content if you need more info!
