Stitches

Does knitting make a purl stitch and purling make a knit stitch ?

when i'm knitting it looks like little bumps going across, i've heard that that's a purl stitch. i thought purling would make a purl stitch and knitting make a knit stitch ??

Public Comments

1. The smooth flat side is the knit stitch, and the bumpy side is the purl.
2. if you knit EVERY row then both sides of your work will look like 'little bumps' going across but with a slight gap between rows. This is called garter stitch. If you knit one row and then purl one row then one side will look like lots of v's (the knit side) and the other side will look like bumps (purl side) This is called stockinette stitch.
3. Early knitting was done in-the-round. Knit, knit, knit, knit .... all smooth on the outside with even horizontal ridges on the inside (stockinette or "plain knit"). If you put the yarn to the near side and pulled a loop through to the other side, away from you, it created a purl/pearl bump. Purl stitching was used sparingly to create subtle patterns. Back-and-forth knitting is a later development, simple patterns: knit every row = garter stitch purl every row *also* = garter stitch knit a row, purl a row, knit a row, purl a row, etc. = stockinette The terms "knit" and "purl" pre-date back-and-forth knitting.
4. Garter stitch, where you knit or purl every row (not alternate rows of one then the other) produces what look like ridges of little bumps or bricks. This is because you always use the same face of the stitch in each row. When you alternate rows then you get one fabric face that looks like columns of Vs, this is the knitted side, and rows of bumps (they actually look to me like running bond brickwork), which is the purl face, this is stockinette or stocking stitch. When you want ribbing you alternate knit and purl stitches in the same row and then when you turn to knit the other face, you knit where the V stitches are below the needle, and purl where the bumps are below the needle. Textured knitting patterns are based on the different appearance of these two stitches. BTW, the difference in the appearance of these two stitches is the reason that stockinette rolls. The geometry of the stitches is different. Purl stitches are more square, knit stitches are vertically rectangular. The yarn wants the shapes to be the same and to use the same amount of yarn in each stitch so it tries to even itself out, pulling the fabric to relax itself into an even shape, which causes rolling. This is why stockinette knit pieces intended to remain flat--scarves or afghans--always need a border of a non-rolling stitch like garter or moss stitch. Stockinette pieces intended to be sewn together, like sweaters, have the roll cancelled by the seaming because the individual pieces want to roll in different directions. This is also how one gets rolled hems or necklines on sweaters or rolled brims on hats, you just don't put a border on those edges.
5. the knit stitch and purl stitch are opposites of each other ,the purl stitch is a backward knit stitch and the knit stitch is a backward purl stitch. if you do all rows of purl it comes up garter stitch , if you do all knit stitches it also comes up in garter stich. if you do one row of knit and then the next row of purl then you have the opposites showing as stockinette stitch, and will be able to determine which is knit and which is purl.
6. Purl and knit are the same stitch just reversed. So, when you knit, it's smooth on one side and bumpy on the other. So when you turn it around it looks like purl. If you want it all smooth or all bumpy, do stockinette stitch. This is when you knit one row and purl one row. Just knitting every row is called garter. http://paroxysm-camila.blogspot.com/
7. knitting every row would create garter stitch which youll see bumps all the way across. knit one row and purl one row would create stocking stitch (st st)
8. when you are knitting it will look the outside of your sweater. When you are purling it will look the inside of the sweater. So the little bumps indicate you are purling.