Unraveling the Mystery: Anatomy of Knit Stitches – Understanding the Difference Between Knit And Purl Stitches

When beginning to learn how to knit, you must first learn the fundamental stitches, and knit and purl stitches are the building blocks of countless knitting patterns. In this post, we’ll unravel the mystery behind these stitches, exploring why the beloved stockinette fabric tends to curl and highlighting the distinctive characteristics of knit and purl. Watch the video below to learn even more.

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The Basics of Knit and Purl Stitches:

Before delving into the intricacies of stockinette and the curling phenomenon, let’s first understand the fundamental nature of knit and purl stitches.

Knit Stitch
The knit stitch is the foundation of knitting, creating a smooth and flat surface on one side, often referred to as the “right side.” To execute a knit stitch, the yarn is inserted from the front to the back through the loop on the needle, forming a new loop.

Purl Stitch:
In contrast, the purl stitch creates a bumpy texture on the right side of the fabric. To purl, the yarn is brought to the front, inserted from back to front through the loop on the needle, and a new loop is formed.

Understanding Stockinette and the Curling Dilemma

Now, let’s tackle the enigma of the stockinette stitch and its tendency to curl. Stockinette is created by alternating rows of knit and purl stitches. While this stitch pattern produces a smooth surface on one side, it has a distinctive habit of curling at the edges.

The reason behind this curling phenomenon lies in the inherent nature of knit and purl stitches.

If you can believe it, knit stitches tend to be short and wide, while purl stitches are narrow and tall. While their appearance may seem like the complete opposite, the picture above helps to illustrate this point. The left swatch is a garter swatch made with knit stitches, while the right is a garter swatch made with all purls. Both have the same number of stitches and rows and are made with the same needle size. As you can see, the knit swatch is much shorter than the purl stitch swatch. Due to this difference in the size of stitches, the wider knit stitch pushes the stockinette fabric backward and causes the bane of our existence – the stockinette curl.

Balancing Act

So how do you prevent the curling? It’s all about finding that sweet spot of harmony. When we keep things in balance, the tension evens out, bidding farewell to that pesky curl. The easiest way to prevent curling in your fabrics is to ensure a balanced mix of knit and purl stitches. Whether you’re crafting a garter edging (like the photo above) with knits on both sides for equilibrium or employing a ribbed edge with an even number of knits and purls, the key is consistency. By evening out your stitch count or maintaining the same stitch on both sides of your fabric, you’ll achieve uniformity in stitch size throughout your project and a flat fabric.

Now that you understand the difference between the knit and purl stitch and why fabrics can curl. You can take this knowledge when creating projects to make better choices. If you’d like to see more, watch the video below. Happy Knitting!

If you’d like me to explore a specific knitting topic, leave a comment below.

Video Tutorial

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