42 Knit and Purl Stitches:  
How to Make Them...What to Do With Them?

Knit and Purl Stitches   by Janice Jones    

If you are just getting started with knitting, you'll be glad to know that there are truly only two stitches that you must master before you can make beautiful projects for the home or for yourself.  What are they?  

Knit Stitches and Purl Stitches are the fundamental building blocks of knitting.  Once you've master them, there's no stopping you.

In this article, I will be reviewing both the knit and purl stitch and then showing you how to combine them to make interesting textured fabrics such as ribbing, cables, lace and textured stitches.  

Knit and Purl Stitches:  Directory

If you'd like to jump right into the stitches, here are the ones currently available on this site, or, continue scrolling and reading for a complete tutorial about all knit and purl stitches.

Andalusian knit stitch worked in whiteAndalusian Stitch
Knit bamboo stitch closeup (350-234 px)Bamboo Stitch
The bamboo rib knit stitch pattern worked in a green 100% wool, thumbnail 350-234 px Bamboo Rib Knit Stitch Pattern
Knit basketweave stitch (350 px by 234 px) closeup viewBasketweave Stitch
Right side showing of the beaded rib stitch swatch, thumbnailBeaded Knit Rib Stitch
Broken rib swatch worked in white yarn (right side)Broken Rib knit Stitch
Box knit stitch swatch in read yarn, thumbnail imageBox Check Stitch
Knit bumpy stitch pattern worked in tealBumpy Stitch
Knit close check pattern worked in greenClose Check Knit Stitch
The double moss knit stitch swatch, 350-234pxDouble Moss Knit Stitch
Fleck knit stitch pattern worked in an off white cotton yarn.Fleck Stitch
Grid stitch closeup 350x234pxGrid Stitch
The knit Flying Geese pattern worked in dark tealFlying Geese Knit Stitch
Interrupted Rib Knit Stitch, Thumbnail image, 350-234pxInterrupted Rib Knit Stitch
Knit Iron Stitch worked in dark pinkIron Stitch
The knit linen stitch worked in a cream-colored yarnLinen Knit Stitch Pattern
Thumbnail image of the double alternate andalou knit stitch in yellowDouble Alternate Andalou Stitch
Knit drop stitch pattern Drop Stitch Garter Knit Stitch
Thumbnail photo of the Knit Flag Stitch worked in orange yarnFlag Stitch Knit Pattern
Thumbnail image of the granite lace knit stitch worked in a beige colored yarnGranite Lace Knit Stitch
The knit hurdle stitch pattern made with pink yarn.Hurdle Stitch
Fisherman's rib worked in pinkFisherman's Rib Stitch
Horizontal Knit Welt Stitch worked in a deep purl yarn 350px-234-pxHorizontal Welt Stitch
Mistake rib knit stitch thumb 350 x 234 px.Mistake Rib Knit Stitch
Knit moss stitch pattern worked in blueMoss Knit Stitch
The knit pique stitch pattern closeup viewPique Stitch
The pythagorean knit stitch thumbnailPythagorean
Roman knit rib stitch thumbnail 350-234pxRoman Knit Rib Stitch
Ridged rib knit stitch pattern thumbnail 350-234pxRidged Rib Stitch Pattern
Mock Ribbing Slip Stitch Knit Stitch Thumbnail, 350-234Mock Ribbing Slip Knit Stitch
a parallogram knit stitch thumbnailParallogram
Purl ridge knit pattern thumb size 350-234Purl Ridge Knit Pattern
Rice StitchRice Stitch
Knit sand stitch pattern worked in greenSand Stitch
Thumbnail of the seeded rib worked in whiteSeeded Rib Knit Stitch
Stockinette stitch closeup worked in blue yarnStockinette Stitch
Thermal knit stitch pattern thumbnail image 359-234pxThermal Knit Stitch Pattern
Knit seed stitch worked in white close up viewSeed Stitch
Seersucker knit stitch pattern worked in a thumbnail size 350-234 pxSeersucker Knit Stitch Pattern
Twisted rib stitch pattern thumbnail, 350-234pxTwisted Rib Knit Stitch
Knit waffle stitch Waffle Stitch
1 x 1 Rib worked in white yarn, close up view1x1 Ribbing
The knit waved welt stitch thumbnailWaved Welt
a 2x2 rib stitch worked in blue and thumbprint as 350-234 image2x2 Ribbing

Knit and Purl Stitches:  How to Make the Purl Stitch?

The Purl stitch is the other beginner stitch that one must master before moving on to all those beautiful textured stitches that are created using knit and purl stitches.

For a quick review or beginner tutorial, check out these articles:

Purl Stitch

Knit and Purl Stitches:  Endless Possibilities Await You When You Combine the Two Stitches

Rib Stitch

4x4-rib-photo.jpg

Rib stitches combine both knit and crochet stitches in the same row.  The most common types of ribs are used as cuffs around sleeves, at the bottom of sweaters, at the top of socks, mittens, or gloves, or around hats or caps.

There are endless possibilities for creating a rib stitch.  The two most common methods are the 1 x 1 and the 2 x 2 rib stitches.

The 1 x 1 or one by one rib is created by knitting one knit stitch followed by one purl stitch across the row.

The 2 x 2 or two by two rib is made by knitting two stitches followed by two purl stitches across the row.

More advanced rib stitches can include:

  • 5 x 1
  • 7 x 2
  • Garter rib stitch
  • Broken rib stitch
  • Beaded rib stitch
  • Seeded rib stitch

Learn more about the knitting rib stitches.

Thumbnail images of knit and purl stitches in a collage worked into a pin imageKnit and Purl Stitches

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About Janice

Hi, I’m Janice, the voice behind Smart-Knit-Crocheting. I love to knit and crochet and even more, I love teaching others what I know.

Though I learned to knit and crochet as a child, I didn’t get serious about these amazing hobbies until I retired. I’m a certified knit and crochet instructor through the Craft Yarn Council and am working on becoming a Master Hand Knitter through The Knitting Guild Association.

I’m currently living with my husband of over 50 years and our 6 Shih Tzu dogs.

I love hearing from you, so please drop me a line and let me know what you’re working on, whether you love knitting or crocheting more, and if you have any questions. Please visit my about me page for more information.


Happy Crocheting