Learning the purl stitch completes the only two stitches that are involved
Learning the purl stitch completes the only two stitches that are involved in creating all knitted fabrics. It is the combination of "knit one row, purl one row" on straight needles that result in the creation of the tradtional stockinette stitch fabric that we all know.
Students are asked to cast on ten stitches and do 8 to 10 rows. Then they are taught to purl. After purling 8 to 10 rows, their sample should look like the one shown. There are two things to note. First by purling every row, you also get garter stitch. Should you prefer purling to knitting, you can almost always substitute purling.The second thing to note is the gap about half way up where the switch was made to purling every row. That small gap is stockinette stitch. In order to get stockinette fabric, it is necessary to alternate knitting one row and purling one row for the desired length.
