Every knitting pattern, from a simple scarf to a cabled sweater, is built from two stitches: knit and purl. Once you know those two, the rest is about combining them, adding stitches and taking them away.
This guide walks through the stitches you will meet most often in free patterns. I explain how each one is worked, what the fabric looks like and what it is good for. Keep it open next to a pattern and come back whenever a term looks unfamiliar.
Getting Started: Casting On and Binding Off
Long-tail cast on
The long-tail cast on is the one most patterns assume. It gives a neat, slightly stretchy edge that suits hats, scarves and blankets.
- Leave a long tail of yarn. A common rule of thumb is about 1 inch (2.5 cm) of tail per stitch for medium-weight yarn, plus a little extra.
- Make a slip knot and place it on your needle. This counts as your first stitch.
- Hold the tail over your thumb and the working yarn over your index finger.
- Take the needle up through the loop on your thumb, over the yarn on your index finger, and back down through the thumb loop.
- Drop the thumb loop and gently tighten. Repeat until you have the number of stitches your pattern asks for.
Binding off
Binding off (called casting off in UK patterns) locks your stitches so they do not unravel.
- Knit 2 stitches.
- Lift the first stitch over the second and off the right needle.
- Knit 1 more stitch and lift the previous one over it again.
- Repeat until one stitch is left. Cut the yarn and pull the tail through that last loop.
If your bind-off edge feels tight, try a needle one or two sizes larger for that row only.
The Two Basic Stitches
Knit stitch (k)
- Hold the needle with stitches in your left hand, yarn at the back.
- Insert the right needle into the first stitch from front to back, going from left to right.
- Wrap the yarn around the right needle counterclockwise.
- Pull the new loop through the stitch toward you.
- Slide the old stitch off the left needle.
On the side facing you, a knit stitch looks like a small “V”.
Purl stitch (p)
- Bring the yarn to the front of your work.
- Insert the right needle into the front of the first stitch from right to left.
- Wrap the yarn around the right needle counterclockwise.
- Push the new loop back through the stitch, away from you.
- Slide the old stitch off the left needle.
A purl stitch is the back of a knit stitch. On the side facing you, it looks like a small horizontal bump.
Basic Stitch Patterns
Garter stitch
How: knit every row when working flat. In the round, alternate one knit round and one purl round.
Garter stitch makes a squishy fabric with raised ridges. It lies flat, does not curl and looks the same on both sides. Each ridge takes two rows. It is the classic first project stitch and works well for scarves, dishcloths and baby blankets.
Stockinette stitch (stocking stitch)
How: knit the right-side rows and purl the wrong-side rows when working flat. In the round, knit every round.
Stockinette gives the smooth surface of little “V” shapes that most people picture when they think of knitting. The back shows rows of purl bumps. The edges curl, so patterns usually add a border of garter or ribbing. You will see stockinette in most sweaters, socks and hats.
Ribbing (1×1 and 2×2)
How: for 1×1 rib, alternate k1, p1. For 2×2 rib, alternate k2, p2. On the next row, knit the knit stitches and purl the purl stitches as they face you.
Ribbing forms vertical columns and pulls in, which makes it very stretchy. That is why it shows up on hat brims, cuffs, sock tops and sweater hems. Remember to move the yarn between front and back each time you switch from knit to purl.
Seed stitch
How: alternate k1, p1. On the next row, purl the stitches that look like knits and knit the stitches that look like purls. With an odd number of stitches, every row is simply k1, p1, ending with k1.
Seed stitch has a bumpy, textured look, lies flat and is reversible. In UK patterns, this same stitch is called moss stitch, so check where your designer is based.
Moss stitch (US)
How: work 2 rows of k1, p1 rib. Then shift the pattern for 2 rows, so knits sit above purls and purls above knits. Repeat those 4 rows.
US moss stitch is a taller cousin of seed stitch with a more checkered texture. It is also flat and reversible.
Increases
Increases add stitches to shape a piece, such as the crown of a hat working outward or a sleeve getting wider.
- Knit front and back (kfb): knit into a stitch but leave it on the left needle, then knit into the back loop of the same stitch. You turn 1 stitch into 2. It leaves a small bar, which is easy to see.
- Make 1 left (m1L): with the left needle, lift the horizontal strand between two stitches from front to back, then knit it through the back loop. It leans left and is almost invisible.
- Make 1 right (m1R): lift the strand from back to front, then knit it through the front loop. It leans right.
- Yarn over (yo): bring the yarn over the right needle before the next stitch. It adds a stitch and leaves a small decorative hole, which is the basis of lace and eyelets.
Decreases
Decreases remove stitches to shape a piece, such as the top of a hat or a sock toe.
- Knit 2 together (k2tog): insert the right needle into the next 2 stitches as if to knit and knit them as one. It leans right.
- Slip, slip, knit (ssk): slip 2 stitches one at a time as if to knit, put the left needle into the front of both, and knit them together. It leans left and mirrors k2tog.
- Purl 2 together (p2tog): purl the next 2 stitches as one. Common on wrong-side rows.
- Slip 1, knit 1, pass slipped stitch over (skp or sl1-k1-psso): another left-leaning decrease, slightly looser than ssk.
Patterns often pair k2tog and ssk on opposite edges so the shaping looks even.
A Step Further: Cables and Slipped Stitches
Cables look complex but use only knit and purl. You move a few stitches onto a cable needle, hold them in front or behind your work, knit the next stitches, then knit the ones on the cable needle. Holding them in front makes the cable lean left. Holding them behind makes it lean right.
Slipped stitches move a stitch to the right needle without working it. They create texture, colorwork without carrying two yarns, and neat edges along the sides of a scarf.
Knitting Abbreviations Quick Reference
These are the abbreviations you will see most often in English-language patterns. They follow the standards published by the Craft Yarn Council.
| Abbreviation | Meaning |
|---|---|
| BO | bind off |
| CO | cast on |
| dec | decrease |
| inc | increase |
| k | knit |
| k2tog | knit 2 stitches together (1 stitch decreased, leans right) |
| kfb | knit into the front and back of the same stitch (1 stitch increased) |
| m1L / m1R | make 1 left / make 1 right (1 stitch increased) |
| p | purl |
| p2tog | purl 2 stitches together (1 stitch decreased) |
| pm | place marker |
| psso | pass slipped stitch over |
| rep | repeat |
| rnd(s) | round(s) |
| RS | right side |
| sl | slip a stitch without working it |
| sm | slip marker |
| ssk | slip, slip, knit (1 stitch decreased, leans left) |
| st(s) | stitch(es) |
| tbl | through the back loop |
| WS | wrong side |
| wyib / wyif | with yarn in back / with yarn in front |
| yo | yarn over (1 stitch increased, makes a small hole) |
How to Choose a Stitch for Your Project
- Want it to lie flat? Pick garter, seed or moss stitch.
- Need stretch? Pick ribbing for brims, cuffs and hems.
- Want a smooth surface? Pick stockinette, and add a non-curling border.
- Want texture with little effort? Seed stitch is all knits and purls.
- Want to show off? Try a simple cable once you are comfortable with knit and purl.
Fixing Common Mistakes
- A dropped stitch: use a crochet hook to pull the loop back up through each horizontal strand, one row at a time.
- Extra stitches appearing: this usually happens when the yarn sits over the needle at the start of a row, so the first stitch looks like two. Count your stitches every few rows.
- Twisted stitches: if a stitch sits with its back leg in front of the needle, knit it through the back loop to untwist it, or turn it the right way before working.
Ready to put these stitches to work? My beginner knitting roundups collect free patterns that use only the stitches on this page.