Stitch Explainer - Knit Vs Purl Stitches - Anatomy of Knit Stitches - Solve Your Curling Knit Fabric

Okay so today we're going to talk about the anatomy of stitches. So what it means to be a knit stitch or a purl stitch, the difference between the two, and reasons for things that happen with them. So the first thing we'll talk about is the stockinette swatch. This is stockinette stitch on the right side and purls are worked on the wrong side. which means knits are worked. I have to put a border on it to help it lay flat. Why? Because knit stitches and purl stitches are actually different sizes. The best way that I can illustrate that is with these two swatches. These are a garter swatch made with knit stitches and a garter swatch made entirely of purl stitches, so they are both 16 stitches and 22 rows, and you can see there is a difference. I made them at the same time, it's not based on gauge, same needles, it is the stitch itself. So knit stitches are actually shorter and wider than purl stitches, which you know, you would think that knit stitches being these Vs that they seem very long and elongated, Purl bumps, you know, bumps, you just think shorter and wider, but it's the actual opposite. So when I made this garter swatch in knit, you can see it's much more dense and shorter than this one made in purl stitches. Another thing that helps to illustrate the difference in sizes is when you're looking at ribbing. So looking at this beanie, we have a Knit 2, Purl 2. edge. You'll notice the knits stick out in front of the purls. I could do purl two knit two or knit two, sorry, purl two knit two or knit two purl two, and I'm going to get the same result. Why? Because these little short fat knit stitches want to pop out in front of the purl stitches that are skinnier. They just kind of sit on top of them. Understanding how that works will help you When you're trying to figure out what a best stitch could be for something that you're making. So while... This information is not going to help you identify these stitches. It will help you to understand why certain things will happen when you knit. So if you knit just knit stitches, you're going to get a curly fabric because the stitches are all lined up. They're all the same size. Well, not really. The knit stitches on the front are the same size. The purl stitches on the back are the same size. So those knit stitches are, you know, creating this curling fabric because it wants to push it back because it's fatter than the purl stitches. So having a counterbalance like a garter stitch where you're knitting every single row, that means you have knits on both sides. So they're, they're evening themselves out so that you don't get a curl. Doing purls on every single row will give you flat because they're balancing each other out. That's why ribbing doesn't curl because it's got an equal number of both stitches. Basket weave, moss stitch, those types of stitches are equal number knits and purls even though they may be on the same side. It's helping to balance it out. Those are the basic stitches. Purls and knits and those make up a lot, not all. Knit, knit, different kinds of stitches. We have increases, yarn overs, decreases, all kinds of stuff, bobbles, but it's all kind of based off the basics of the knit and purl stitch. What does all that mean? Not a whole lot, but it's important to know about your stitches so that you can understand what you're making and why something may or may not be working. If you're designing it yourself and you're getting weird results, look at your stitch count. Are you even across? Is it pulling a certain way? Look at what you're creating and you may just be using too many knits or too many purls and causing something to happen that you don't want to happen but understanding that the knit stitches will always be little v's the purl stitches will always be little bumps but if you combine them you're going to get just pretty much bumps but if you pull this apart you'll see there are knit stitches in between so it's just the compression of it happening That it creates this fabric instead of something that maybe looks like this, if you did knit stitches on every single row. Okay, so now you've learned knit and purl stitches and why they do what they do. Keep on watching. Hit the notification bell for when the next tutorial comes out, where we will talk about how to count our rows. I am Deja with Knit and Crochet Ever After, and thank you for watching.