Glossary / Purl
pPurl
The reverse of the knit stitch, a small bump on the front.
How to work it
With yarn in front, insert the right needle back to front through the first stitch. Wrap the yarn, pull the loop through to the back, and slip the old stitch off. A purl is simply a knit stitch worked from the other side. Knits and purls together build ribbing, seed stitch, and stockinette.
Common confusions
Does p mean purl or picot?
In a knitting pattern, p is always purl. In a crochet pattern, p is usually picot. The two crafts reuse the same single letters for unrelated things, so the craft the pattern is written for settles it before the abbreviation does.
Why is purling slower than knitting?
Because the yarn has to come to the front and the hand motion is less direct, so almost everyone purls more slowly. It is not a sign you are doing it wrong. Continental and combination styles shorten the motion if the difference bothers you.
In other languages
| Language | Term | Abbreviation |
|---|---|---|
| English | Purl | p |
| Español | Punto del revés | r |
| Deutsch | Linke Masche | li |
| Français | Maille envers | env |
| Italiano | Maglia rovescio | no standard code |
| 日本語 | 裏目 | no standard code |
Guides that use this stitch
Related stitches
Keep your place while you work this stitch. Worsted counts your rows and rounds and remembers your spot in the pattern, for crochet and knitting.
Get Worsted