purl

A purl is a knit stitch made by inserting the needle through a loop from front to back, then drawing yarn through to the opposite side. This reverses the direction of a regular knit stitch, producing a bump or ridge on the face of the fabric rather than a smooth V. When you purl, you are working against the natural grain of the yarn loop, which is why the stitch looks and feels different.

In hand knitting, purling requires the knitter to hold yarn in front of the needle instead of behind it. Machine knitting achieves the purl effect by reversing needle action or by using specialized cam mechanisms that switch stitch direction mid-row. The purl stitch is not decorative filler: it is a fundamental structural stitch that appears in ribbing, garter stitch (alternating knit and purl rows), seed stitch, and countless color and texture patterns. Experienced knitters use purl as deliberately as they use knit, choosing which stitches to use based on the desired final appearance and stretch of the fabric.

Why the name, and how it sits in the trade

The word purl derives from obsolete English for a twisted thread or a loop, related to pearl. Early knitting manuals referred to it as "purle" or "purl." The term has remained stable across centuries and languages (similar forms exist in German and Dutch), which is unusual for textile terminology and reflects how foundational this stitch is to the craft.

Purling is slower than knitting on hand needles, which is one reason why hand-knitted ribbed garments cost more than stockinette (knit-only) pieces. Machine knitters and industrial operations minimize purl work where possible, reserving it for edges, cuffs, and panels where the texture or elasticity is worth the production cost. Tension must be held consistently across purl rows to avoid loose or bunched fabric, a skill that separates reliable operators from careless ones.