The basics of knitting can be summed-up in two stitches: the knit stitch and the purl stitch. A basic pattern in knitting has stitches from the “right side” (knit stitch) and from the “wrong side” (purls stitch). In this article, you will find basic instructions for knitting these two stitches. Once you have understood how to cast on, you can move on to trying out the following instructions for the knit stitch as well as the purl stitch.

The Knit Stitch
Once the casting on work is done, you can begin to knit stitches from back to front.  The knit stitch is the most basic stitch in knitting. Not only is it the easiest to learn, it is also the first step to learning any of the other more complex stitches.

Holding the needle with the stitches that you cast on in your left hand you must place the tip of the other needle between the first and the second stitch.

Now push this needle, from under the needle in you left hand, into the first stitch. Once you have the tip of the needle peeking out from under the left needle and through the first stitch, loop the yarn around the tip of the right needle from back to front.

To proceed, carefully pull the yarn out of the first stitch and the needle in the front and let the old stitch slip off the left needle. Be sure to let the yarn loose at this point or else, it could leave gaps in your fabric. Continue the process until you have shifted all the stitches off the left needle to the right needle.

The Purl Stitch:

Once you have understood the knit stitch, it becomes easy to pick up the purl and get creative with your fabric! The purl stitch is the exact opposite of the knit stitch. 

With the knitting needle with the stitches on in your left hand, push the tip of the right needle into the first stitch at the front. Looping the yarn over the right needle, you must bring it right back to the front from over both the needles.

Move the right needle such that it takes on the new stitch and drops the old one. Now drop the old stitch off the left needle as well.

Be sure to move the right needle from front to back. Once again, continue this until you have shifted all the stitches off the left needle to the right needle.

Now that you know the two basic stitches, get those needles out and get creative with your pattern. Once you are comfortable with the stitches, you can even try combinations of the two kinds.