In the world of knitting, stitches are really grounded in one of two things: knitting and purling. Last month, we learned how to knit; this month, we're going to learn to purl. We're also going to learn another method of casting on, because I'm betting a lot of us found the Loop Cast-on kind of a pain.

Knitting On

I find myself using this cast on a lot. It doesn't require a long tail, so there's not a lot of guesswork to it. It creates something of a firm edge, which is good for a number of projects, and the stitches are much easier to work with, but it can be worked a bit too tightly, if you're not careful. All in all, though, I find this a good casual cast on.

Knitted Cast On

Start with a slipknot. Place it on the LH needle, with the working yarn facing the tip. Knit into the slipknot. Instead of leaving the new loop on the RH needle, return it to the LH needle, front to back. (Think of the RH needle like your thumb in the Loop Cast On, the needle tip correlating to the tip of your thumb; transfer the stitch in the same base-of-thumb fashion.)

Continue working in this manner, knitting into the newly created-and-transferred stitch, until you have the number of stitches you want.

Try not too work this cast on too tightly; it should feel a bit looser than your regular knit rows. I try not to tighten the loop at all until I've got the RH needle in place to make another stitch; this helps me maintain a more uniform looseness.

Purling

A lot of knitters aren't fans of purling, and I can understand why. Generally speaking, it's a more complicated stitch, at least in terms of the movements involved. It can slow down your rhythm. But, unless you want to knit everything in either garter stitch or in the round, and you don't mind missing out on all of the fancy and fun stitch patterns, you're gonna have to purl. But don't worry; it's not nearly as bad as people like to think it is.

The Purl Stitch (in the Continental method)

Move the yarn to the front of the work. Insert the RH needle into the front leg of the loop, right to left. Move the working yarn between the needles, top to bottom. Pull the loop through and move the new loop to the RH needle.

Important! When you move the yarn to the front (or the back) of your work, always do it between and beneath the needles, never over them. If the yarn moves over the needles, you'll end up with an extra stitch, which you don't want.

The Purl Stitch (in the English method)

Move the yarn to the front of the work. Insert the RH needles into the front leg of the loop, right to left. Wrap the working yarn over the RH needle (and between the RH and LH needles), pull through, and move the new loop to the RH needle.

Important! When you move the yarn to the front )or the back) of your work, always do it between and beneath the needles, never over them. If the yarn moves over the needles, you'll end up with an extra stitch, which you don't want.

Purling and Knitting (in the Combined Method)

For fun, I've made a video showing I knit in the Combined method of knitting. It's basically like Continental, except you wrap the yarn backwards when working purls. This makes stitches sit oddly, and you have to compensate when you come around to them, and... well, just watch the video and see.