Here's your next challenge - moving between knitting and purling.

You've got to do it right, or else you'll end up with a big munched-up tangle that won't look like anything at all.

Ribbing – Switching Between Knitting and Purling

Grab the swatch that you’ve been practicing on, and work along with the video as I show you how to move between the two kinds of stitches.

The fabric that you’ve just created – the combination of alternating single knit and purl stitches, is called ribbing, and you may recognize it as the stretchy weave the you find on almost every sweatshirt or sweater cuff and collar.

This particular pattern is called “1×1 Rib” or “K1P1 Rib.”

In the same vein, if you were to knit two stitches and then purl two stitches, that pattern would be called “2×2 Rib” or “K2P2 Rib.”

You are going to delve deeper into learning how the rib stitch works, what it’s good for, and much more on your first project: a ribbed scarf.

Examining 1×1 Rib

The simple but elegant ribbed scarf you will be making is the perfect introduction to the intermediate skills of choosing the right yarn, reading your work, and fixing your mistakes.

We’ve got the first one covered – let’s practice the latter two skills before we start the real thing. Still practicing on your swatch, let’s take a closer look at the anatomy of knit and purl stitches – we’ll also examine how ribbed fabric behaves, and why.

Reading Your Work

Work a few more rows, and then watch the next video, where I show you how to recognize where you are and what you just did when you lose track (also known as “reading your work”).

As you continue to knit on your swatch, practicing the 1×1 rib, hopefully you will make some mistakes – that is, that you will purl where you should have knitted or knit where you should have purled.

You might also forget to move your yarn to the front or the back of your work when you should. This gives us a great opportunity to learn. If you haven’t made any mistakes, well, just make some on purpose! ;)