Purl - Continental Style

Well, I started the gauge piece. I'm supposed to knit 30 rows, but I can already see I'm at least too wide. 22 stitchs of stocking stitch by 30 rows should equal 4 inches, but my 22 stitches by about 8 rows is 4.5" wide. So I'm going to move down to the next smaller sized needle.

I also totally forgot how to purl!! I went to try and find my favorite page on how to continental purl, but I cannot find it! It was on about.com but now it doesn't seem to be there anyplace. I searched and searched. Then I began searching for an illustrated or photo tutorial for continental purl, but had a hard time finding anything that was helpful. I finally found a site called knittinghelp.com which has a bunch of little movies to watch on how to do the stitches. I knew something was wrong with my technique because when I went back to the knit side, the stitches were twisted and tight. So I asked ds2 to help me make my very own photo tutorial. Okay, first photo. I'm holding the yarn on the front side of my needle.

I asked ds to stand behind me and take the pictures... um, that's not exactly what I meant... can you see the hay in my hair??

Okay, insert the needle through the front of the stitch.

I'm using my thumb to hold the stitch in place.

So as to not confuse myself, I took a picture of the yarn in the down position, so that I will hopefully remember that it has to go up and over the needle.


Okay, take the yarn up over the needle (or the needle under the yarn, whichever way you prefer to think of it). This part is very important. If you do this the wrong way, once you turn to the other side to do your knit stitches, it will be difficult to get your needle into the stitch. If you find it is difficult, if it seems like the stitch is just too tight, you have probably done this part wrong.

Now take your needle over the yarn, then through the stitch on the needle.

It's kind of hard to see in this photo, but the yarn is wrapped snug around the needle, ready to be pulled through.



Until next time.