Knitting Stitches For Beginners (aka what on Earth is a knit and purl?!)

There are a lot of paths to choose when learning to knit, but beginners need only know one stitch to start with, the Knit stitch. Once you have practiced that for a bit you can learn the second one, the purl stitch. Then the confusion might set in as you try to tell the difference. Perhaps you pick up your knitting and think, 'is this a purl row or a knit row?' or 'what stitch comes next?' If you're anything like me I used to have to try a few stitches (I mean it's a 50/50 chance you'll get it right isn't it?) and then if I was right I'd continue along happily, if I was wrong I'd unpick three or four stitches and start over. But let's not even go there. You need a 100% chance of getting it right first time, not a 50% chance. You really can learn to tell the difference. Believe me, it's easier than you might think! If you're on the look out for some beginner patterns, see the collection here in the Knit With Hannah Pattern shop: