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How to Purl Backward, or Knit Garter Stitch without Turning

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How to purl backward to knit garter stitch without turning.I’ve been working on this sweater for my daughter since before Christmas, and I thought I was almost done (she decided she wanted it 4 inches longer, but that’s a post for another day). The last detail is three little button tabs worked in Garter Stitch.

They’re just 8 stitches across, so I thought this would be a fun time to try knitting Garter Stitch backward, without turning the work.

I will tell you I can’t work back from the right hand needle to the left with the speed that I can knit, turn and knit some more, but it’s a fun mental challenge anyway.

It’s a pretty easy technique once you can get your mind and your hands around it.

Insert the left-hand needle into the stitch from left to right, wrap the yarn counter-clockwise around the needle, pull the new stitch under and to the back and slide the old stitch off the right-hand needle.

I know, doesn’t sound that easy. It totally is when you get the hang of it, I promise. I made a video to help explain.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5UHyu7IECM&w=560&h=315]

Would you try this technique or have you used it before? I’d love to know what you think.

Also, I may make the videos a regular thing, so if there are topics you would like to see, please let me know!

Want to learn garter stitch? Check out this tutorial on Garter stitch Knitting. We also have these articles to help you find garter stitch patterns.

Start the Year with Easy Garter Stitch Knitting Patterns

Garter Stitch Knitting Patterns for New Knitters

A Simple Chunky Garter Stitch Sweater

Learn How to Knit Stripes in Garter Stitch with the Brightside Cowl

 

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Comments

  2. I learned the technique of knitting backwards from a course on Craftsy called “Improve your knitting”. It was taught by Patty Lyons, from the Lyon brand yarn company. It was pretty mind blowing at first to catch on. I find the skill of purling backwards very helpful when turning heals on socks. It saves time when you don’t have to flip your work around so often. I seem to have a better tension purling backwards, too. Keep those needles clicking. 😉

  3. I agree it looks not very fast. I think I will do better just turning. I’m going to try it though, because I love trying new things. Thanks for the video. 🙂

Have you read?

Embellish Your Knit Dishcloth with Flowers

One great thing to knit when the weather is warm (or honestly any other time) is dishcloths and washcloths. They are fun and easy projects and a great way to play with new skills. Pretty washcloths make cleaning a tiny bit more fun, and they’re great to have on hand as a quick addition to a store-bought gift. 

The Daisy Delight Dishcloth from Yarnspirations is a fun one for using leftover bits of green in your cotton yarn stash. What looks like the bottom in the picture is actually the left side as you knit it, and each little color section is worked with its own ball of yarn, intarsia style. 

That’s a little fiddly for a washcloth, but the effect is cute, and it’s a simple way to learn the basics of intarsia knitting (as well as reading a chart) if you don’t already have those skills. 

One the knitting is done, you add the flowers with a bit of lazy daisy embroidery, which is really easy to do even if you’re not that into embroidery. You could also potentially add flowers in duplicate stitch if you’d rather. 

This may be the most work you’ve put into a dishcloth, but isn’t it adorable? It would be fun to use as a hand towel through the spring and summer, and if you already have some leftover green yarn from other projects it should be pretty easy to do. 

You could also take this same concept and make it different colors. All dark green stems with stars on top might be reminiscent of Christmas trees, or brown with daisy stitch on top in different colors could be trees in the fall. 

However you stitch it, this looks like a fun little project for knitters who are comfortable with intarsia and reading charts or who are ready to try those skills. 

You can grab the free pattern from Yarnspirations. 

[Photo: Yarnspirations]

Book Review – Dishcloths for Special Days [Knitting]

Book Review – Holiday Knit Dishcloths