How did you Learn to Purl?

By Tara, on May 11th, 2010

In the 5 months since introducing the Learn to Knit Kit, I have met a lot of newbie knitters. And many of them, right after finishing their first project, are ready to learn to purl.

With A Novel Yarn, I taught a Learn to Purl class, filled with everyone from my Learn to Knit classes. Teaching the class and going over every step of the process, taught me a lot about the stitch.

I watched the students and asked them about their experiences.
I thought about my own purling experience.

And I wondered: Is everyone’s Learn to Purl experience different from their Learn to Knit experience?

So I’d like to hold a little survey and collect Learn to Purl stories.

In the comments, please share:

How did you learn to purl?
How long after learning to knit, did you learn to purl?
Did you find it more or less difficult?

I’ll analyze your responses and report back next week!
(If you’d rather not share publicly, feel free to email me – blondechickenboutiqueATyahoo)

http://thatyarnstore.blogspot.com/ Thea

I learned purling by laying out three different knitting books, and comparing the instructions. Looking back it would have been easier to learn if I had taken a lesson. I think I must have learned how to knit as a kid because when someone showed me how to do a knit stitch I caught on really quickly.
http://blondechicken.blogspot.com blondechicken

Thanks for sharing!
How much time do you think passed from learning to knit and learning to purl?
Tara

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http://www.happyfuzzyyarn.com Riin

I learned how to purl the same way I learned how to knit. I taught myself from a book. Both knitting and purling took months to figure out (I realized later that it was a really poorly written book. The instructions skipped steps). Once I got knitting and purling down, I figured I was ready to roll. Then came ribbing, and it wasn't at all clear at what point I was supposed to move the yarn from the front to the back and vice versa. Took me another couple of months to figure out.
http://www.vividcreationfibers.com Melissa

I learned to purl very soon after I learned to knit. Maybe a month or less. I taught myself from a learn to knit book but I didn't pay close enough attention to the instructions and for about a year I wrapped my purl stitches backwards. Thankfully I wised up one day and was able to reteach myself the correct way!
http://www.vividcreationfibers.com Melissa

I learned to purl very soon after I learned to knit. Maybe a month or less. I taught myself from a learn to knit book but I didn't pay close enough attention to the instructions and for about a year I wrapped my purl stitches backwards. Thankfully I wised up one day and was able to reteach myself the correct way!
http://vtknitboy.blogspot.com/ vtknitboy

i learned purling months after knitting (this is when i was 11, i'm 46 now). now that i'm much older, been knitting since 11, and teaching many people, i really feel that setting up the purl as a different thing, this “hard” thing puts up this block in people's mind that it IS hard, and that they SHOULD have difficulty doing it! i used to teach k first, p later, but now i do both at the same time & overall i think people pick up both faster.

i learned this lesson after teaching a spinning workshop on cotton. i started off saying spinning cotton was hard, and yada yada yada. feedback after said i shouldn't put up parameters of difficulty, etc. it was good feedback for me! i carry that over to teaching knitting. i make it fun, easy going (now) and the results are better.
Clare Livingston

I am a little puzzled by the current purl topic – it's come up in conversation and there are books about it. When did I learn to purl? Right after I knit my first row, and a long time ago. I am not a great knitter, but my teacher surely was, and that is how she taught. Do I like to purl as much as to knit? No. That is why we have circular needles.
Thanks.
Clare

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