purl stitch

noun

: a knitting stitch usually made with the yarn at the front of the work by inserting the right needle into the front of a loop on the left needle from the right, catching the yarn with the right needle, and bringing it through to form a new loop compare knit stitch

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

Knitting is a binary language, and even the most intricate designs are mostly composed of two simple elements—a knit stitch (which looks like a flat V) and a purl stitch (which looks like a bumpy wave). —Sandra Gutierrez G., Popular Science, 13 Nov. 2020

In 1758, Jedediah Strutt of the English city of Derby invented a way to incorporate the contrasting purl stitch and produce ribbed stockings. —Virginia Postrel, WSJ, 17 Dec. 2021

Over the course of the class, participants learn to cast on, the knit and purl stitches, how to bind off and seam up a cowl. —Lake County News-Sun, 18 Sep. 2017

Word History

Etymology

purl entry 1

First Known Use

1852, in the meaning defined above