Once you've masted the knitting stitch, there's one more major hurdle until you've got this knitting thing down ... really! Every pattern stitch under the sun is made with two basic stitches: knitting and purling. Sure, sometimes they get a little fancier than the basics, and you can throw increases and decreases in to change the shape of your fabric, but let's not get ahead of ourselves.
Reverse Stockinette Stitch shows off purling, (c) Sarah E. White.Purling. Just as with knitting, there are two basic ways to purl: English and Continental. And, again, you'll probably want to try both to determine which one is more comfortable for you, though you'll probably want to stick with English purling if you prefer English knitting and likewise with Continental.
Either way, learning to purl is the gateway to a ton of different knitting stitches, from the basic workhorse Stockinette Stitch (which is just knitting on one side and purling on the other) to textures like ribbing and beyond.
Once you've got a handle on how to knit and purl well, check out some easy knitting projects, ranging from super-simple Garter and Stockinette projects to things with a little shaping or a slightly different but still easy stitch pattern to try. Start small, keep with it, and you're sure to have a new hobby you love in no time!
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