What is the difference between knit and purl?

A knit is a simple stitch that is done while knitting; a purl is the opposite of a knit stitch where the working yarn is held in front of the project, and the needle is inserted from the front to the back. A purl stitch can be recognized by looking at the back side of a knitted stitch.

To create a knit stitch, the yarn should be wrapped around the left-hand index finger and held in the back of the left-hand needle. The right-hand needle should be inserted into the first cast-on stitch that is being held in the left hand, from the back of the stitch. The yarn will be caught with the needle and will be pulled through the open stitch. The cast-on stitch should be slipped off of the left-hand needle and the resulting stitch on the right-hand needle will be a knit stitch.

To create a purl stitch, the yarn will be wrapped around the left-hand index finger and held in front of the left-hand needle, closer to the project. The other needle can be inserted into the front of the first cast-on stitch. The yarn will be caught in the same way and pulled off, leaving a purl stitch on the right-hand needle.