Crochet guide
Is there a purl stitch in crochet?
No. Purl is a knitting stitch, and ordinary crochet has no stitch of that name. The one stitch called purl is the Tunisian purl stitch, which belongs to Tunisian crochet. A few ordinary crochet stitches copy the look of knitted fabric instead.
What a purl stitch is
Purl is one of the two basic stitches of knitting. The other is the knit stitch. They are two sides of the same loop:
- from the front, a knit stitch looks like a small V;
- from the front, a purl stitch shows as a small bump;
- the back of a knit stitch is a purl bump, and the back of a purl stitch is a V.
Knitting patterns write purl as p. The standard list of crochet abbreviations has no such stitch among ordinary crochet stitches. If a crochet pattern seems to ask for a purl, check whether it is a knitting pattern, or a Tunisian crochet pattern.
Tunisian purl stitch: the one purl in crochet
Tunisian crochet is a separate kind of crochet. It is worked on a long hook, and each row is made in two passes: one that picks loops up onto the hook, and one that works them off again.
Tunisian crochet does have a purl stitch. It is called the Tunisian purl stitch, written tps. You hold the yarn in front of the work, put the hook under the front vertical bar of the next stitch and pull up a loop. The fabric has a bumpy texture like the purl side of knitting.
Its partner is the Tunisian knit stitch, tks, which looks like the knit side.
Crochet stitches that look like knitting
Ordinary crochet has no purl, but it has stitches that copy the look of knitted fabric. Stitch names below are United States terms, with the United Kingdom name in brackets.
| The look | The crochet stitch | How it is worked |
|---|---|---|
| Columns of small Vs, like the knit side | Waistcoat stitch | A single crochet (UK double crochet) with the hook put into the middle of the stitch below, between the two legs of its V. |
| A knit look in half double crochet | Camel stitch | A half double crochet (UK half treble crochet) worked into the third loop, the strand that lies behind the two top loops. |
| Stretchy ribbing, like a knitted cuff | Slip stitch ribbing | Slip stitches worked in the back loop only of every row. |
Three things to know before you try them:
- Waistcoat stitch looks most like knitting when it is worked in the round. The fabric is dense and it leans a little. Use a larger hook than usual, so that the hook can get into the middle of each stitch.
- Camel stitch is also at home in the round. Worked in rows it has to be done differently.
- For the bumpy purl side, the stitch made for that look is the Tunisian purl stitch.
Crochet stitches that look like knitting compares these stitches side by side.
Questions people ask
How do I crochet a purl stitch? In ordinary crochet you cannot: there is no such stitch. In Tunisian crochet, work the Tunisian purl stitch described above.
Can I follow a knitting pattern with a crochet hook? Not stitch for stitch. Knit and purl stitches are made on two needles, and crochet is worked with one hook. Look for a crochet pattern of the same kind of thing. Crochet vs knitting explains how the two crafts differ.
What does p mean in a crochet pattern? The list of crochet abbreviations has no stitch written p. A lone p is the knitting abbreviation for purl.
Where to go next
- Waistcoat stitch, for fabric with the knit-side look.
- Crochet stitches that look like knitting, to compare them all.
- Back loop and front loop, the move behind crochet ribbing.