May 11th 2022

Free Video: How to Knit Backward

If you just need to knit a few stitches and don’t feel like turning your work, you can always knit backward. This will create purl stitches on the side of the work facing you.

It’s a bit easier to do this trick Continental-style than American/English style, but in this tutorial I show you both ways to knit backward.

Liat Gat - Founder
May 11, 2022
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How to Knit Backward American- or Continental-Style

The Needle is inserted back to front, with Yarn in front

Continental knitters can wrap the yarn with the help of the thumb

American-style knitters will need to use a finger to aid the wrapping

Knitting backward is for if your pattern says, ..”turn. Knit…” For instance, if you are doing Garter stitch. Purling backward is different; you can learn to purl backward here.

Free Video: How to Knit Backward

Step-by-Step Instructions: How to Knit Backward

First: Continental-Style

1. When your pattern says to turn your work, don’t. The stitches to be worked will be on your right-hand needle.

2. Tension the yarn in your left hand for Continental-style.

3. Insert the left-hand needle from back to front through the leading leg of the first stitch on the right-hand needle, as shown. The working yarn should be in front of (between you and) the left needle.

4. With your left index finger, bring the working yarn across to the needle tip.

5. Use your right thumb to bring the yarn under the needle-tip.

6. Let the working yarn cross under and across the back of the needle-tip.

7. With the needle-tip, push the working yarn through the middle of the stitch.

8. Push the yarn through the stitch. The left needle-tip goes under the right needle.

9. Remove the stitch from the right-hand needle; stitch is now on left-hand needle.

10. Push the left needle fully through the stitch.

11. To knit again, insert the left needle-tip from back to front through the next stitch on the right-hand needle.

12. Use your right thumb to guide the working yarn across the needle-tip.

13. Release the working yarn so that it dips under the left needle-tip.

14. Push the working yarn through the stitch and bring the new stitch off the right-hand needle and onto the left-hand needle.

15. The second completed knit stitch.