Things You'll Need:
- 1 ball of yarn
- Knitting needles
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Step 1
Pick yarn in a light color so you can watch the purled ladder pattern develop. Worsted, double-knit (DK) or baby weight is the best for practice. Wool or wool blend is preferable to cotton, which can be stiff when you're learning a new pattern.
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Step 2
Use the needle number indicated on the yarn ball band. You don't have to worry about gauge at this point, but be sure to make at least a five-inch swatch if you knit something in the future where size matters.
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Step 3
Calculate the purled ladder pattern at a multiple of four stitches plus two extra. For your practice swatch, loosely cast on 22 stitches.
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Step 4
Knit the first two rows. This isn't a garter stitch border. Instead, you'll be making "ladders" of knit and purl stitches and separating them with a garter row.
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Step 5
Begin the pattern by purling two stitches. Then knit two and purl two, alternating across the row. You should end with two purled stitches.
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Step 6
Start the next row with two knit stitches. You'll alternate between two purl and two knit stitches until you finish the row with two knitted stitches.
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Step 7
Do Step 5 and Step 6. You should see alternating knit and purl stitch "ladders" that are two stitches wide and four stitches long.
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Step 8
Make the next two rows garter by knitting all stitches, just as in Step 4.
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Step 9
Repeat Step 6, starting with two knit stitches. Once you've reached the end, repeat Step 5 for the next row. Then do Step 6 and Step 5 over. You should get alternating "ladders" of knit and purl of two stitches wide and four stitches long.
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Step 10
Create your purled ladder stitch swatch by repeating Steps 4 through Nine. Remember you're making alternating knit-and-purl "ladders" separated by a garter stitch row to keep you on track.
