CHAPTER XXIX

WHAT’S A PURL?

WHEN Mary Frances came back, Crow Shay asked her a question.

“Little Miss,” he said, “what’s a purl?”

“A pearl?” said Mary Frances, greatly puzzled by his asking such a question. “A pearl is a precious stone found in oysters.”

“Oh, no; I beg your pardon,” said Crow Shay. “A purl is a precious stitch found in knitting.”

“Is he crazy?” Mary Frances wondered.

“No,” laughed the fairy, “he isn’t crazy. He is right about this; it is now time that you learn how to make ribbed work in knitting. This is called purling. How would you like to learn to purl and, at the same time, make a bean bag for Mary Marie?”

“Oh, that would be splendid!” cried Mary Frances, very much pleased.

“All right, then,” said the Yarn Baby; “listen carefully, and you will find out how to make a

DOLL’S KNITTED BEAN BAG

(See picture opposite page 168—color plate)

Material: Four-fold red, white, and blue Germantown zephyr. Two steel knitting needles, No. 12. Bone crochet hook, No. 3.

Directions:

1. With red yarn, cast on 12 stitches.

2. Knit 1 row across.

3. The next row will be purled. Slip off the first stitch without knitting.

_How to Purl_

CUT 1

Throw the yarn in front of the _right-hand_ needle by throwing it over the point of the needle just as if taking a knitting stitch, _but do not put the point of the needle into any stitch on the left-hand needle before throwing the yarn over the point of the right-hand needle_.

CUT 2

Now put the point of the right needle into the next stitch on the left needle pointing the right needle toward the base of the left thumb.

CUT 3

Throw the yarn over the point of the right needle in just the same way as in plain knitting.

Next, pull the right needle _back_ and slip it _under_ the left needle. Slip the top stitch on the left needle off the point of the left needle. The yarn will then be in the right position for purling the next stitch.

Continue to purl all the way across the row.

4. Slip off the first stitch and plain knit off the other stitches in the next row.

By this time you will notice that when you are purling you are doing the work on the wrong side.

5. Slip off the first stitch on the next row. After slipping off this stitch, throw the yarn in front of the right needle and purl across the row.

6. Continue knitting and purling every other row until the piece of work is 2 inches long. Bind off. This forms one side of the bean bag.

7. Make another piece like this for the other side, using the blue yarn.

_To Make the Bean Bag_

1. Make a little bag of soft cotton cloth and partly fill it with rice.

2. Lay the red and blue pieces together, backs facing each other and “ribs” running in the same direction.

3. With the white yarn, crochet the edges together with single crochet, leaving one end open. Slip the cloth bag inside the knitted bag and finish crocheting it together.

Mary Frances found that purling seemed quite awkward to do at first, but after she had done half a dozen rows, the stitches formed much more easily. When she finished the red square she stopped to admire the pretty even rows of ribs. Just as she finished putting the bean bag together, the bell rang for luncheon.

“I’ll bring the rice back with me after lunch,” she said, “if Katie will give it to me.”