Both knit and purl stitches are the foundation of any piece of knitting. The knit stitch has the characteristic “V”, while the purl has what looks like a bump.
Knit Stitch
For the knit stitch, hold your yarn to the back of your work. Insert your right needle into the front of the first loop on your left needle from left to right, wrap the yarn counter-clockwise around the needle and pull the loop through. Remove the original stitch from the left needle as you pull that new loop through and on to your right needle.
Purl Stitch
For the purl stitch, bring your yarn to the front of your work. Insert your right needle into the front of the first stitch on your left needle from right to left. Wrap your yarn around the needle counter-clockwise. “Push” your new loop through the existing loop on the left needle. This creates that “bump” on the right needle that looks like it is hugging the needle.