I want to knit a few rows and purl a few rows

How-to Questions
1

I am brand new to knitting and practicing the knit and purl stitch by making a small blanket for my cat.

I want the right side of the blanket to have a pattern of few rows of garter stitch and then few rows of stocking stitch. The first few times I switched from the knit stitch to the purl stitch the stocking stitch was alway on the right side. The last time I switched stitching the stocking stitch ended up on the wrong side.

Should I switch stitches when my knit stitch is facing me or facing away?

Thanks knitting friends = ^ )

2

When you want to switch back to the garter, knit a row that has the purls facing you. Then when you switch back to the stockinette, purl the row on the same side. You might want to place a pin or piece of yarn on the knit rows of the stockinette to mark that as the right side.