I am so new I had to register to ask this. I have been knitting several weeks and have learned knit, purl and YO but I don’t know how you know if you are on the WS or RS (knit side or purl side)?
thx!
New Knitter?
RS is worn facing out, the WS faces your body. The RS is the knit side when you do stockinette, the purl rows are the WS.
Welcome to KH forum!!:waving:
Thanks
Welcome to the forums! Just remember that the Right Side (RS) will be the one the public sees. 
I’m a new knitter too, and am working on a Sally Melville garter stitch piece. On garter stitich I don’t know which side is the RS and which the WS.
I cast on using the long tail method, if it matters. The two side look very similar except at the bottom near the cast on where it’s smoother on one side.
The great thing about garter stitch is that there really isn’t a right side. With that said, you can the pattern will usually tell you, on the first row after cast on whether or not you’re working on the right side or wrong side. It’s the reason I do most of my couch throws in garter stitch.
For garter, seed or ribbing you choose which side will be the RS, whichever looks better to you.
Welcome!
I am a beginner as well. The Knitting Help Forum is great! The videos were also very helpful.
Just so you know, I struggled w/ the WS, RS puzzle too. I’d say to myself countless times, “[I]why am I so daft I can’t figure which side is the WS?”[/I] WELL…later I found out it [I]sometimes [/I]does not matter. WS=RS. Sometimes it is just preference. If I was alternating knit & pearl rows, I preferred the knit side on the RS. To me: knit row pops (stands) out & the pearl row indents. I then noticed the tail from the TAIL CAST ON (you said you are using) was always in the bottom right corner when I started knitting a row. My rule became: The tail in the bottom right end is the RS.
Maybe [B][COLOR=“magenta”]you [/COLOR][/B]will find a better way to mark which side is which. But, I used the tail from the cast on as my GPS. Silly. But, beginners sometimes have to just ‘figure-it-out’, right? Now I’m struggling w/ YO’s and repeats… I’ve been getting excellent help with this in the ‘repeats & original cast on stitches number’ thread. Always good to ask for help!!! Having fun too! :woot:
Good luck & hangin there beginner buddy…
Lee
What i did when i started knitting was get something and mark it …often times i used a safty pin and when i got a little length to the project i would hang it onto the fabric, on the right side close to the begining of the row…that way when i saw the safty pin, i knew that was the RS row.
then noticed the tail from the TAIL CAST ON (you said you are using) was always in the bottom right corner when I started knitting a row. My rule became: The tail in the bottom right end is the RS.
I also used a variation of this one too…
hope this helps…
Melissa
Welcome!
Sometimes when the RS isn’t the [U]usual RS “look”[/U]…
…I put a little safety pin on the RS to remind me which side I’m on! I cheat.