Become a Knitting Superstar™
Become a Knitting Superstar™
Become a Knitting Superstar™
Become a Knitting Superstar™
Become a Knitting Superstar™

Ch. 18 How to Catch and Fix the Top 10 Knitting Mistakes

My Classes » Knitting Superstar » Part V: BONUS Chapters » Ch. 18 How to Catch and Fix the Top 10 Knitting Mistakes

Ch. 18 How to Catch and Fix the Top 10 Knitting Mistakes

Knowing how to recognize and fix these mistakes will make you a fearless knitter. Here’s how to fix them!

Counting down from the #1 most common and feared mistake…

How to Undo Knitting

“Tink” is a cute way to say “knit” backwards, that is, undoing your knitting stitch by stitch.

A lot of people are unsure of how to do this safely and responsibly but, after you watch this video, that won’t be you.

To take out knitting one stitch at a time, insert the left-hand needle from front to back into the stitch that is directly below the stitch on your right-hand needle.

Pull the yarn out and place the old stitch back on the left needle.

Undo KeyEveryone makes mistakes.

One of the most annoying knitting problems you probably face from time to time is not knowing how to undo them.

Alternatively, once your stitches are unraveled, you may not know whether you’ve gotten them back on the needles correctly.

I’ve made you two videos to clarify the correct way to undo your stitches, and I explain why you shouldn’t worry about getting your stitches back on the right way at first.

Tinking or Frogging: Undo Knitting One Stitch At A Time

“Tinking” (knitting spelled backwards) just means undoing one knitted stitch at a time and placing the old stitch back on the left needle. Here’s how to do it:

KNITFreedom - How To Undo Knitting Correctly - Undo Knitting One Stitch At A Time
KNITFreedom - How To Undo Knitting Correctly - Undo Knitting One Stitch At A Time

Quick Refresher

How To Undo Knitting Correctly Undo Knitting One Stitch At A Time 360p.2023 10 20 10 47 49

To undo knitting one stitch at a time, insert the left-hand needle from front to back into the stitch that is directly below the stitch on your right-hand needle.


Put Stitches Back On Needles

(Gasp) How to Undo Knitting A Few Rows At A Time

When you need to undo more than a few rows, it’s fastest to remove the needle(s) and pull your yarn out, undoing all the rows at once.

Here’s how to put your stitches back on the needles when you’re done unraveling:

Putting Your Stitches Back On The Needle Correctly After Unraveling
Putting Your Stitches Back On The Needle Correctly After Unraveling

Putting Your Stitches Back On The Needle Correctly After Unraveling 360p.2023 10 20 10 55 17

If the recovered stitches are facing the wrong way,
just knit them through their back loops.

Yay! Now you can un-knit with confidence and unravel with grace!

Just keep this in mind: messing up is part of knitting, and the faster you can fix your mistakes, the happier you will be.

Related Posts:


#1 – Dropped Knit Stitch

A dropped knit stitch is very common. Here’s how to recognize it, and two ways to fix it.

Top 10 Knitting Mistakes #1 - Fix a Dropped Knit Stitch
Top 10 Knitting Mistakes #1 - Fix a Dropped Knit Stitch


#2 – Dropped Purl Stitch

Luckily, a dropped purl stitch is just a dropped knit stitch viewed from the other side. Again, here are two ways to fix it.


#3 – Knitting Too Tight

Knitting too tight can plague even the most accomplished knitters.

Though some will attest that they are used to it and that it doesn’t bother them, I see their hunched shoulders and white knuckles as they try to knit into stitches that barely fit around their needles.

This video demonstrates two of the most common reasons knitters knit too tight, for both Continental- and American-style knitters.

Knitting too tight can plague even the most accomplished knitters.

Though some will attest that they are used to it, and that it doesn’t bother them, I see their hunched shoulders and white knuckles as they try to knit into stitches that barely fit around their needles.

I hope this video helps you begin to break this habit!


#4 – Twisting Your Stitches When Purling

While working at my LYS, I never made any friends by doing this, but I couldn’t help pointing out to people that (in addition to whatever mistake they had come to ask me about) they were accidentally twisting their stitches.

Most people don’t even realize they are doing this!

Twisted stitches usually happen when you wrap the yarn the wrong way around your needle when you are purling. I show you how to do it the right way, both American and Continental style.

Twisted stitches usually happen when you wrap the yarn the wrong way around your needle when you are purling. I show you how to do it the right way, both American and Continental style.


#5 – Putting Stitches Back on the Needle the Wrong Way

Taking out stitches to undo a mistake is great. But what if you put them back on your needle facing the wrong way?

Here I show you the right way to put stitches back on your needle, and also that it really doesn’t matter – here’s a fast way to turn them around if you’ve got them wrong.

Taking out stitches to undo a mistake is great!

But what if you put them back on your needle facing the wrong way?

Here I show you the right way to put stitches back on your needle, and also that it really doesn’t matter – here’s a fast way to turn them around if you’ve got them wrong.


#6 – Loop That Didn’t Get Pulled Through the Stitch

If you ever find something that looks really funny, it might be a loop that didn’t get pulled through all the way.

It’s a funny-looking double-stitch where there should be just one and it almost always happens when your loop of yarn doesn’t get pulled all the way through the stitch. Here’s how to tell.

Sometimes, you may find a funny-looking double-stitch where there should be just one. It may be because your loop of yarn didn’t get pulled all the way through your stitch. Here’s how to tell.


#7 – Getting Turned Around

Sometimes you’ve got to stop knitting in the middle of a row.
 
But when you come back to your knitting, how do you know which direction to go in? And how do you know if you’ve gone the wrong way? 
 
Answer: The yarn goes on the right-hand needle always.

Sometimes you’ve got to stop knitting in the middle of a row.

But when you come back to your knitting, how do you know which direction to go in? And how do you know if you’ve gone the wrong way? Watch and learn.


#8 – Wrong Gauge Makes Your Project Too Big or Too Small

Make a swatch (a small square of knitting at least 3 inches wide), block it, and then check your gauge. If your stitches are too small, use a needle one size bigger. If your stitches are too big, use a needle one size smaller.

You don’t always have to check your gauge (I know, you won’t anyway), but please do it on projects that you really need to fit a certain size. Watch the video to see how it’s done.

Gauge is the number of knit stitches and rows that fit into a specified unit of measurement, usually one inch (2.5 cm). It’s important because if your stitches are too big or too small, your project will be too big or too small.

Checking your gauge is as easy as knitting a small sample square, called a swatch, and placing a ruler or a gauge-checker over the fabric, and counting how many stitches there are in a few inches, and then dividing by the number of inches to get the average number of stitches per inch.

Here are my tips for knitting a swatch and checking your gauge.

Sadly, this is one mistake that may take a whole sweater to discover if you’re not careful. If your gauge is off by even half a stitch per inch, over a whole sweater, this could translate easily into three or four inches too big or too small.

Make a swatch (a small square of knitting at least 3 inches wide), block it, and then check your gauge before you begin. If your gauge is too small, use a needle one size bigger. If your gauge is too big, use a needle one size smaller. You don’t always have to do this (I know, you won’t anyway), but do it on projects that you really need to fit a certain size.

KNITFreedom - How To Measure or Check Your Gauge in Knitting
KNITFreedom - How To Measure or Check Your Gauge in Knitting


#9 – Mistakes in Ribbing

Knitting where you should purl and purling where you should knit makes a really obvious-looking mistake in ribbing.

Learning to recognize knit and purl stitches can help you fix this problem.

Also, forgetting to move your yarn to the front or back when ribbing American-style can result in an accidental yarnover on your needle.

Here’s how to fix both problems.

Knitting where you should purl and purling where you should knit makes a really obvious-looking mistake in ribbing. Learning to recognize knit and purl stitches can help you fix this problem.

Also, forgetting to move your yarn to the front or back when ribbing American-style can result in some funny criss-crossing over your needle. Here’s how to fix both problems.


#10 – Casting On and Binding Off Too Tight

A too-tight cast-on can, at best, make your project look a little funny. At worst, you won’t be able to put the garment on.

Socks with a too-tight cast on will not go on your feet, and this usually isn’t something that blocking can fix. If you have trouble with this, you have two choices: you can cast on using a bigger needle, or use two needles held together, as in this video.

Binding off too tightly can have the same frustrating results. Use a bigger needle in your right hand to alleviate this problem.

A too-tight cast-on can, at best, make your project look a little funny. At worst, you won’t be able to put the garment on.

Socks with a too-tight cast on will not go on your feet, and this usually isn’t something that blocking can fix. If you have trouble with this, you have two choices: you can cast on using a bigger needle, or use two needles held together, as in this video.

Binding off too tightly can have the same frustrating results. Use a bigger needle in your right hand to alleviate this problem.


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