Knitting is a great hobby, but many knitters find that they have some common mistakes in their work. If you’re looking for ways to improve your skill and avoid these common mistakes, read on!
| Takeaways |
|---|
| To avoid common knitting mistakes, take the time to check your work frequently and count your stitches and rows. |
| Be mindful of tension when knitting, as it can affect the overall appearance of your project. |
| Practice fixing mistakes so you can quickly repair errors as they occur. |
| Learn from experienced knitters and seek out resources that can help you improve your skills. |
| Remember to enjoy the process of knitting and don’t be afraid to experiment with new techniques and patterns. |
Knit With The Wrong Side Of The Work
If you’re not sure if your stitches are right-side up, try turning them over and looking at them from behind. If they look like they should be in their correct orientation on the knit side, then you’re good to go!
If not, try again until it looks right; it might take a few tries before getting used to knitting in this way. If this still doesn’t work for you, ask someone else for help.
Knitting can be challenging, but with the right tips, anyone can become a skilled knitter. Our article on 10 Essential Knitting Tips for Beginners offers valuable advice on making the most out of your knitting journey
Use Too Much Yarn Or Needles
You’re knitting a sweater, and you have one skein of yarn in your bag. You need to finish that sweater by tomorrow morning, so you think about making the sleeves with double strands of yarn (or even quadruple strands!) in order to make it work.
The result? A garment that looks too big or has weird puckering at the seams because there is just too much extra fabric around the stitches.
When knitting with multiple strands of yarn, try using needles as close to the recommended size as possible so that each strand doesn’t become too large for your project.
| Problem | Cause | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| Project is too large or bulky | Using too much yarn or needles | Refer to your pattern for recommended yarn weight and needle size, and double check your gauge. |
| Stitches are stretched too tight | Using too small of needles | Try going up a needle size to create looser stitches. |
| Project is too loose and floppy | Using too large of needles | Try going down a needle size to create tighter stitches. |
| Difficulty holding stitches on needles | Using overly slick or too large of needles | Consider using needles with more grip, or switching to a slightly smaller needle size. |
| Project is taking too long or using too much yarn | Using needles that are too small for the yarn weight | Refer to your pattern or yarn label for recommended needle size, and adjust accordingly. |
Make A Mistake And Miscounted Yarn Or Stitches
Counting stitches is the best way to avoid running out of yarn. When you’re working on a project and need to stop, put down your knitting needles in exactly the right place so that when you pick up again, you can continue where you left off.
If you don’t do this and just drop your knitting needles wherever they land, then there’s a good chance that it’ll be hard for you to remember what row or round number your last stitch was on when it comes time to start again.
If counting stitches seems like too much work for something as simple as knitting socks or scarves (which are actually quite challenging), try using stitch markers instead of counting! The most common type of stitch marker is called “safety pins” because they look like safety pins but aren’t sharp enough that they’ll hurt your fingers or poke through any part of the fabric being worked on; these quilters use them all the time!
Adding cables to your knitting projects is a great way to add texture and dimension. If you’re a beginner looking to learn cable knitting, check out our guide on Mastering Cables: A Beginner’s Guide to Knitting for helpful tips and techniques.
Make A Mistake And Don’t Notice It For Several Rows
Mistakes happen. It’s just part of the process. But being careful and checking your work can help prevent mistakes from popping up in your finished product.
If you make a mistake, don’t panic! You can fix it and move on with your life. Just be sure to keep your cool when fixing those stitches so that you don’t accidentally make another mistake (or two).
Don’t Match The Pattern Stitch To Your Tension
You don’t have to match the pattern stitch to your tension.
In fact, it’s usually better not to.
Knitting patterns are written assuming a certain weight of yarn and needle size, and these will be different from yours (unless you’re making the same pattern).
So if you use the same weight as called for in the pattern, you might end up with something too big or too small for what you wanted.
And if you use the needles recommended in the pattern but make something with a different stitch count, it has no chance at all of matching up properly with any other part of what you’re making according to those measurements!
Once you’ve mastered the basics of knitting, it’s important to progress to new skills and techniques. Our article on Beyond the Basics: Intermediate Knitting Techniques offers insight into more advanced knitting techniques that will help take your projects to the next level.”
Forget To Increase, Decrease, Or Bind Off Stitches At All
This is the most common knitting mistake and it’s also the easiest to fix. If you forget to increase or decrease, just knit an extra stitch in the next row (and then decrease two stitches on the following row).
If you forget to bind off your last stitch, just pick up another stitch with your working needle and knit it through the back loop this will bind off your work.
But what if you’ve already realized this mistake? Don’t worry! You can easily fix it with a crochet hook: simply pull out all of those extra stitches until only one remains; then knit into that last stitch as if it were its own strand of yarn.
This should create a neat edge on either side of where your error was made.
If this happens often enough, however (like when you’re making something like an afghan), chances are good that there might be some gaps in your knitting pattern because some rows had too many stitches than others did!
In these cases it might be worth reworking those rows entirely so that they line up better with other ones around them (or even just ripping out all that piece altogether!)
| Problem | Cause | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| Extra stitches in your project | Forgetting to decrease stitches | Carefully count your stitches every few rows to ensure that you are decreasing when necessary. |
| Project is too small or narrow | Forgetting to increase stitches | Carefully follow your pattern instructions for where and when to increase stitches. Use stitch markers to keep track of where to increase. |
| Stitches keep falling off your needles | Forgetting to bind off | Follow your pattern instructions for binding off, and make sure that you have enough yarn to complete the bind off. If necessary, use a larger needle size to bind off loosely. |
| Uneven edges in your project | Forgetting to bind off or bind off too tightly | Use a stretchy bind off method such as a sewn bind off or follow your pattern instructions for a recommended bind off method. Practice binding off on a small swatch before starting your project. |
Forget An Ending Stitch
If you’ve dropped a stitch and you can’t find it, don’t panic. You have options! First, try using a crochet hook to pick up the dropped stitch and then knit or purl it together with the next stitch (depending on what kind of stitch was being worked when it came loose).
If that works for you, great! If not, there are other ways to fix it: You could work an SSK decrease on your next row (which will tighten up the fabric), or if you’re feeling ambitious, take out all your knitting needles and start over by casting on again but honestly? Just re-picking up that dropped stitch should be plenty good enough.
Pull On The Work When Casting Off, Weaving In Ends, Etc
Many knitters instinctively pull on their work to help them cast off stitches or weave in ends. This can cause the fabric to stretch or distort, resulting in a distorted edge and an uneven tension throughout the row.
Pulling on your work can also damage yarn fibers, making it hard to get smooth results when you come back to that spot later!
Pulling on your knitting may also make it harder for you to keep track of what stitch pattern you’re working you might find yourself accidentally switching from Stockinette Stitch (knit one row and purl one row) into Ribbing (knit two rows back-to-back).
Sweater knitting can seem intimidating, but with the right patterns and tips, it can be a rewarding and enjoyable experience. Our guide on The Ultimate Guide to Knitting Sweaters: Patterns and Tips provides expert advice and resources for knitters of all skill levels.”
Run Out Of Yarn While Knitting.
The best way to avoid running out of yarn while knitting is to buy it in the right size skein to begin with.
Most skeins of yarn are over 150 yards, so you can almost always get a whole project made from one ball unless it’s very small.
If you are left with little more than a yard or two remaining at the end of your project, there are still things that can be done:
Use a ball winder on all those leftover bits of yarn! These handy tools take an unwieldy ball and turn it into an organized skein, so that you know exactly how much is left for your next project.
If you don’t have access to one (or if they’re too expensive), another option would be using a stiletto needle—it has a built-in blade that cuts off extra length when turning corners and stuffs itself into little corners where regular scissors won’t fit.
You could also try using this nifty little gadget called “The Yarn Cutter.” It works like scissors but has a hidden blade inside its handle that cuts off extra length as well as keeps track of how much more space is left on the outside edge before going around again (so no wasted time). It can also help reduce splitting when pulling apart two ends together!
| Problem | Cause | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| Not purchasing enough yarn for your project | Failing to take into account the yarn requirements of your pattern or the specific project | Purchase more yarn than you think you will need, and keep track of the amount that you use for each section of your project. |
| Using a different yarn than what is recommended in the pattern | Different yarns have different yardage and weight, so yours may not go as far as the pattern calls for | Refer to a yarn yardage and weight conversion chart to estimate how much yarn you will need for your project. Alternatively, consider purchasing a similar yarn to the one recommended in the pattern. |
| Making the project too large or longer | Not properly calculating the amount of yarn needed as you make adjustments and alterations | Aim to create gauge swatches and learn how to calculate yardage requirements based on the weight and length of the yarn used. |
| Pulling out rows of knitting to fix a mistake | Unraveling existing rows can use up yarn | Consider rolling down the yarn and counting the yardage used to estimate how much yarn you’ll need to finish the undone section of the project. |
| Trying to complete a project with leftover yarn | Yardage may not be sufficient to complete the project | Refer to the pattern or matching yarn to determine how much yarn is needed to complete your project; if necessary, purchase additional yarn. |
Not Backtracking After Working Increases Or Decreases
So, you’ve made a mistake and you want to fix it. You might wonder if there are any other ways to go about fixing mistakes in your knitting than just ripping out all of the stitches and re-knitting them with the correct number of stitches.
The answer is yes! Backtracking is one of those techniques that can be incredibly useful when repairing mistakes in your work.
It involves tracking backwards through your knitting to find where the mistake was made and then fixing it by undoing some of those stitches until you reach where everything should be looking right again.
There are two main ways of backtracking:
The first method involves keeping track of where you were when things went wrong by putting markers on each stitch before working an increase or decrease; when done correctly, this will enable you to easily see which row is being worked through each marker as well as how many total rows have been worked throughout all subsequent increases and decreases (or vice versa).
This way can take some time up front but will ultimately save time overall since there wouldn’t need to be any guessing involved if something goes wrong during future rounds (e.g., “how many increases did I just do? Which row did I start working on?”).
The second method involves only counting rows instead of keeping track with markers: For example, if something goes wrong after ten rows have already been completed since beginning work on a project and assuming that there haven’t been any increases or decreases since starting work then simply undo nine stitches before continuing on with whatever pattern instructions were given next (e.g., “Row 11”).
If this doesn’t produce results either then try undoing eight more stitches and so forth until something happens which fixes itself automatically without further intervention required from yourself!
From casting on to binding off, our beginner’s guide to knitting provides a comprehensive introduction to the craft. If you’re new to knitting and looking for a great place to start, check out our article on The Beginner’s Guide to Knitting: From Cast-On to Bind-Off for helpful tips and advice
Conclusion
This article covers 15 common knitting mistakes and how to avoid them. We hope it has helped you identify what you’re doing wrong and correct those errors!
If there are any other common knitting mistakes that we missed, let us know in the comments below. Happy knitting!
Further Reading
If you’re looking to fix common knitting mistakes or want to avoid them altogether, check out these resources:
Top 10 Knitting Mistakes and How to Fix Them: a comprehensive guide to the most common knitting mistakes and how to fix them.
Common Knitting Mistakes: tips for avoiding and fixing common knitting mistakes, with detailed explanations and photos.
4 Common Knitting Mistakes and How to Fix Them: advice from Martha Stewart on how to fix four common knitting mistakes.
FAQs
What are common knitting mistakes?
Common knitting mistakes include dropped stitches, twisted stitches, accidentally adding or dropping extra stitches, and not counting rows correctly.
How can I avoid twisted stitches?
Twisted stitches can be prevented by making sure to insert your needle correctly when knitting through the back loop.
What do I do if I drop a stitch?
If you drop a stitch, you can use a crochet hook or tapestry needle to pick up the dropped stitch and work it back into the pattern.
How do I fix a mistake in my knitting?
The best way to fix a knitting mistake depends on the type of mistake. Simple errors like dropped stitches can be fixed by reversing the mistake, while more complex mistakes may require ripping back your work or re-knitting the entire section.
Can I fix a mistake in my knitting without undoing my work?
In some cases, you may be able to fix a knitting mistake without undoing your work. This may involve using a technique like duplicate stitch to cover up a mistake or working a creative stitch pattern that hides the error.
My name is Hellen James, and I’m a crochet and knitting expert. I’ve been crocheting since I was just a kid, but I started taking it seriously when I realized that it was a great way to de-stress and relax. Now that I have kids of my own, I love teaching them how to do it too!