Correcting Errors – Part 2: 7 Stress-Free Easy Solutions

Here is the second part of mistakes many knitters commonly make. Discover why do they happen, and how you can correct them with no stress, easy and fast! And always keep in mind, that making mistakes is part of the learning process.

If you bring the yarn back over the top of the needle at the beginning of the knit row, the first stitch will have two loops instead of one, as shown on picture 1. To avoid creating this extra stitch, keep the yarn under the needle when taking it to the back to knit the first stitch (picture 2). At the beginning of a purl row, if the yarn is at the back, and then brought to the front under the needle, the first stitch will have two loops instead of one (picture 3). To avoid making these two loops, the yarn should be at the front before you purl the first stitch.

Knit stitches: Keep the yarn at the back. Insert the left needle into the stitch from front to back one row below the stitch on right needle. Drop the stitch and pull the yarn to undo it.
Purl stitches: Keep the yarn at the front. Insert the left needle from front to the back into the stitch one row below the stitch on the right needle. Drop the stitch and pull the yarn to undo it.

Pull a strand of contrasting yarn through each stitch on the needle, If an error is found, drop down to the lifeline to avoid ripping out the whole piece. If a mistake is discovered and you did not add a lifeline, thread a yarn needle with a contrasting yarn and pull it through a completed row a few rows below the error you want to fix (picture 2). Once the lifeline has been threaded through the knitting, rip out the rows to the lifeline (picture 3). Slide the knitting needle from left to right through the stitches, while carefully removing the lifeline (picture 4).

The 2nd cross of this cable goes the wrong way. Work in pattern to the cable panel. When you come to the stitches above the ones with the error, slide the left-hand needle out of the stitches and let them unravel to the row below the row that needs to be fixed (picture 2). Place first two cable sts on cable needle, hold to front. Place 3rd and 4th cable sts with float from first row of dropped sts. Knit first two sts from cable needle with the same float (picture 3). After knitting the stitches from the cable needle, use thin dpn to knit rest of cable panel, using the floats created by the dropped stitches in each row. Use the float in the same row as the stitches on either side of the cable panel (picture 4).

It is possible to correct a cable without ripping out any stitches. Thread a contrast yarn in the row below the cable row and another one in the row above the cable cross (picture 1). Use a crochet hook to pick out the running thread between the two center stitches of the cable panel (picture 2) Snip the yarn and unravel the stitches between the two rows of stitches on contrast threads. Rearrange the stitches forming the cable to fix the mistake. Graft the stitches together (picture 3). The cable after it has been corrected and grafted is shown on picture 4. The graft is shown in a contrast color for clarity.

Determine if the stitch to be picked up is a knit or purl. If the first dropped stitch is a knit stitch, insert the crochet hook from front to back into the dropped stitch. Catch the first horizontal strand and pull it through (picture 2). If the stitch to be picked up is a purl, insert the crochet hook from back to front and pull up the stitch (picture 3). Alternate knits and purls until the last stitch is worked up. Use the crochet hook to place it on the left-hand needle, ready to be knit.

To mend a hole in knitted fabric, use a yarn as close as possible to the yarn used in the item. A contrast color is used here for clarity. Thread the yarn through the bottom and top stitches of the hole, making the stitch length equal to the number of rows to be worked into the hole (picture 1). Weave stitches as for duplicate stitch around the long strand (picture 2).
That’s it!