Hello, knitting friends! Today, I’m going to show you how to fix knitting mistakes, when you realize you’ve made one. Making mistakes are inevitable. When I was new to knitting I would get upset if I couldn’t fix a noticeable mistake and put my project on hold, sometimes forever! I was so afraid to drop a stitch and mess it up even worse. But, over the years, I got braver and now I try all kinds of crazy things, because I know how to pick things up if I mess them up (As long as I don’t go too many rows before realizing). Now, there’s different points that I normally realize I’ve made a mistake, if its only been a few stitches, I’ll pick up my stitches and redo those few stitches, but sometimes its been a whole row, or even a few rows before I realize. We’ll talk about the first 2 here, and the latter in another post.
First option: Reverse, Reverse
To back up on the current row, for a knit stitch, you’ll insert your left needle back into the loop from the stitch below the incorrect one, and pull your loop off the right needle, and draw your working yarn back out of the stitch. For a purl stitch, insert your needle into the bump, with your yarn in front, and drop the stitch from the right needle, and bring working yarn out, and redo. Sometimes, I’ve had to go back a whole bunch to fix a couple. See the full post and video we did to correct this problem.
Second Option: Fixing it on the next row or beyond
To change a knit stitch to a purl, we need to transfer the incorrect stitch to your right needle, and insert your left needle, as in the image above, picking up the stitch below the incorrect one.
Transfer the stitch back to your left needle, and pull the loop out of the incorrect stitch, so you have a big loop in the back, as in the image at left.
Bring the big loop over the top the front, so it looks like this.
Insert your right needle into the stitch, as if to purl, and over the big loop we brought from the back.
Turn your needle (point towards the back) and catch the big loop and draw it back through the loop on the left needle. Slip the stitch off the left needle, to finish.
Now, the stitch is on your right needle, and it needs to go back on the left to make the stitch on the current row. So insert your needle and turn the stitch around, so the leg in front is from the right side of your work, and isn’t twisted.(You’ll see in the video below, mine was backwards and I had to turn it around). Now, you’re ready to make your current stitch into the row.
Purl to Knit
If you purled, but needed it to be a knit stitch, let’s fix it!
For this one, insert your right needle into the loop from the purl in the previous row.
Pull the loop out of the incorrect stitch. It’ll be in front, and that’s ok, for now. Slip the stitch back to the left needle.
Using your right needle or your fingers, push the loop up and over the first stitch on the left needle.
Insert the right needle through the back of the stitch on the left needle, then turn it to point forward, and catch the loop we put over the top. Draw the big loop back through, and loop the stitch off the left needle.
Now its a knit stitch!
Insert the left needle and slip it back to the left needle, with the front leg begin the one that goes to the right, when you follow it along.
Now, go ahead and knit your correct stitch over top and you’re all set!
I hope this was nice and clear. Once you’ve done it a few times, it becomes super easy to do, kind of like the long tail cast on. It seems complicated until you do it a few times, then we realize its actually super easy! It works in all yarn sizes and needles. This time we are using the Bernat Softee Chunky, in grey heather, and our 8mm knitting needles.
Check out the quick video tutorial for this post!
As always, please tag us in anything you make from our tutorials, on Instagram! and check out our Pinterest Boards for Inspiration!
Much Love,
