Sometimes flat knitted pieces tend to curl and can look a little rough on the edges, especially with certain knitting patterns. To avoid this problem, you can slip the first stitch of a row “purlwise” without working it. Doing so creates a smoother edge to your knitted work and helps to prevent curling.

Slipping stitches “purlwise” (as if you will purl them), moves them from needle to needle without changing them; these stitches will be neither twisted nor worked.

Here, you will learn to slip stitches purlwise in two ways: with the yarn in back and with the yarn in front of the work. These are abbreviated “sl1pwyib” and “sl1pwyif.”

sl1pwyib, Step 1:

Hold the working yarn behind your stitches. Insert your needle into the live stitch as if to purl it (insert your right needle into the front leg of the stitch from the back to the front).

sl1pwyib, Step 2:

Do not work into the stitch that is being slipped. Instead, slide the stitch off the left needle and onto the right needle. When you have moved the stitch completely onto the right needle without knitting or purling into it, you have slipped the stitch.    

sl1pwyif, Step 1:

Hold the working yarn in front of your stitches. Insert your needle into the live stitch as if to purl it (insert your right needle into the front leg of the stitch from the back to the front).

sl1pwyif, Step 2:

Do not work into the stitch that is being slipped. Instead, slide the stitch off the left needle and onto the right needle. When you have moved the stitch completely onto the right needle without knitting or purling into it, you have slipped the stitch.    

In the next lesson, you will learn why you might want to twist knit stitches intentionally. I’ll show you how to knit through the back loop (ktbl) and twist knit stitches on purpose. This will also help you knit my Rice Stitch Blanket.

If you are working on a project and decide you just don’t want to make it anymore, you can salvage the yarn by frogging your knitting. Frogging a work in progress is simple. Just pull the knitting needle out of the live stitches and start pulling on the working yarn; this will cause your knitting to unravel. Lay the yarn in a neat pile as you pull, to avoid tangles. Then, wind the frogged yarn into a new ball and you will be ready to start over or begin a new project.

Frog, Step 1:

Carefully pull the knitting needle out of your live stitches, making sure you do not stretch your work.

Frog, Step 2:

Gently pull the working yarn; this begin unraveling the knit stitches.

Frog, Step 3:

To prevent columns from running, be sure to pull the yarn slowly, undoing one knit stitch at a time.

Frog, Step 4:

When you have reached the row with your mistake, finish undoing stitches until you have reached the end of a row. Check that you have stopped undoing stitches so that your working yarn is in the same location it was when you removed the knitting needle.

Frog, Step 5:

Correct the mistake. In this example, a twisted stitch must be untwisted; turn the stitch so the legs are no longer crossed. Take care not to stretch the knitting, as this will cause stitches to run.

Frog, Step 6:

Correct the mistake. In this example, a twisted stitch must be untwisted; turn the stitch so the legs are no longer crossed. Take care not to stretch the knitting, as this will cause stitches to run.

Frog, Step 7:

Insert your knitting needle back into your stitches. Ensure that it will be in the same position in which it started. Here, we removed the needle by pulling toward the left. To reinsert it, it should be carefully pushed through the stitches moving toward the right.

Frog, Step 8:

When you have replaced all your stitches onto the knitting needle, you can resume your pattern at the beginning of the row where your mistake had been.  

After you have learned to frog, you may have a pile of loose yarn. Don’t let it tangle and go to waste. Learn to wind a center-pull yarn ball with just your hands in the next lesson.

Fix a Slipped Stitch, Step 1:

Continue working your pattern until you reach the column in which you have slipped a stitch.

Fix a Slipped Stitch, Step 2:

When you reach the stitch at the top of the column in which the mistake is located, carefully slide it off the left-hand needle tip.

Fix a Slipped Stitch, Step 3:

Pull gently on the stitch you just dropped off the needle, unraveling the column of stitches only until you reach your mistake.

Fix a Slipped Stitch, Step 4:

When working from the purlside, place the slipped stitch behind the “ladder” of undone stitches.

Fix a Slipped Stitch, Step 5:

Insert your crochet hook into the slipped stitch from the back to the front. Be sure your stitch is not twisted by confirming that the legs are not crossed.

Fix a Slipped Stitch, Step 6:

With the crochet hook, grab the strand directly above the twisted stitch.

Fix a Slipped Stitch, Step 7:

Pull the hook and the strand of yarn through the loop on the crochet hook; this will chain the strand through the newly untwisted stitch.

Fix a Slipped Stitch, Step 8:

Continue pulling the strands of yarn directly through the loop on the crochet hook until no more strands remain in the “ladder” of loose stitches. Always check that each corrected stitch is not twisted before you move on to the next.

Fix a Slipped Stitch, Step 9:

Once you have reached the top of your work, ensure no loose strands remain above or behind the column you have just corrected.

Fix a Slipped Stitch, Step 10:

Move the loop from your crochet hook to the left-hand knitting needle.

Fix a Slipped Stitch, Step 11:

To prevent twisted stitches, be sure the right leg is in front of the needle and the left leg is behind the needle. 

Fix a Slipped Stitch, Step 12:

Check that you have corrected the problem, then continue working on your pattern.

After you have learned to fix your knitting mistakes, you may want to know how to unravel a few rows to correct a problem. Or you can undo an entire knitting project to reuse the yarn. Either way, knitters call this “frogging,” and I will show you how in the next tutorial.

Tink, Step 1:

Spot a mistake in the same row you are working. In this example, there is a twisted stitch two stitches back.

Tink, Step 2:

Begin undoing stitches, one at a time, by inserting your left-hand needle tip into the stitch directly below the last stitch on your right-hand needle. To prevent twisted stitches, insert the left-hand needle from front to back, ensuring the left leg of the stitch is behind the left needle.

Tink, Step 3:

Slide the stitch onto your left needle while removing the loop from your right needle.

Tink, Step 4:

One stitch has now been undone. Repeat steps one through three until you reach the mistake.

Tink, Step 5:

Undo the mistaken stitch. Because the mistake is a twisted stitch in this example, insert your left-hand needle tip into the twisted stitch (the stitch below the last loop on the right-hand needle) from back to front, ensuring the right leg is in front of the left-hand needle tip.

Tink, Step 6:

Once you have slipped the mistaken stitch back onto your left-hand needle, ensure the legs are not twisted; the left leg should be behind the left-hand needle and the right leg should be in front of the left-hand needle. The mistake should now be corrected. You can retry the stitches and continue your pattern.

Return to the Fix Knitting Mistakes Directory Page

After you have learned to fix knitting mistakes, you may want to know how to unravel a few rows to correct a problem. Or undo an entire knitting project to reuse the yarn. Either way, knitters call this “frogging,” and I will show you how in the next tutorial.

Fix a Dropped Stitch, Step 1:

Continue working your pattern until you reach the column in which you have dropped a stitch.

Fix a Dropped Stitch, Step 2:

When working from the knitside, place the loop that was your dropped stitch in front of the “ladder” of undone stitches. Insert your crochet hook into the dropped stitch from the front to the back. Be sure your stitch is not twisted by confirming that the legs are not crossed.

Fix a Dropped Stitch, Step 3:

With the crochet hook, grab the strand directly above the twisted stitch.

Fix a Dropped Stitch, Step 4:

Pull the hook and the strand of yarn through the loop on the crochet hook; this will chain the strand through the dropped stitch.

Fix a Dropped Stitch, Step 5:

Continue pulling the strands of yarn directly through the loop on the crochet hook until no more strands remain in the “ladder” of loose stitches. Always check that each corrected stitch is not twisted before you move on to the next.

Fix a Dropped Stitch, Step 6:

Once you have reached the top of your work, ensure no loose strands remain above or behind the column you have just corrected.

Fix a Dropped Stitch, Step 7:

Move the loop from your crochet hook to the left-hand knitting needle. To prevent twisted stitches, be sure the right leg is in front of the needle and the left leg is behind the needle. 

Fix a Dropped Stitch, Step 8:

Check that you have corrected the problem, then continue working on your pattern.

Learn to correct slipped stitches next.

Return to the Fix Knitting Mistakes Directory Page

After you have learned to fix dropped knit stitches, you may want to know how to unravel a few rows to correct a problem. Or you can undo an entire knitting project to reuse the yarn. Either way, knitters call this “frogging,” and I will show you how in the next tutorial.