Common Beginner Knitting Mistakes and How to Fix Them
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You’ve decided to take up knitting. Good for you! You’ve mastered how to knit and you’re chugging along, happily knitting a little garter stitch scarf or cowl.
Everything’s copacetic until you realise that you’ve dropped a stitch – ack! – or you’ve added extra stitches – where did those come from? – or maybe your knitting’s awesome except that it’s so tight you practically sprain a muscle trying to get your needle into the stitches.
As frightening as these scenarios sound, you are not alone!
Past and future knitters have and will be making these same mistakes. So, when you encounter them, don’t freak out.
Knitting mistakes are part of the natural course of things. So, let’s take a closer look at these common beginner bugaboos and the best ways to fix them.
Knitting Mistake 1: Dropped Stitches
At some point you will drop a stitch. It’s an unfortunate fact of life as certain as death and taxes.
You’ll recognise a dropped stitch by a long tear in your fabric and a wayward stitch at the bottom. When this happens, don’t panic!
As frightening as it looks – so sad and helpless, like a child fallen into a well – it’s nothing to fret about.
On stockinette and garter stitch it takes less than a minute to fix, and when you’re done no one will be any the wiser!
Panic Level: LOW
Click This: For a more detailed guide on how to fix a dropped stitch, check out this post I put together with a photo guide.
Knitting Mistake 2: Adding Stitches
At some point, you might look down at your knitting and think,“Whoa! Why do I have so many stitches on my needle?”
You’ve got more stitches than you cast on! You, my friend, have accidentally added extra stitches to your knitting.
This knitting mistake happens to most beginner knitters, so don’t beat yourself up about it.
There’s one way to fix an added stitch, but it requires that you keep your eyes peeled so that you catch the little sneak before it gets embedded into your knitting.
Panic Level: MODERATE
Click This: For a more detailed guide on how to fix extra stitches, check out this post I wrote with a photo guide.
Knitting Mistake 3: Tight Knitting
When you’re first starting out as a knitter, you’re excited and nervous.
But sometimes the nerves take over and you start gripping the needles and pulling the yarn. You’re scared your stitches will fall off.
But the problem is that your knitting is so tight you can barely get your needles into the stitches. You’re going to pull a muscle if you don’t take it easy!
Below, three ways to loosen up tight knitting.
Panic Level: DON’T PANIC
Click This: For a more detailed guide, check out this post that I put together on tight knitting.
Knitting Mistake 4: Knitting into the Wrong Loop
As a beginner it can be hard to differentiate a stitch versus a random loop.
This mistake happens when, instead of knitting into a stitch on your needle, you knit into the loop around the stitch.
If you knit into the loop around the stitch and then knit into the actual stitch, this adds an extra stitch to the knitting.
If you’ve only done this once or twice, you can reduce the overall number of stitches by knitting two stitches together.
But if you’ve got LOTS of these extra stitches, it’s worthwhile to unravel the knitting and re-knit.
The best way to prevent this mistake is to be observant.
Ensure you’re knitting into the stitch on the needle and not into the loop around the stitch.
Panic Level: Moderate
How to Prevent Knitting Mistakes?
The best way to prevent these three common knitting mistakes is to frequently admire your work.
It’s not narcissistic. It’s just good knitting sense!
If something looks funky, stop and investigate.
Did you accidentally do a yarn over?
Are you knitting on the tips of your needles?
Like weird skin rashes, ignoring knitting problems rarely makes it go away. So, be vigilant!
And when you need to rip back your work, take a deep breath and rip, rip, rip.
Lastly, don’t even think about getting upset when you make a mistake.
The person who never made a mistake never made anything. So make mistakes!
Mistakes mean you’re creating, and that’s a heckuva lot better than doing nothing.
If you’re a new knitter, I hope you’re getting the hang of knitting! Let me know if you encounter any of these knitting mistakes.
If there are others that I haven’t covered, leave them in the comments!
Hi Davina!
Thank you very much for the videos. They are great. I’m following your beginner’s video right now and I have some problems. 🙁
I’m using a set of 10 MM plastic needles, with 100% acrylic yarn.
I casted the yarn as your video instructed. I could go on to the second step. But I get increasing yarn between the needles! And I can’t seem to knit the last loop (the one with the slipknot) properly. Please help!
Hey Paige! If you’re adding new stitches, it could be because you’re making yarn overs by accident. I cover this rookie mistake in the second video. Basically, a lot of new knitters will accidentally bring their working yarn in front of the needle, as if to purl, and then knit into the next stitch. This yarn strand then forms a new stitch.
As for not being able to knit into the last loop (the slip knot), is it because it’s slipping around and off your needle? If so, you can try to keep it in place with your left hand by using your finger to press down on the stitch while you insert your needle into it in order to knit it. Hope that helps!
Hi, i’m just working on the beginner big cozy scarf from your video and i’ve been noticing the end stitches are a lot bigger loops than the rest, they kinda stick out more than i’d like and i can’t tell if that’s just how it’s supposed to be or if i messed up along the way! Any advice?
Hey Andrea! Do you mean the stitches where you cast on are bigger loops? Or do you mean that the stitches on each side of your scarf?
If you think the cast on edge is a bit loose, you can try casting on with the longtail cast on, which is a sturdier, less loose cast on: https://sheepandstitch.com/longtail-cast-on/
If you mean that the stitches on each side of your scarf are loose, are you slipping the first stitch of each row? This creates a neat, tight edge, so if you’re not doing that, give that a try. Alternatively, some people find that they like garter stitch without slipping the first stitch, so you can try that as well.
Lastly, it could just be a matter of tension! This means that you can give your yarn a little tug at the beginning of each row to make sure that the yarn isn’t loose and slack when you knit into your first stitch. Hope that helps!
I’m a new knitter. I’ve viewed your video about fixing extra stitches HOWEVER, my extra stitch mess is not resolved using the technique described in the video. I can’t find the extra stitch (all the stitches appear to be legit stitches). Additionally, I tried just dropping off the first stitch…didn’t work. After knitting a new row with the first stitch dropped, I’ve created a weird big loop on the side of my “scarf” :-)….Now what? So the next row, I picked up the “loop”….urrrghhhh it’s just becoming a bigger mess…can you help?
Hey Lisa,
First, the extra stitches. If you have more stitches than you started out with, then you have added extra stitches. Your stitches may all look legit (as in there might not be holes), but if there are more stitches than the number you cast on, then somehow, those stitches have been added in.
Now about dropping off the first stitch. Doing this doesn’t really help your problem of adding extra stitches. If you add an extra stitch, you can’t make up for it by dropping a stitch. This just results in a dropped stitch, which will create a big hole in your work that will ripple down your knitting.
I’m not sure where you got the idea of dropping your first stitch. Maybe you’ve confused it with the concept of SLIPPING the first stitch? Knitters will slip the first stitch of their row in order to create a neat edge, but they don’t DROP the first stitch. Doing so, will result in a dropped stitch, which looks like a big loop (a stitch, essentially) that will just hang out on the side of your knitting and eventually unravel down.
You mention that you’re a new knitter, so maybe this explanation is just more confusing and frustrating for you. What I would suggest is to rip out your work, painful as it is, and just start over. Get comfortable with knitting to a point where you’re not adding in or dropping stitches. This can be your practice knit. Take as long as you need. The practice knit doesn’t need to BE anything. It’s just a practice, so no pressure. Once you feel confident with your practice knit, then you can either unravel it or cast off and keep it as a token, and THEN you can officially start your scarf.
In my opinion, the best way to not add new stitches is to practice knitting. Accidentally adding and dropping stitches is a classic beginner mistake, so the more you practice knitting, the less likely you are to make them. Hope this helps, and good luck!
How does one start off with a nice tight (but not too tight, a just right tight) stitch and go to being so loose? It’s driving me insane! I’ve looked and looked for a problem, did I miss a stitch or add another but alas I am left stumped. Wish there was an option to show pictures. Please help!
Hey Nelle! You can upload an image in the comment section here. Just underneath the “Comment” box there’s another button that allows you to add an image with your comment. Just choose an image from your computer to upload.
Hi Davina! I just started knitting a week ago and thank you so much for your super informative videos. I have totally made all three mistakes while knitting the simple garter stitch scarf. I also noticed that my piece is curling at the edges. How do I prevent this from happening on my next piece? I’m using circular needles (10.5 cm) and bulky yarn. Is it due to I am tight knitting?
Hey Katrina! Curling, eh? Hm, that’s a bit unusual since garter stitch doesn’t typically curl inwards the way stockinette stitch does. It could be that you’re knitting tightly or that your needles are too small to accommodate your yarn, resulting in a tight fabric.
If your scarf continues to curl after you’ve finished it, you can consider blocking it. Blocking involves dunking your scarf in room temperature water, letting it soak for about 10 minutes, pushing out all the water (not wringing it), and then laying your scarf out to dry on some towels. You can use sewing pins to pin down the edge of your scarf that’s curling. Your scarf will dry in the shape that it is laid out. It will also help to relax the yarn fibers, so if your knitting is very tight, blocking will help release some of that tension. Hope this helps!
I am new to knitting and having trouble keeping my first row tight. Once I cast on my stitches and then turn my work. That first row is loose. Now matter how tight I try and hold the yarn it still has bigger loops and it’s only this row. Please help!
Hey! Sometimes this can happen when you cast on using the backward loop cast on (aka. the easy cast on). This is a great cast on for beginners because it’s easy to do, but it’s not the tightest or stretchiest cast on. To get a neat cast on, you can try the longtail cast on, which is a bit more difficult, but it’s a great all-purpose cast on that works for all projects: https://sheepandstitch.com/longtail-cast-on/
hello Davina,
great site!
also just learning. next step will be in the round knit one pearl one. anyway to the point.
could you make a video on how to rip and getting the yarn back on the needle any tips and tricks to make that easier. i noticed that on your saving videos your “loops” are so clean and neat and consitant that it would look easy to re thread your needles after ripping off the needle mine are not yet so consitant
thanks again for the good site
Hey Dan! Great question! When you rip back your work and you have a bunch of “live” stitches that need to be picked up, you should pick them up so that they’re not twisted. This will ensure that your stitches are facing the right way. I made a video on this that you can check out here: https://youtu.be/d6MIfcxTIv8 Hope that helps!
Today I tried staring the scarf that’s you made in a video with merino yarn, I couldn’t get passed the first row of stitches, I kept having a lot of slack when I would finish. Each stitch it would just grow in size. Any advice?
Hey Esteban! Hmm. That’s unusual. Could you upload a photo of your knitting? You can do that in the comment section underneath the text box. Just click “Choose File” and select a photo from your computer.
I still cant get it. I sort of got it once, and the next row did the same thing.
The loop in the picture, it’s just extra slack that I don’t know how to get rid of.
Hi, Davina! So glad I discovered your website and blog. I am a relatively new knitter – still learning. When I first started knitting, I did tend to make my stitches too tight, especially the cast-on stitches. Lately, however, when checking gauge I notice that my stitches are much too LOOSE! Also, the gauge does not change at all when I re-try when smaller needles. Any suggestions?
Hey i just wanted to say thanks for these!! Your videos and instructions are some of the easiest to understand (both visually and verbally!!!) that i’ve run into and really helpful <3
Hi!
I’m just starting my first real knitting project and came across a problem i saw in a few of the other posts – but didnt see any explenation for them…
why knitting my first row after a long tail cast on with curcular needles the yarn between my right and left needles keeps getting longer and longer so that when i end the row – i have this HUGE extra loop…!
Do you know what the problem is? or is this maybe normal and not something to worry about? (so far i ripped my work and started from scratch four times with the same results…!!)
im switching colors in middle so that now i have two such loops – one at the end of each color…
Thank you!!
I have the same problem that Esteban had! How do I get rid of the loop from the last cast on stitch??
And I have tried, again and again, still from the second row on the stitches just become real tight, like you said I need to pull muscles to get through them, I tried to be loose but then I holes in those stitches as well because it’s not “fastened”, and I try to keep those stitches on the fat part of the working stick, but the yarn just doesn’t seem long enough to keep it that low, it’s difficult not to end up knitting with the tips of the sticks… Please help me Davina!!
HELP! It’s weird because whenever I Cast on and do first row Knit to do Garret stitch, it always like kinda like purls after the Cast on row and then goes okay next row. But the purl row stays there throughout the project and doesn’t disappear! Do you know what’s going on?!?
I am on my 3rd day of beginner knitting. I have been on youtube viewing many tutorial videos. I know my skill level is low and i kind of just started knitting a scarf. My expectations were low and I would sit with my kids while they played to knit. So my attention is obviously split in two. Lol after some time I noticed my one needle is getting full of stitches! i started with 22 and ended up with 44! I could not believe it. I tell my husband and he found this video to help. I am so glad he did! I need a new plan:)
My first attempt finished today … started with 20 and ended up with 107.
Makes for a nice curve though!
I’m glad you have a sense of humour about it. You can always say the curve was intentional and call it an experimental shawl!
This was incredibly helpful! My only suggestion would be to please ditch the background music, it’s distracting and at points makes it difficult to hear what you’re saying.
Thank you again!
Literally brand new to this, started this morning, im doing the basic stitch and everytime i stitch a loop the line between my two needles gets longer and longer, at times almost half a foot long, i only did my first row so i just used the extra thread to make new stitches and then carried them, but i dont understand what im doing wrong
Hi I am using the easy cast on method with bamboo needles I am an absolute beginner and the yarn between my two needles keeps increasing every time I do a knit stitch can you recommend a way to stop this?
Hello Davina. I have watched your knit a beginner scarf video. I have been knitting for about three weeks now. I am struggling with a few things. (Just to provide some context, I am visually impaired. I do not have very much sight at all. Luckily your videos are pretty visually friendly, though). I have been trying to knit my first few rows for over two weeks now. I can get past the backwards loop cast ons and the first row of knitting, but the problem arises in row 2.
When working on row 2, the tail from the slipknot becomes entangled with the piece of yarn connecting the two needles. Do you have any tips to help me keep the tail from getting tangled with whatever that part of the yarn between the needles is called? Or
a more general question would be: Do you either know how to help a legally blind person learn how to knit, or do you know any resources I could seek out for that. I am trying to knit a scarf for my girlfriend. Will you please help me?
Hi there,
There are some resources I’ve found for visually impaired knitters. Lion Brand has an ebook called “Knitting by Touch” that is available as text and also as Braille. You can check it out here: https://www.lionbrand.com/blog/knitting-by-touch-the-touch-of-yarn-by-davey-hulse/
There’s also a PDF file on tips for knitting for the visually impaired here: https://actionondisability.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Knitting-and-Crochet-for-Visually-Impaired-People.pdf You may find that useful!
For the Row 2 problem, I’m not totally sure what piece of yarn gets tangled with the slipknot. Is it the yarn tail from the long tail cast on?
I posted a comment earlier and it didn’t show up. I tried to post it again and the site told me I was submitting a duplicate. Has anyone else had that issue?
Just started knitting a few weeks ago and decided to start a shawl in stockinette stitch. Lo and behold 15 rows in and I found a few ‘holes’. It’s my first attempt with circular needle and fingering weight yarn. I have just about resigned to living the ‘holes’ when I found your video. Can’t wait to try it out.
Awesome! I hope it works out for you.