How to Fix Tight Knitting
May contain affiliate links (what's this?)When you’re first starting out as a knitter, you’re excited, nervous and kind of happy! Knitting is fun, after all!
But sometimes the nervous side takes over and you start gripping your needles and pulling at the yarn. You’re nervous your stitches will fall off, so you’re being extra careful.
The problem is this: the knitting becomes so tight that you can barely get the needles into the stitches. You’re going to pull a muscle if you don’t take it easy! So what to do?
Here are three ways to loosen up your knitting:
1. Change your gear, change your game
Your knitting game, that is! First, try switching to a larger pair of needles. This should loosen up the knitting considerably. Try going up by 0.5mm increments.
Another option is to use needles made of bamboo or wood. Wood or bamboo needles are not as slippery as steel or plastic needles, so they’ll help your stitches stay put.
They’re both a “grippier” material, so you might be less inclined to grip the yarn tightly when the needles feel secure.
Avoid using tiny steel needles (a beginner’s worst nightmare!) and/or light weight yarn. The combination is too finicky for beginners and your hands will be wrapped around them like claws. Not good.
2. Give the whole needle some love
A lot of the times, tight knitters will knit into their stitches using the tip of the needle without letting the stitch slide all the way onto the needle.
This doesn’t expand the stitch to the full width of the needle – only a fraction of its width! That’s why the stitches are so tight. So, let those stitches get all up on the needle!
3. Practice makes perfect
Knitting is a bit like learning a new language for your hands. In the same way that it takes time and practice to be fluent, it also takes time for your hands to learn the language of knitting.
So give it some time!
Try to relax and knit without pressure. If you drop a stitch. Whatevs. Just keep going. Treat this time as a practice session. You’re not working towards a project. You’re just trying to get your hands comfortable around the needle and yarn.
Once your hands become more comfortable knitting, they will naturally loosen up and relax.
Day 1 knitter here (learned from your videos!) and I noticed my knitting forms a winding staircase up and around the right needle – is that right? Do I just straight out the stitches (as I have been doing) or am I doing something backwards or wrong? Thank you so much!
Thank you!!!!
Me too! Would love to know if this is to be expected. (Day 3 knitter.)
As you begin knitting, it’s common for the knitting to twist in this way. Straightening it out is better for your knitting as it helps reduce potential twisting in the yarn when you finish your row and go to turn it around and start knitting again for a new row. As your knitting gains weight through more rows, it will naturally stop ‘staircasing’ around your needle.
Hi Davina,
My mother reckons my knitting is too loose – knitting squares that are meant to be 15 cm long turn out around 22 cm long and I keep on running out of yarn for my projects. How can I tighten up my knitting?
Can we have a free croquet pattern & also to knit fingerless gloves and socks
You are such a great teacher! I’m a new knitter and you have the best videos by far!
I have already bound on my beginning row for an afghan and knitted a few rows but the stitches are too tight as I’m still just a beginning knitter! Can I fix it now by using a bigger needle for a row or do I have to start over?
hello I am making a blanket where for 2 row you slip stitches ex
slip 3 knit 1,
next row
knit 1 slip 3
nest row
but my stitches get way to tight what to do?
I do knit loose on these 2 rows thank you
sorry row 3 is purl across
I want to love to knit, but after my first row, after casting on, I’m having a hard time grasping the yarn. My stitches are so tight! I see advice to lighten up, not be nervous. Today I was not nervous. But my stitches were almost impossible.
I will try not to be nervous. I even ordered 10 and 15 mm needles today.
Is there some video or something to help me see what I am doing wrong?
I would go to a class but we live in a remote area. no classes near us.
Well, thank you. I love yarn and at my age of 79, I am hoping to learn the skills of my grandmother
My stitches are all so tight…tried moving my needle closer to the tip and tried sliding it down…just not consistent with my tension
Thank you