Even experienced knitters sometimes make mistakes. The most important thing is not to be discouraged, so take a breath and either incorporate your mistake into your project’s unique charm or find a way to reverse it. Most errors can be fixed relatively easily.
Increasing or decreasing stitches
You may find that each row has more or fewer stitches than the last. The first is caused by splitting your yarn, the second by knitting stitches together; in both cases, the solution is to loosen the stitches to relieve tension. This can also prevent the project from becoming too tight.
Wrong size
If your project becomes bigger or smaller than expected, you may be using the wrong-sized yarn; for example, you may need super chunky yarn but have accidentally picked fine yarn.
To check how your yarn compares to the pattern, you can create a tension or gauge square. This is when you knit a certain number of stitches and measure their length to see whether they match what is stated in the pattern. You can then calculate whether you need to add or remove stitches from your project to allow for not having super chunky yarn.
Twisted stitch
Most common in stocking stitch or purling, twisting is caused when your yarn is hooked around your needle in the wrong way or the needle travels into the back rather than the front of the stitch. If you spot the twist quickly, you can just untwist the stitch after taking it off the needle. If you notice later, twist it back by knitting into the stitch from behind.
Finding a hole
Holes usually appear when you miss a stitch. Complete your current row, then remove the stitches from the needle so they can be laid flat. Undo the stitches one at a time until you reach the end of the row, then gently slide them back onto your needle without skipping any this time.
Most knitting errors are relatively easy to fix if you are calm and patient. Take your time and you will soon have your project back on track.
