Frequent errors when knitting

Hi knitters!

Today at We Are Knitters, we have compiled a list of the most common mistakes and questions when knitting so that we can teach you how to solve them.

How to reduce rows

If you have messed up or lost a stitch of your project, it’s not necessary to tear out your whole project. You can redo only the rows that you need to and start at one of the previous rows. Put one of the WAK wooden knitting needles through the row you are stuck on, picking up each stitch one by one. Look at the picture carefully and do the same thing.

Once you have put the WAK wooden knitting needle through the stitches, grab the yarn and start to pull it in order to tear out the stitches. Don’t be afraid to pull the yarn until have torn out all the extra rows.

Now you’ve reduced the rows, and there’s nothing left to do! Now you can continue with your WE ARE KNITTERS pattern.

How to count rows and how to distinguish between knit and purl

Another common question when learning how to knit is how to count rows or how to distinguish between knit and purl stitches. In the following photos, we teach you the tricks so you won’t get lost.

A knitted stitch has a herringbone shape

…and a purled stitch has a pierced thread

Casting on very tight stitches

When casting on stitches, you should be careful not to tighten them too much, because if you do it will be very difficult to start knitting (and if we tighten the stitches too much, we risk damaging the wool).

To make that sure this doesn’t happen, you can cast on the stitches with both of your WAK wooden knitting needles together. Then carefully pull out one of the WAK needles so that the stitches sit more loosely and it won’t be difficult to start knitting.

Retrieve a lost stitch

If you realize that you’ve lost a stitch while knitting, don’t panic! You can retrieve it by using a crochet needle and picking up the thread by the loop of the stitch like it is shown in the pictures.

Increase stitches accidently

Sometimes, if we don’t count the stitches that we have knitted or if we don’t place the yarn on the correct side of the project (depending if we are knitting or purling) we can accidently make an increase without realizing it. If this happens, you just have to put the needle straight through the stitches (without knitting) until you reach the stitch where you made an increase (or the equivalent in the row where you realized you made an increase).

With the WAK crochet needle, undo the stitches of the previous rows until you reach the stitch that you have increased, then, with the help of the crochet hook you have to pull row by row in order to “join” the stitches and in this way correct the increase and return to the number of stitches that we cast on in the beginning.

Not placing the thread in the front or back of the project when using Moss stitch

Occasionally, when we knit with Moss stitch, we get the sensation that the garment is “growing” or that the strands of yarn form an X on the needle (it looks like we have “cast on” stitches). This happens because we haven’t correctly put the thread in front of or behind the project, depending if we are knitting or purling.

 We hope that we have helped you with these tricks and resolved any of the questions that can arise when knitting. We hope that you put it into practice with your next WAK knitting kit!