Learn easy ways to fix dropped stitches in knitting. Simple tips to save your project without starting over.
You’ve probably done it before—dropped a stitch while knitting. If it’s only one row down, fixing it is easy. Use your right needle to grab the loop from the row below, then place it back on your left needle and pull the strand of yarn from the current row through it. Done!
But if the stitch has slipped two or more rows down, things can get tricky. You must work carefully to avoid stretching the fabric and causing it to fall even further. That’s where Clover’s Bamboo Knitting Repair Hook comes in. With this handy tool, you can quickly and easily fix dropped stitches without stress. Here’s how you can use it the next time a stitch slips away.
How to Fix Dropped Stitches in Knitting
Step 1: For Stockinette stitch, bring your hook up through the loose stitch that’s off the needle. Slip it onto your knitting repair hook, then pull it under the nearest strand (the “rung”) above it.
Step 2: Pull that strand through the loop. Keep doing this for as many rows as the stitch has dropped.
Tip: Don’t use this method if the stitch has dropped more than 5 rows, or the fabric may pucker. If it’s six or more rows, you’ll need to undo (frog) those rows instead.
Step 3: Put the fixed stitch back onto your left-hand needle.
Even though Garter stitch is easier to knit, it’s a little trickier to fix because you need to copy both the front and back stitches. Here’s what that means for you:
1: For the purl bump stitches (in garter, all rows are knit, but when you knit on the wrong side, the back of the stitch shows as a purl bump on the right side), bring your hook down through the loose stitch. Slip it onto your knitting repair hook, then pull it over the nearest strand (the “rung”) below it.
2: Pull the strand through the loop.
3: For the knit stitches, fix them the same way you would in Stockinette (see above).
Keep switching between these two methods every other row to rebuild the garter pattern.
4: Put the fixed stitch back on your left-hand needle.
Tip: Use the pointed end of your knitting repair hook to lift a strand over the loop. This gets it into place to make the purl bump effect!
