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How to pick up a dropped stitch using knitting needles

Slippery Stitches
Sometimes stitches like to slide right off the edges of the needles! If this happens to you, just carefully slip them back onto the needle as carefully and quickly as you can. Stitches will usually maintain some of their shape so long as you don't pull!

Carrying The Bar
When picking up multiple rows of dropped stitches, make sure you pick up the bars in order of the rows, or else you end up with some weird stitch crossing.

Fixing A Dropped Stitch
With knitting needles:
  • To pick up a knit stitch, insert the left hand needle into the exposed loop and under the working ladder from front to back. Next insert the right hand needle into the exposed loop but then hook it over the working ladder and pull the ladder through the loop to complete the stitch.
  • To pick up a purl stitch, insert the left hand needle under the working ladder stitch from front to back, and then into the exposed loop from front to back. Next insert the right hand needle from back to front into the exposed loop and over the working ladder, hooking it and pulling it through to complete the purl stitch.
How to Pick up stitches using 2 needles
 pick up sts
How to pick up stitches using two knitting needles
If you are picking up stitches along the edge of a fabric, sometimes using a second knitting needle can help you complete the knit stitch into the side of the fabric.
Next Step >
Alternate Step: How to pick up a dropped stitch using a crochet hook
pick up dropped st
How to pick up a dropped stitch using a crochet hook
Saving your dropped stitches with a crochet hook may be the easiest way to pick them up quickly.
Alternate Step >

How to fix an accidental increase that is an incomplete stitch
fix incomplete stHow to fix an accidental increase that is an incomplete stitch
The incomplete stitch is created when a knit or purl stitch isn't completed but the stitch isn't dropped either.

< Previous Step

Advanced Step: How to pick up stitches using one needle
pick up stHow to pick up stitches with one knitting needle
The usual way knitters pick up stitches is with a single knitting needle. Learn how to do this technique by watching this video.

Advanced Step >

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