How to Tink or unknit

How To Tink
'Tink' Is 'Knit' Spelled Backwards
  • To tink, insert the left hand needle into the stitch below the newly formed stitch on the right hand needle from front to back. This will be the hole where the working yarn is coming out of. It may be easier to find this by pulling on the working yarn with your left hand.
  • Hold the work facing you the way you knit it, NOT backwards.
  • Regardless of whether the stitch was a knit or a purl, you ALWAYS insert the left hand needle into the hole from front to back.
  • Now slip this stitch back onto the left hand needle, and drop the newly formed stitch off of the right hand needle. A gentle pull on the working yarn and the tinked stitch should just pop right out.
*It is important when tinking to keep track of where you are in your pattern. You can always start at the beginning of the row and track your way across the row to help you orient. For more on this, see the How To Read Patterns Page.

Advanced Tinking
Sometimes you have to back out more than just knits and purls, you need to undo k2togs or even lace and cable stitches. It IS possible to do, but if you are not an experienced knitter, you may want to seek some help from a more experienced knitter. It helps when tinking to know what you were trying to do, or what stitches you were supposed to be knitting, as well as what those types of stitches look like. Recognizing what stitches look like comes with time, and your patience as a new knitter is encouraged!
Next Step: How to Insert a Lifeline
insert lifeline
How to insert a lifeline
The lifeline can save your knitting. Be sure to insert it when you are at a good place in your knitted work.
Alternate Step: How to fix twisted stitches
fix twisted sts
How to fix twisted stitches
A stitch becomes twisted if it has improper stitch mount. Stitch mount is how the stitch rests on the needle.
How to pick up stitches after frogging or ripping
pick up frog ripHow to pick up stitches after frogging or ripping
Although ripping is never recommended, if you are going to do it, do it carefully and learn how to pick the stitches back up afterwards.
Advanced Step: How to fix knit instead of purl
fix knit instead of purlHow to fix knit instead of purl
Knits are opposites of purls, so it is easy to convert a stitch that was a knit to a purl stitch. If you come across an incorrect stitch like this, see how to fix it.

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How to YO (yarn over) continental style
The yarn over is a simple and easy to perform stitch. But it does matter which way you wrap the yarn. Watch this video to see the proper technique.
 ssk continentalHow to decrease SSK (slip slip knit) continental
How to SSK (slip slip knit) decrease continental style
The slip slip knit (ssk) decrease is very similar to the knit two together (k2tog) decrease, but you adjust the stitch mount of the stitches before knitting them together.