Dropped stitches are every knitter's least favourite surprise. Whether you've spotted a single loose stitch or a whole column unravelling down your sleeve, knowing how to fix dropped stitches in your knitting is a skill that will save you countless hours.
Pro tip: Stop knitting the moment you see a dropped stitch. Every additional row adds another ladder rung to recover. Slide a locking stitch marker through the live loop immediately so it can't travel further while you find your crochet hook.
Step-by-step guide
- Count how many stitches have dropped and how many rows each has unravelled by counting the horizontal ladder strands below each gap.
- Secure every live loop with a locking stitch marker or safety pin before you do anything else.
- Choose a crochet hook one size smaller than your knitting needle for best control.
- For a knit stitch: insert the hook from front to back through the live loop, hook the lowest ladder strand, and pull it through.
- For a purl stitch: bring the yarn forward, insert the hook from back to front, and pull the ladder strand through from back to front.
- Work upward strand by strand until the stitch is level with your needles.
- Return the recovered stitch to the left needle with the leading leg at the front, then resume knitting normally.
Fixing dropped stitches in stocking stitch
Stocking stitch is the easiest pattern to fix because every row uses the same motion. Insert your crochet hook from front to back, pick up the horizontal ladder strand above the live loop, and pull it through. Repeat for each ladder strand moving upward.
Fixing dropped stitches in garter stitch
Garter stitch alternates knit and purl rows, so each pair of ladder strands represents one knit row and one purl row. You need to alternate your hook direction as you climb: front-to-back for knit rows, back-to-front for purl rows.
When multiple stitches have dropped at once
If several stitches have all dropped in the same area, secure every live loop first. Then fix them one column at a time, starting from the right and working left. This prevents you from crossing ladders between adjacent columns.
When to rip back instead of fixing
If a stitch has dropped in lace or colourwork and brought several yarn-overs or colour-change strands with it, ripping back to a lifeline is sometimes faster and neater.