A slipped stitch in the wrong place can cause a twisted column, an unintended elongated stitch, or a small hole that grows more obvious with every row. Knowing how to fix a slipped stitch in knitting means you can correct the problem without disturbing the stitches around it.
Pro tip: When a slipped stitch has created a twisted column, the fastest fix is to drop the column deliberately down to the error and re-work it with a crochet hook in the correct orientation. Trying to tink back to a stitch slipped three rows ago is much slower.
Step-by-step guide
- Identify whether the stitch was slipped accidentally (creating an elongated stitch) or slipped in the wrong direction (creating a twisted stitch in the next row).
- For an accidentally elongated stitch on the current row: slip it back to the left needle and knit or purl it normally.
- For an accidentally elongated stitch spotted a row or two later: use a tapestry needle to ease the extra length into the surrounding stitches, then block.
- For a twisted stitch caused by a wrong slip direction: identify the column, then ladder down to that stitch by deliberately dropping just that column.
- Use a crochet hook to re-work the column upward, inserting the hook in the correct direction for each stitch.
- Return all live stitches to the left needle with the correct orientation and resume knitting.
What a slipped stitch actually does
When you slip a stitch, you move it from one needle to the other without working it — and the direction you slip it determines what happens next. Slipping knitwise twists the stitch so the leading leg moves to the back. Slipping purlwise moves the stitch without twisting it.
Fixing a twisted stitch caused by a wrong slip direction
A twisted stitch has its legs crossed in the opposite direction to a normal stitch — it looks thinner and tighter than everything around it. If you spot it on the current row, slip it off the needle and reinsert it in the correct orientation before knitting.
Fixing an accidentally elongated stitch
If you slipped a stitch accidentally and kept knitting, you will have an elongated stitch in one position with a tighter-than-usual stitch below it. If it is only one or two rows back, tink back to it and knit it normally.
Preventing accidental slips
Most accidental slips happen when the yarn is in the wrong position and you insert the needle without checking. Before slipping a stitch intentionally, ask yourself: is this in the pattern?