Quick fix: Rip out the cuff, rip back to the right length, then re-work the cuff from there. It's a straightforward fix that takes less time than it sounds.
What you are seeing
You hold up your finished sleeve and it hangs past the wrist, or when worn it bunches at the cuff. The sleeve is too long and needs to be shortened. The good news: sleeves are one of the easiest things to fix because you're working from a free end.
Why it happens
- Not measuring the wearer's actual arm length before starting
- Gauge differences between the swatch and the actual knitting
- Following the pattern's suggested length without checking it against the actual wearer
Fix it now
- Measure how much needs to come off. Measure the wearer's arm from shoulder to wrist and compare to the knitted sleeve length.
- Identify the cuff stitches: the cast-off edge is where you'll start. Pull out the bind-off row by snipping one stitch and gently pulling the yarn — the bind-off will unravel row by row.
- Continue ripping back row by row until you've removed the excess length.
- Place remaining live stitches onto a needle — they'll be in the correct orientation for working.
- Re-knit the cuff pattern and bind off. Check the length against the wearer before binding off.
Prevent it next time
- Always measure the actual recipient's arm, not just follow pattern length suggestions
- Try the sleeve on periodically as you knit — hold it against the arm every 2 inches
- Work the cuff last so it's the easiest thing to adjust