I was working on my scarf tonight and it seems that somehow my needles got mixed up. When I’m supposed to be starting with a purl stitch, there is a knit stitch on the end and vice versa. I’ve frogged about 5 rows and can’t figure out where I went wrong. It really seems like my marked and unmarked needles got mixed up. What should I do?? The funny thing is, the ribbing “looks” OK, but I KNOW I’m doing the WRONG stitches. I’m so FRUSTRATED!! :wall:
What do you mean by marked and unmarked needles? If you’re marking your needles to tell front from back, here are some easier ways:
- Put a marker on the right side (slip-on stitch marker, safety pin, whatever)
- Read your knitting! Do you know what knits and purls look like? A knit stitch looks like a V, and a purl looks like a dash or a bump. If you can look at a stitch and know what it is, it will tell you whether to knit or purl it. In the long run, this is the best way to remember which side is which.
Does this answer your question? Can you post a picture?
I am SO CONFUSED! I was doing just fine, now I think I just confused myself. I’m doing k3 p3. If I’m looking at the what is on the needles and am ready to start the next row - if I see a “v” then what am I supposed to do? knit or purl? and then if I see a loop then I do the opposite. I “thought” I was purling on the loops and knitting on the “v’s”, is this right? I really can’t knit when I’m socializing! I mess up EVERY TIME! :oops:
It’s confusing when they say ‘knit the knits’ because when you made the stitch, you made it by knitting it, but you are now looking at the back of that stitch, which is the purl side. So you wonder, is it a knit or a purl?
It doesn’t matter how the stitch was made. Whether knitting round or flat, make it the same as it looks. It’s on your left needle - the purl side is facing you (loop/purl bump) - so purl it.
If you see a V (knit stitch) knit it.
Look at your stitches after you’ve done them to understand how the wool goes, what stitch it makes, how it looks, and how the stitches combine to form ribbing.
Sarah
Thanks Sarah. That’s exactly what I thought, but the stitch I’m looking at I should be knitting and it’s a purl stitch (loop). So I guess that somewhere I messed up my stitches. But If I did a row opposite of what I was supposed to, wouldn’t it “look” like it?? UGH! I thought this was supposed to be RELAXING!! :wall:
Deep Breathing … ok …
The knits are the little V’s and the purls are the bumps. As long as you knit the knits and purl the purls, you should be OK.
Something else:
If you should have to lay your knitting down in the middle of the row, make sure when you pick it up again the working yarn is coming off of the right needle.
If you did accidentally get turned around and headed in the wrong direction, it’s not the end of the world. You’ll probably just end up with a gap in your knitting – you unintentionally did Short Rows. 
Just keep knitting the knits & purling the purls, and it’ll all work out in the end. Remember, this is your first project, and it’s supposed to have all those great “design features.” :teehee:
Oh, and I just thought of something else that might be confusing. If you’re ending your row w/ – for example – a Purl 2, when you turn it around to start the next row, you will see 2 Knit stitches, 'cause the purls are knits on the other side … does that make sense, or am I just causing more confusion? :shifty:
That makes sense and what I had been doing - ending with a p3, turn it over and start with a k3 (on the v stitches). So maybe I should just think of my marked needle the opposite - I had been starting with p3 when my work was on the marked needle, but now for some UNKNOWN REASON it starts with a v stitch, so I should start with knits. UGH! I think I’m LOSING IT!! :hair:
Thanks for your help!!
Forget the marked needles; now that you know the difference between a knit and purl stitch, look at the next stitch on your needle to tell you which you do next.
sue
OH NO! Don’t rely on the marked needles?! Going off on my OWN?! SCARY!! :noway: 
Thanks for the vote of confidence!
You can do it! It’s like learning to ride a bike with training wheels - the goal is to get off the training wheels.
Are you back on track now, Julie?
I never did understand the whole marked needle idea. It just seemed like it was something else to keep track of. :shrug: And, yes, now that you can tell a knit from a purl, chuck those training wheels in the trash … well, not literally, we wouldn’t want you throwing away perfectly good knitting needles!!!
Yes, I am back on track. It looks fine. I can’t, for the life of me, figure out where I went wrong! How do you mix up needles??!! I might have knit backwards, but if I did I must have ripped it out cuz everything looks OK now. Thanks for your help ladies! And I want to try something HARDER?! :shock:
This has been asked a lot lately. Check this thread and see if it answers your questions.
Yes, I am back on track. It looks fine. I can’t, for the life of me, figure out where I went wrong! How do you mix up needles??!! I might have knit backwards, but if I did I must have ripped it out cuz everything looks OK now. Thanks for your help ladies! And I want to try something HARDER?! Shocked
If you ripped out a row or two, you might have put a needle in the `wrong’ way, so that’s why it’s a good idea to learn what knits and purls look like. If you want to try something harder that you’ve never done before - go for it! That’s how you learn.
sue