Help a beginner! Changing color in a 2x2 rib results in a weird wrong color bump on one side (despite knitting the first row)

Hey guys,

first-time poster, amateur knitter. I hope you can help me. I want to make a 2x2 rib scarf with stripes. Before starting the whole big project I wanted to practice changing colors on a smaller size. Following countless tutorials I knit the whole row in the new color in order to prevent purl bumps. However, I am getting this one stubborn wrongly colored bump every time I try. I am a bit desperate as I can’t see what 'm doing wrong. Any tips on how to prevent it? Thanks!

Hello
I don’t think you are doing anything wrong, I think this is just the nature of knitting and the characteristic of the stitches.
Stitches have 2 legs, as you knit one leg is pulled right and the other left and they are held in this pattern by the stitches below and above. At the end of a row though one of the legs is drawn upwards rather than to the side.

This is a nice video, full of info about purl bumps, perhaps you’ve watched it already. What I really like is when the purl bumps are used to create pattern rather than hidden.
I have made purposely switched colours back and forth across several row to make more purl bumps on both sides and varying patterns, before fully changing to the second colour. Something similar is shown in this video towards the end

If your making a scarf I can understand you’d like the edges neat and want a clean switch of colours. Have you considered a stitch pattern which is reversable as scarves are rarely viewed just from the right side? Or knitting a double layer (either in the round or seamed) which eliminates edge stitches and totally hides the wrong side.

Personally I like things to look a bit hand knit rather than shop bought.

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Welcome to the forum!
Techknitter used to have a good tutorial on the “ears” at the beginning and ends of color change stripes. I can’t find it but the end result is that although you can fix it on one side of the row, you can’t fix it on both sides.
I think the fix is to work back across the row with the old color until you get to the last stitch. Work the last stitch with the new color, then proceed with the new color. It works for the first stitch of the row but you can’t make it work for both edges.
I’ve looked but can’t find the original tutorial. I hope I remember the technique correctly. Otherwise the ears become part of the design of the stripe.

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Thank you, those are some very good tips!