Ok I had, continue to have sometimes a problem where the stitch falls off (I think) of the right needle and leaves me with a loop on the right needle but the yarn ball is attached to the top stitch on the left needle. I don’t know how to fix that. Can someone help me so I don’t have to scrap my whole project each time that happens? I’ve just started on a pair of flat-worked mittens (on ravelry) and already had to frog it all and start over. I was only on row 2 though 
But if that happens and I’m further into the project I’d be devastated! How can I fix that problem?? If you need a picture I can see if I can cause that problem again and then take a picture. I’m only just starting on row 2 of the pattern.
I don't even know how to ask this question
It sounds like maybe you aren’t knitting the stitch properly. After you put your right needle into the stitch on the left needle and then wrap it with the working yarn make sure you you pull that yarn all the way through the loop (that was on the left needle).
Go up to the top of the page and look at the knitting video again. You can also look at this link to see if it helps, too. I don’t know if you knit english or continental so here’s the main page of the knit stitch tutorial. If you scroll down from the videos you can see still pix which sometimes helps.
http://www.knitpicks.com/tutorials/Knit__L10070201.html
It could help to have a picture, but does this happen when you pick up your work after putting it down? You may have picked it up going the wrong direction and can turn your work so the yarn is on the R needle which is normal when you’re in the middle of a row. The yarn should be on the L needle only when you start a row.
I think I’m knitting/purling properly. But part of the problem may be the way I cast on for this pattern. I have been doing the long tail CO as it’s the one I’m most familiar with, but the stitches are not all laying the correct direction after I finished the first row of the pattern. The first row calls for K1, [K2, P2] repeat till last stitch then K1. After looking at the stitches now on the needle they are all like / \ / \ / \ / \ so maybe that’s why my needle slips out of the second or third stitch. I’m supposed to purl 1 then k2, p2 till last stitch then purl one. I’m making the cuff of flat-knit mittens at that time. So it’s hard to knit or purl on those odd stitches. Is that normal for the cuff of a mitten to have the odd v-type stitches?
You may be wrapping the purls backwards which will put the back leg closer to the needle tip instead of the front leg. The yarn should be wrapped the same way as for knit sts.
sigh I don’t know how to fix mistakes. I think I purled 3 times not 2 and didn’t know how to undo that so i scrapped my first row again. I had just knitted-on the co row and was just in 6 stitches. I’ve given up for tonight. I’m done with frogging my work right now. It’s just so frustrating.
I checked the knitting on CO video and the purling english-style video and it appears I’m doing them correctly. I guess I just need to make another appointment with my knitting tutor and get help in first person. I don’t know. I’m just so bummed right now.
Yes what happens when I come to that first issue I had was I dropped the second stitch after knitting the first stitch. That leaves me with a stitch on the right needle and the yarn being attached to the left needle. I don’t know how to put a dropped stitch back onto the needle.
I feel like giving up knitting. I really don’t want to but if I can’t even get through the first two simple rows of a mitten pattern then how in the heck am I supposed to do anything other than a basic dish cloth?? It seems that is all I can do. I’m trying to push myself to learn and be more confident in my new abilities but it’s just backfiring. Ugh. I guess I just need a break.
You can look on the tips page under Fixing mistakes for some videos that may be helpful. It doesn’t make sense to me that you ‘drop’ a stitch but it’s still on the needle and the yarn gets to the stitch on the left needle. When a stitch drops, it’s not on either needle, it’s just hanging there. Did you look at the video Demo of a Small Project? That may help you figure out how a row should flow from the cast on through the first few rows. But do it tomorrow, get some sleep tonight; you shouldn’t try to knit when you’re tired and frustrated.
I’m a relatively new knitter, and not really good at diagnosing what may be happening, so I didn’t say anything earlier. But I do know that learning to fix mistakes takes time. I think all of us would agree that it’s something we never stop learning how to do.
I can’t comment at all on the falling stitch from your first post, because I don’t know enough yet to say anything that might make sense;), but when you said purl 3 instead of 2, that’s something I do all the time. This video taught me how to undo it so I could fix it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFS9PWMFut8
For ribbing, the handiest tip I ever learned was to knit the knits, and purl the purls. If the next stitch looks like a V knit it, and if it looks like a bump purl it.
Please don’t get discouraged. We all go through this from time to time. You WILL get past dishcloths. I knitted 15 dishcloths before I had courage enough to try a baby sweater. I ripped out that stinkin’ baby sweater back three times from armhole down, and one of the fronts twice. I only ripped out one sleeve once, and counted that a triumph.
And I took repeated breaks from the sweater in-between ripping outs to drink wine, eat chocolate, and say really ugly things about and to that sweater. If it were a houseplant it would have died from neglect. :lol:
Be kind to yourself while you learn this new skill. You’ll get there, I promise.
Ok I had, continue to have sometimes a problem where the stitch falls off (I think) of the right needle and leaves me with a loop on the right needle but the yarn ball is attached to the top stitch on the left needle.
It sounds to me like the problem described above is that you have not yet knitted this stitch , or if you did, it came undone. If this happens again, try slipping the stitch on the right needle back to the left needle. Then knit (or purl) it again.
If you find that it’s very difficult to insert your needle into the slipped stitch, you’ll need to reorient it on the needle. You can do this by picking it up with the right needle and flipping it around with the left needle. If necessary, you can fiddle around with how the stitch sits on the needle and compare it to other stitches that you know are right.
I know very well how frustrating this phase of learning is, and I think it’s something that most knitters experience. There’s a period of time there when you don’t really know what you did wrong and how to fix it, but unfortunately, learning from mistakes almost always requires . . . . well, making mistakes and learning how to fix them!!!
Ok I decided to take a picture of my knitting in progress. I just started the first row and the stitches are all weird. I’ve never experienced this before because I’ve only ever done stockinette or straight knitting. The pattern is K1, [K2, P2] to last stitch, K1. My stitches are all wopperjawed looking. I can’t straighten out the stitches on the needle they circle around and around instead of being straight. I don’t know how to fix that. From teh videos on this site that I’ve watched I am purling and knitting correctly. I don’t know what to do to get straight stitches! Everything else I knit whether it is stockinette or all knit (garter stitch?) it turns out fine on the needle but somehow k2,p2 screw it up.
I’m still a novice, but I’ll try to pass on what I’m learning.
I get my stitches to twist like that sometimes. They always straighten out after a few rows. Just be sure you are knitting the right part of the stitch, and give it a few rows before you worry. (When a stitch twists, sometimes he knot can look like two stitches. I can’t describe it too well, but you can see for yourself if you play with your stitches)
I would actually say give new pieces or patterns a good couple of rows before you determine if things don’t seem right. I’ve had some things look way funky until it was a few inches long. At worst, you got some practice and hopefully learned something and can avoid the mistake later.
Don’t let mistakes get you down, they’ll happen. I recommend learning how to tink, which you will absolutely need if you don’t want to drive yourself crazy and waste time. Videos or tutorials are easy to find. Or, just knit something slowly and watch what the yarn does. The loop that slips off the left needle is around the new stitch that you just knitted. All you need to do is grab that loop with your left needle, and pull out the working yarn. That way, you don’t have to undo work for a single stitch.
Thank you BobmKitten. I did find out that I wasn’t knitting/purling properly after all. I was not moving the yarn in front of the needles to purl and not moving it back behind to knit. I am working on ribbing. So that caused the stitches to not form correctly on the needle which made the stitches uneven and not lined up properly. I knitted a test swatch doing ribbing and the stitches were fixed with my newfound knowledge. 
Yay! Now I still don’t know how to fix that one problem I was having with the needle dropping the stitch and the yarn being attached to the left needle. But I guess if I’m careful and slow at knitting I shouldn’t have that problem. I think I get careless when I’m doing repeated patterns that I tend to have that happen.
If you’re picking up your knitting and going the wrong way or not completing the stitch properly that is the only thing I can think of that would cause the problem.
I can’t tell from the picture just what or where the problem is, but I do have a few suggestions for the future.
Don’t stop before finishing a row if you can help it. Try to work the entire row before you lay your needles down. If you have to for whatever reason, lay the needles down carefully just as they are in your hands facing you. Then you can pick them back up just as they were while knitting.
Take the time to make notes (make it a habit) it will save you a lot of grief in the future.
Get a good book from the library to have by your side to refer back to when something happens and you need quick help on how to do something. Sally Melville’s two books Knit, and Purl are great reference books. They are the main ones that I used when teaching myself to knit.
The sts curl around the needle like that because you don’t have enough length to your knitting. Another row or 2 should help and and ribbing doesn’t really look right until you’ve done about an inch or so.