So I have only been knitting for about a week and have been teaching myself using books and websites. I made a scarf already with a basic garter stitch and have been practicing increasing and decreasing to make a really simple hat but while knitting in the round I came a cross this problem: a long length of yarn in between the working stitches and the ones I already stitched. (see the picture)
Is this a tension problem or am I doing something else wrong?
To me it looks like the circle never actually joined.
Amy has a great video showing how to do this.
Agreed. It looks like you didn’t join the circle properly.
It looks like you may have dropped a bunch of sts at the join.
That video is fantastic, and I highly recommend it. Looks like you never joined your circle together, which is an easy enough mistake to make if you’re used to “back and forth” knitting. Kepp practicing. If you’re tried everything in just a week… WOW!
Thanks. I will use the video when I try again. The length gets created when I attempt to tighten my first stitches after I cast on.
How are you tensioning your yarn?
One way to make a snug join is to cast on an extra stitch. Then knit it together with the first stitch. I usually slip the first stitch, work the first round and then knit or purl them together at the end of the round.
Yup! Totally agree with Sue! 
The “join” of the row into a “round” is the trickiest part of knitting in the round, IMHO!
Take heart! You’ll get it with just a bit of additional practice! :knitting: