Newbie - Help

#1

Hello- I just joined and I just started knitting a few weeks ago. A friend was teaching me and she’s now away for three weeks and I know I made a big error I can’t seem to fix. I’ve become a bit obsessed and I got further than I thought I would.

I am attempting a sweater- so far- i’m working on the back and the rib on the bottom looks beautiful- like a real sweater (unlike the ribbing on my first hat- what a mess!). So I’m getting to the arm holes- and taught myself ktog, skp tonight. However, I read the pattern wrong- instead of doing 1 k2tog- I basically did the whole row of that. I then did the P row the same way. By the time i hit the next row- i had few stitches left and realized i had a problem. I was shown how to unknit- but it wasn’t working well for me- so i’ve basically been pulling it off by hand and rescuing my stitches. I got it back to where i was before i started- however- now it appears I am set up to knit on the wrong side. (Not sure if this will make sense- but my yarn ball and initial string are both on the right side of my knitting). When I initially started this- it was all on the right side.

Is my method of taking stitches off not something i should do.

How can i correct this and get myself on the right side. Any help would be appreciated. Sorry if i’m not using the right terms!

#2

Are you using straight needles?

If so take a darning needle and thread it with some waste yarn. Pick up all the stitches on that to hold your stitches. . Turn the work around and replace them on the needle going the other way.

Also when rescuing stitches you want to make sure they sit on the needle correctly with the right side of the loop to the front. If the left side is to the front you will twist the stitches and they won’t lie as smooth. So after you have all your stitches secure on the needle check each stitch as you knit the next row that it is sitting correctly. If it isn’t then lift it off with your R hand needle and position it on the L hand needle the correct way, then knit it. It’s possible that some will be on the needle correctly and some won’t.

Good luck.

#3

I am using straight needles. Thanks for the tip on the stitches on the R side- many are not.

Before I posted- I actually tried to do what you said (just putting it on the other needle- w/out using a darning needle)- but realized then that the yarn to knit with from my ball was then at the top of my needle. How do i bring that strand down to the tip of my needle?

THANKS!

#4

I’m not quite sure what you mean by “top of the needle” versus “tip of the needle”. But at the beginning of a new row the yarn should be hanging down in front of the work. If it is pulled up and behind you will accidentally make an extra stitch. Maybe you just need straighten all the stitches on your row so they lie straight.

Good for you making a sweater as a beginner by the way. I hope it turns out well.

#5

I’m sorry if i’m not using the right terms- i’ll try this one more time. So- i just took another row of stitches out hoping to correct it- by "Unknitting. Now my yarn ball is at the end- w/the tip of the needle (pointy part). I tried to do my purl row- but now it’s stitching on the wrong side. So what normally shows up on the wrong side- is appearing on the right side. AHHH- how do i fix this!!!

#6

Oh dear. It sounds like when you started up you should have either knitted instead of purled or purled instead of knitted. Remember if the knit stitches are facing you, you knit. If purl stitches are facing you, you purl.
Sounds like you’ll have to take out that row… so sorry.

#7

You should do your knit row instead of the purl row.

#8

if the side facing you looks like a bunch of “v”'s, then you knit. if it’s all bumpy, you purl.