In making a scarf I needed to unravel some rows as I had made a mistake. This turned into a problem in that I am now short on the number of stitiches I need per row. I have also a problem with the tail as it is now not exactly at the end of the row. Can anyone help with this. Also when I insert the needle again should it be headed away from the tail, as i’m not sure what direction to put it in. I have restarted knitting after a couple years and was just a beginner before so any help is appreciated.
Problem with the tail and number of stitiches
What type of stitch are you doing… just garter stitch? If that is the case then you should have the same number. If the pattern had increases and decreases it could very well have a different number of stitches on different rows. Do you have a link to the pattern?
I wouldn’t worry too much about the tail. You may have knit a couple stitches with it which would move it over.
Which way you are aiming in relation to the tail depends on how many rows you’ve ripped back since you are working both sides.
There are videos at the tab at the top of the page. Maybe a refresher in the stitches might help you out here.
When you mentioned the tail being out of place, I’m going to assume that you mean the working yarn, rather than the ‘tail’, which is the end hanging left over from the cast on.
Hold your work so the working yarn is to the left of your right point. Slip your needle into the empty stitches up to where the working yarn is, and then pop it out one stitch at a time and slip these stitches on one at a time. You could just pull the yarn out until the end of the row, but this way you’re more sure to pick up each stitch.
Sometimes, when you replace stitches on the needle, they become twisted on the needle (reversed). Make sure the front ‘leg’ of the stitch is more to the right than the back ‘leg’. If it is twisted, just slip it off and then back on the other way.
See if this video from the Free Videos at the top of the page, Tips, Fixing Mistakes helps. Amy is addressing a similar sounding problem.
As for missing sts, once you get the sts you have back on the needle, check to see if there are any gaps or dropped sts. There’s also a handy video in the same area for picking up dropped sts.