I’m just a beginner and am knitting a scarf with alternating rows of stitch and purl. Every time I switch from a knit to purl row the first stitch always ends up very loose. I am about halfway through the scarf and one side is nice and tight and the other side has loose loops. What am I doing wrong?? And can I fix the side when I’m done or do I need to just rip it apart and start over?
That’s pretty normal and should even out. You can do the first st, then gently pull on the yarn and do the next couple sts a little tighter and that should even out the edge sts.
By alternating knit and purl rows (stockinette stitch) you’re going to end up with the sides curling in on themselves and the ends flipping up. You need to k5 sts at the beg and end of the purl rows to help prevent this.