I just realized that, several rows ago, I have one hell of a mistake that I need to fix in my socks. It’s only one one of my needles. If I unravel rows, I do have to unravel them on all the needles, correct?
What is the best way to unravel and re-insert needles with DPNs?
I’ve not knitted socks per se, but I have used dpns for knitting in the round. My choice would be to use a cable needle one size smaller to weave into the row before the one you want to change – instructions [here](Inserting a needle into destination row, before unraveling)-- (scroll down to “Inserting a needle into destination row, before unraveling”).
Viridian, I’m new to socks but I think you do have to take it all out. I tried the method the above poster suggested, and while it’s a terrific idea, I found it too difficult with fingering weight yarn. If you do try it, it helps to use a smaller needle, the smallest you have (like a 0).
Having had a lot of experience tearing out socks, this is what I do: tear back past the error to the beginning of a round. Then I back the yarn out of each stitch one by one, picking up onto a needle as I go. Sometimes the stitches are split, sometimes backwards, but I’m just grateful to snag something. Then after taking out a whole round, I go around again taking out the row below onto another needle one by one, and then I can fix split stitches and twisted stitches. I hope this makes some sense. Maybe it’s too labor intensive, but it’s what I do! I’d be glad to hear of an easier way.
Also, try to mark or keep track of where the starting round and each new needle begins. And count your sts at the end to make sure you’re ok.
Susan
After looking over it, I had a lot of mistakes and a few holes.
So I frogged it. 
Oh well. Let’s me practice more. ^^
I’m sorry you ended up frogging your sock, but remember that doesn’t have to be the case next time!
If your error is limited to just a few stitches, you can unravel just those stitches down to the error, fix the error, then use a crochet hook to work them back up to the rest of your work.
If your error affects the entire stitch pattern (e.g., you skipped a pattern row), you can unravel your work only to that point, correct the error, then rework the rows you just unraveled, leaving the work completed prior to the error intact. If you are nervous about loosing stitches when you do this, you can always insall a “lifeline” – a piece of waste yarn on a tapestry needle that you weave through each one of the stitches in the row BELOW the error. This lifeline will keep the work from unraveling any further. Then you can just unravel the piece down to the lifeline, put the stitches from the waste yarn back on to your needles, pull out the lifeline and rework the rows.
So next time you find a problem in the work you’ve already completed, try one of these options instead of frogging the whole thing. What have you got to lose?
I love lifelines…especially in complicated situations and I move the line every 5 to 10 rows but I don’t weave it in … I plan on where I’m going to lifeline. It allows me to relax and enjoy the knitting instead of worrying what will happen if I do mess up. Some people use waste yarn, embroidery floss, dental floss, whatever works … but as Spokaloo said if it’s only a few messed up stitches use a safety pin or whatever to a row beneath where your error is and drop the stitches and pick them back up with an appropriate size crochet hook. Make note of how they need to be hooked whether purl or knit …
Oh, I didn’t think of a life line! I usually try to weave in a smaller needle and it was too difficult, but threading in some waste yarn would’ve helped! But it’s okay. The yarn I was using is very slick and difficult to handle; my fingers aren’t dexterous enough to handle the four needles AND keep this very soft yarn on it at the same time (it was 52% bamboo, 43% merino and 5% combed silk).
I recently bought a 75% wool, 25% nylon self-striping yarn and it’s been going MUCH better, and faster to boot. I did in only about two hours what it took me about five to do on the silky yarn. Partially, I’ve just gotten better about holding the needles, but this yarn doesn’t fly all over the place, either. 