When starting out as a new knitter, we tend to make some basic mistakes—simple things that can significantly impact the quality of our knitting. As a knitter of 40+ years, I’ve made ALL of the mistakes that you’re going to read about below. There can be more than I am going to discuss, but let’s keep it simple.
Mistake #1: Not checking gauge.
Oh, I’ve paid some pretty heavy prices for failing to check my knitting gauge. From making items somewhat too small to create a side-to-side sweater for me that 3 people could have fit into, checking gauge is NOT optional! I’ve learned that I’m a loose knitter (thus the super-humongous sweater!). The only way that a beginner can assess if they are a loose, tight, or on-gauge knitter is to GAUGE SWATCH!
Mistake #2: Tension issues
Imagine knitting a glorious scarf in scrumptious yarn and realizing when you’ve finished that parts of the scarf have gaping holes and parts of the scarf are so tight that you can’t stretch it at all. This is due to inconsistent tension while knitting. Just like anything else worth doing well, figuring out your tension—how tight or how loosely you hold and feed the yarn into your needles—requires practice.
Mistake #3: Dropping stitches
The first time I dropped a stitch, I didn’t realize it until a dozen or so rows later. I panicked, tried to rip out some of the stitches with abandon, and ended up with a complete and utter mess. But dropping stitches doesn’t have to cause mayhem. The important thing is to catch it early and fix it so your knitting doesn’t unravel. Catching it early means checking your knitting regularly and often.
Mistake #4: Twisted stitches
Twisted stitches create weird and unintended results. Rather than a smooth knitted fabric, you’ll end up with funny little bumps, holes, or even lines in your knitting. Pay close attention to the way your stitches appear on the needles to avoid this problem.
Mistake #5: Wrong needle size or yarn weight
Been there, done that…as recently as 4 months ago. If you choose the wrong size needles or the wrong “size” of yarn, you’ll end up with a project that looks NOTHING like the picture(s) on your pattern. And you’ll end up “frogging,” a process of ripping your work out and starting all over. (It’s called frogging to mimic the sound a frog makes: rippit, rippit. I know, it’s a terrible joke. I didn’t make it up, I promise.)
Mistake #6: Not reading the pattern thoroughly
If you skim through the pattern, you could miss crucial instructions, new stitch patterns, or other details that can slow down or stop your project. Read the pattern carefully before starting your project, taking note of special techniques, pattern stitches, and accessories that you might need. It’s a sad thing to get a few hundred stitches into a pattern before realizing that you can’t figure out a new stitch or don’t have all the items you need to complete the project.
Mistake #7: Miscounting stitches
I made a lap throw for my oldest daughter about 15 years ago for her birthday. I hadn’t knitted regularly, or hardly at all, for more than 10 years. I didn’t count the stitches after my initial cast-on; I just merrily knitted away. Unfortunately, after I bound off my knitting I realized that the top of my project was 5 inches more narrow than the bottom of the throw! There wasn’t time to take it out and re-knit it, so Heather received a lop-sided lap throw. (She says it doesn’t matter, but it sure chapped my hide!)
Keep counting your stitches throughout your project. It’s so much easier to correct stitch count one or two rows back than to correct stitch count after 20 or more rows,
Mistake #8: Lack of patience
Knitters, just like everyone else in this world, like to believe that they can be expert knitters after one or two, or ten projects. But just like everything else in the world, the more practice you can manage, the more you learn about the craft. I’ve been a knitter for more than 40 years. I’ve learned more about knitting in the past 5 years than I learned in the 35 years before that, mostly because I have more time to knit and many fewer distractions than I did in those 35 years.
Give yourself a little grace, be patient with yourself and your knitting, and don’t be afraid to take on a new, somewhat more challenging project than you’ve done in the past. I promise that your skills will increase the more you practice!
Until next time, happy knitting!
Anita