The short answer: catch the loose loop with a safety pin or locking stitch marker straight away so it can’t run any further. If it has only dropped one row, put it back on the left needle and knit it. If it has run further, use a crochet hook to pull each horizontal bar through the loop, lowest bar first, one row at a time, then put the last loop back on the needle with its right leg in front.
Spot it, and stop it running
A stitch that falls off the needle can run down the fabric like a ladder in tights. It shows up as a loose loop below the needle, with a gap and horizontal bars above it. Each bar is one row the stitch has dropped through.
Don’t tug the knitting. Clip a locking stitch marker or a safety pin through the loop straight away. Now it can’t go anywhere, and you can fix it when you’re ready, even on a later row.
Only dropped one row? If you can see the loop sitting just below the needle, simply put it back on the left needle and knit it. Check it sits the right way round first (see the last step below).
How to ladder it up on the knit side
This is the fix for stocking stitch (US stockinette), the smooth fabric with Vs on one side. You need a crochet hook; any size near your needle size is fine.
- Bring the ladder to you. Work with the knit side (the side with Vs) facing you. Knit across to where the stitch dropped, so the ladder sits right between your needle tips.
- Hook from the front. Take the marker out and put the hook into the loop from the front.
- Catch the lowest bar and pull it through. Catch the lowest bar and pull it through the loop. That’s one row rebuilt.
- Keep climbing. Catch the next bar up and pull it through. Keep going, always in order from the bottom, until there are no bars left.
- Put it back on the needle. Put the last loop on the left needle, check it’s mounted correctly, and carry on knitting.
Missed a bar? The stitch will look pulled tight and you’ll see a leftover strand. Pull the loop back down to that bar and try again. Nothing is lost.
On the purl side
The easiest way is to turn your work so the knit side faces you and ladder up exactly as above. Then turn back and carry on. You can also fix it from the purl side by taking the hook in from the back of the loop, with each bar in front of the loop.
In garter stitch
Garter stitch (knit every row) has knit and purl bumps on alternate rows, so the fix alternates too. Pick up one bar from the front (a knit), then turn the work over and pick up the next bar from the front on that side. Keep turning after every bar, so each row gets its bump on the correct side. If you pick every bar up from the same side, you’ll see a stripe of Vs in your garter fabric.
Put it back on the needle the right way
Every stitch has two “legs”. On your left needle, the right leg (the leading leg, the one nearer the tip) should sit in front of the needle. A rescued stitch often goes back on twisted, so check it before you knit it.
Quick fix: slip the stitch off, turn it round and put it back so the right leg is in front. Or, if it’s already on the left needle twisted, knit it through the back loop, which untwists it.
Bonus: ladder down on purpose to fix a mistake
Once you can ladder up, you can fix mistakes several rows down without ripping anything out. Spotted a purl bump in a column of knit stitches five rows down? Don’t rip out five rows. Instead:
- Knit to the stitch directly above the mistake.
- Slip it off the needle and let it run down to just below the mistake. Help it along gently.
- Catch the loop with a marker. Now the mistake is just a loose bar.
- Ladder back up the correct way, put it on the needle, and carry on.
Not ready to ladder yet?
That’s fine. You can tink (un-knit stitch by stitch) back to the dropped stitch instead, or pull the needle out and frog (unravel) down to that row and put the stitches back on, right leg in front. Picking stitches up after frogging is easier with something thinner than your needle, such as a thinner needle or your crochet hook, one stitch at a time. Or email us a photo and we’ll talk you through it.
Quick troubleshooting
| What happened | What to do |
|---|---|
| The dropped stitch ran down and I’ve lost it. | Put a safety pin through it wherever it stopped. Then either hook it back up or frog down to that row. |
| My fixed stitch looks tighter than the others. | You probably skipped a bar, so one strand is doing the work of two. Pull the loop down and redo it. A tug on the fabric either side evens it out. |
| After laddering up, there’s a leftover strand. | You missed a bar. Drop the loop back down to it and pick it up in order, lowest first. |
| The rescued stitch looks twisted. | It went on the needle the wrong way. Turn it so the right leg is in front. |
| My garter fix has a stripe of Vs. | You picked every bar up from the same side. In garter, turn the work over after each bar. |
Questions people ask
How do I fix a dropped stitch several rows down?
Catch the loop with a safety pin or locking marker, knit to the ladder, then put a crochet hook into the loop from the front, catch the lowest bar and pull it through. Repeat one bar per row until there are none left, then put the loop back on the left needle.
Do I need to rip back my knitting to fix a dropped stitch?
No. Every bar in the ladder is a row you can rebuild with a crochet hook. Tinking or frogging back is only an option if you’re not ready to ladder up yet.
How do I fix a dropped stitch in garter stitch?
Pick up one bar from the front, then turn the work over and pick up the next bar from the front on that side. Keep turning after every bar, so each row gets its bump on the correct side.
Why does my rescued stitch look twisted?
It went back on the needle the wrong way. Slip it off, turn it round and put it back so the right leg is in front, or knit it through the back loop to untwist it.