The short answer: knitting gets wider because you have more stitches than you cast on. Almost every extra stitch comes from one of two things: the yarn went over the top of the needle when you turned, so the first stitch looked like two, or you knitted into the strand between two stitches. Count your stitches after every row and you’ll catch it straight away.
First, check: is it really getting wider?
Lay your knitting flat and look at the sides. In plain garter stitch (knit every row) the edges should run straight up, because you have the same number of stitches on every row. If the sides lean outwards, stitches are being added. If they lean inwards, stitches are being lost: dropped, or the last one missed.
Now count the stitches on your needle and compare with your cast-on number. If you cast on 20 and now have 23, you have your answer.
The two usual causes
1. The yarn went over the needle when you turned
This is the big one. When you turn your work to start a new row, the working yarn should hang straight down from the first stitch, at the back. If you pull it up and over the top of the needle, the first stitch gets stretched into two loops. It now looks like two stitches, and you knit both. One extra stitch, every time it happens.
2. You knitted into the strand between two stitches
Between every pair of stitches on the needle there’s a short bar of yarn. If your needle goes under that bar instead of into a stitch, you make a brand new stitch out of nothing. It can leave a small hole just below it. This happens most in the middle of a row, especially when the stitches are bunched up on the needle.
Fewer stitches instead of more? If your knitting is getting narrower, a stitch has dropped off the needle or you’re missing the last stitch of the row. See how to fix a dropped stitch.
How to fix extra stitches
You don’t need to start again. Work on a practice strip first if you’re nervous; better still, make the mistake on purpose and then fix it, so you know exactly what to do when it happens for real.
- Stop, look, count. As soon as something looks wrong, stop knitting. Most mistakes only get harder to fix the further you go. Count your stitches, then look along the row below the needle for the problem: a hole, or two stitches where there should be one.
- Undo one stitch at a time (“tinking”). “Tink” is knit spelled backwards. Put the left needle tip, front to back, into the stitch under the first stitch on the right needle. Slide the right needle out of the top stitch, then gently tug the working yarn. One stitch undone and back on the left needle. Repeat until you reach the extra stitch.
- Drop the extra stitch. When the extra stitch is back on the left needle, don’t re-knit it. Simply slide it off the needle and carry on knitting.
- Check every stitch sits the right way. A stitch should sit on the needle with its right leg (the leg nearer the tip) in front. After tinking, a stitch can end up back to front and will come out crossed when you knit it. Slip it off, turn it round, and put it back.
- Count again. You should be back to your cast-on number. Write it on a sticky note if it helps.
If the extra stitches are many rows down, tinking every stitch back to them takes a long time. You can pull the needle out and unravel (“frog”) back to the row below the mistake, then carefully put the stitches back on the needle, right leg in front, and count them. Going slowly on the last row is the trick. Or, if the fabric is a practice piece, just note where the extras came from and carry on with the correct count.
How to stop it happening
- At the start of every row: check that the working yarn hangs straight down at the back from the first stitch, not over the top of the needle.
- At the end of every row: make sure you worked the last stitch. Then count. While you’re learning, count after every single row.
- Work near the tips. Push the stitches towards the tip of the left needle before each stitch, so each one is easy to see and you go into the stitch, not between them.
- Mind the tail on the first row. You have two strands hanging down: the tail and the working yarn. Knit with the one that goes to the ball.
Quick troubleshooting
| What happened | What to do |
|---|---|
| I have more stitches than I cast on. | Usually the yarn went over the top of the needle at the start of a row, or you knitted into the strand between two stitches. Tink back to the extra stitch and drop it off the needle. |
| There’s a hole in my knitting. | Often it’s a stitch made from the strand between two stitches, or the yarn being in the wrong place (purling with it at the back). One small hole in a practice strip is fine. Just note where it came from. |
| After tinking, my next row has crossed stitches. | They went back on twisted. Check each one has its right leg in front. |
| My crochet rows get longer. | You’re probably working a stitch into the turning chain, or twice into the first stitch. In UK double crochet (US single crochet) the ch 1 doesn’t count. Read more in does the turning chain count as a stitch? |
Questions people ask
Why does my knitting keep getting wider?
Because stitches are being added. The usual causes are the yarn going over the top of the needle when you turn, which makes the first stitch look like two, and knitting into the strand between two stitches.
Can I fix extra stitches without starting over?
Yes. Tink (un-knit) back stitch by stitch to the extra stitch and drop it off the needle instead of re-knitting it. If it’s many rows down, you can frog back to the row below the mistake and put the stitches back on the needle.
How often should I count my stitches?
After every row while you’re learning. It takes a few seconds and catches an extra stitch while it’s still one row down and easy to fix.
Why is my knitting getting narrower?
Stitches are being lost: a stitch has dropped off the needle, or you’re missing the last stitch of the row. Count after every row and check the last stitch is worked.