The short answer: tight knitting almost always comes from making stitches on the narrow tip of the needle and pulling the yarn to size them. Slide each new stitch onto the thick part of the right needle before you pull the yarn snug, so the needle sets the size, not your pulling. Then relax your grip. Loose or uneven knitting usually means the yarn isn’t feeding through your fingers at a steady speed.
What “tension” means
The word is used in two ways. On a ball band, tension (US gauge) is the number of stitches and rows in a 10 cm square. While you’re knitting, it means how evenly your yarn feeds through your fingers. The two are linked: even feeding gives even stitches, and even stitches are what make work look neat.
Is your knitting too tight?
- You have to force the stitches along the needle.
- It’s hard to get the needle tip into the next stitch.
- The fabric feels stiff and hard.
- Your cast-off edge pulls in and curls.
Too loose looks the opposite: big, droopy stitches of different sizes. Uneven is the most common of all: some rows or stitches loose, others tight.
How to fix tight knitting
- Size each stitch on the needle shaft. This one habit fixes most tight knitting. After every stitch, slide the new stitch onto the thick part of the right needle before you pull the yarn snug. Make stitches on the thick part, not the narrow tip.
- Work near the tips of the left needle. Push the stitches towards the tip of the left needle before each stitch, so the right needle can get in easily, then move the new stitch back along the shaft of the right one.
- Weave the yarn through your fingers. Don’t hold the yarn loose in your fist. One popular way (English style): under your little finger, over the ring finger, under the middle finger and over the index finger. Your index finger then “throws” the yarn round the needle.
- Relax your grip. Too tight? Push the stitches further along the shaft and relax your yarn hand. Loosen your grip on the yarn, too.
- Relax your body. Tight shoulders make tight stitches. Sit with your back supported, elbows resting, and good light. Every 15 minutes, put your work down and shake out your hands.
How to fix loose knitting
If your stitches are big and floppy, add one more wrap of yarn round your little finger, so the yarn feeds a little more slowly and snugly. Keep the yarn feeding at one speed rather than letting it go slack between stitches.
Tight edges: cast-on and cast-off
Edges are where tightness shows most. New knitters almost always cast on too tightly: the stitches should slide along the needle easily, with a gap between them about as wide as the needle. If they grip, cast on around two needles held together, then slide one out.
Most beginners also cast off (US bind off) too tightly, so the edge pulls in. The cast-off edge should stretch as much as the rest of the fabric. If yours is tight, cast off with a needle one size bigger in your right hand, or just relax and keep each stitch on the thick part of the needle.
Crochet too tight?
Tight crochet is very common and makes it hard to get the hook into stitches. In crochet, the size of every stitch comes from the loop on your hook. Before each yarn round hook (US yarn over), make sure that loop has slid down onto the shaft, not bunched up in the narrow throat. Crocheters sometimes call this the “golden loop”.
Loosen your grip on the hook and let the yarn slide through your fingers with less squeeze. If a row is still hard to work into, try a hook half a size bigger. A tight foundation chain is a common culprit too: if your first piece curves into a bowl, the chain is tighter than your stitches. Make it looser, or make just the chain with a hook one size bigger.
When to change needle size instead
Once your stitches are even, your personal tension is just how you knit, and that’s fine. For a project where size matters, like a jumper, you knit a tension square (US gauge swatch) and compare it with the pattern. More stitches in 10 cm than the pattern means you knit tightly: try bigger needles. Fewer means you knit loosely: try smaller needles. As a rough guide, one needle size (0.5 mm) changes Aran tension by about 1 stitch in 10 cm. Don’t try to change how tightly you knit. Change the needles.
Questions people ask
Why is my knitting so tight?
Usually because each new stitch is made on the narrow tip of the needle and sized by pulling the yarn. Slide every new stitch onto the thick part of the right needle before you pull the yarn snug, and relax your grip.
How do I make my knitting looser?
Push the stitches further along the needle shaft, loosen your yarn hand and relax your shoulders. If your cast-on or cast-off is tight, work it around two needles or with a needle one size bigger.
How do I stop my knitting being too loose?
Weave the yarn through your fingers instead of holding it loose, and add one more wrap of yarn round your little finger so it feeds more snugly.
Should I change needle size if I knit tightly?
For a project where size matters, yes. Knit a tension square: more stitches in 10 cm than the pattern means try bigger needles, fewer means try smaller ones. Change the needles, not how tightly you knit.