Fixing a Dropped Stitch in Stockinette
A dropped stitch in stockinette is one of the easiest knitting mistakes to fix. With a crochet hook the same size as your needles, the dropped stitch can be ladder-laddered back up to the working row in seconds.
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Identifying the drop
A dropped stitch shows as a vertical "ladder" of horizontal bars running down the work. The bars are the rows of yarn that should have been knit through but instead floated free when the stitch dropped.
The fix
Insert a crochet hook (same size as your needle) through the dropped stitch from front to back. Catch the lowest bar above the dropped stitch with the hook and pull it through the stitch. The stitch has now climbed one row. Continue catching the next bar and pulling through, climbing the ladder one bar at a time, until the stitch is back at the working row.
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Re-mounting on the needle
When the stitch reaches the working row, slip it onto the left needle in the correct orientation (right leg in front). Continue knitting.
Common mistake
Picking up the wrong bar — accidentally grabbing one of the existing stitches instead of the floating bar — twists the column. Slow down and verify each bar is one of the loose, horizontal floats before pulling through.
Abbreviation reference
| Abbreviation | Meaning |
|---|---|
| st(s) | stitch(es) |
Tips
- Always use a crochet hook of the same size as your needle.
- Catch only the loose horizontal bars — not the existing column stitches.
- For a dropped purl stitch, work from the wrong side or twist the stitch as you re-mount.
In depth
Fixing a dropped stitch in stockinette works because the loose horizontal bars are the unworked stitches from the missing rows. Each bar can be re-knit through the dropped stitch with a crochet hook, climbing the column one row at a time until the stitch is back at the working row.