Tinking Back (Unknitting Stitch by Stitch)
Tinking ("knit" backwards) is unknitting stitch by stitch — the safest way to undo a few stitches or rows when you find a small mistake. Slower than frogging but with no risk of dropping stitches.
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Method
Insert the left needle from front to back into the stitch one row below the rightmost stitch on the right needle. Slip the right-needle stitch off the right needle and let the working yarn pull free of the stitch on the left needle. The stitch is now back on the left needle, ready to be re-knit. Repeat for each stitch.
When to use
Small mistakes within the last 1–2 rows. Lace patterns where frogging risks dropping stitches. Any time you want to preserve every stitch and avoid loss.
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Compared to frogging
Tinking is one stitch at a time and is slow but safe. Frogging unravels multiple rows at once and is fast but risks dropped stitches. For small mistakes within 1–2 rows, tink. For mistakes more than 2–3 rows back, frog and use a lifeline.
Tinking purl rows
The same motion works for purl stitches: insert the left needle, slip off the right, let the yarn pull free.
Abbreviation reference
| Abbreviation | Meaning |
|---|---|
| st(s) | stitch(es) |
Tips
- Always insert the left needle from front to back to avoid twisting.
- For more than 2–3 rows back, switch to frogging — tinking that many rows is slow.
- Use tinking for lace where dropped stitches are catastrophic.
In depth
Tinking is the literal reverse of knitting: each stitch is unworked one at a time by reversing the knit motion. Because each stitch passes through the next without ever leaving the needles, no stitches can drop during the process — making tinking the safest unraveling method.