# Do you very expert knitters make mistakes?



## sue3340 (Feb 7, 2013)

As I was berating myself for being sloppy/inattentive/DUMB for getting off-pattern while knitting an Aran pattern, I wondered if you very expert knitters ever have to rip out rows and rows of knitting to correct a mistake? I've been knitting off and on for more than 50 years and still do really stupid things.


----------



## CaroleD53 (Aug 7, 2012)

I am sure every knitter has to rip out at times!


----------



## mtnchild (Aug 23, 2011)

Use a lifeline so you don't loose stitches as you're frogging. It helps with the frustration factor when picking the stitches up when you get to the row below where your booboo is.
Yvette


----------



## jgarrett28 (May 6, 2012)

Surely You Jest!!!!! Me make mistakes......I only make Happy accidents!!!(and some not so happy).


----------



## Joy Marshall (Apr 6, 2011)

I think anyone who says they don't have bad memories.


----------



## mirl56 (Dec 20, 2011)

Have to agree with Joy - anyone who claims to never make mistakes has a very poor memory!!


----------



## YarnStalker (May 30, 2011)

Oh yeah. I also have discovered recently that just because I knit socks constantly it doesn't mean that I really have the stitch numbers and formulas memorized correctly.
As a result of having to rip out the heel shaping on my current sock I have come to a conclusion that I do not like Mini Mochi yarn. It just doesn't play fair when being tinked.


----------



## Tennessee.Gal (Mar 11, 2012)

sue3340 said:


> As I was berating myself for being sloppy/inattentive/DUMB for getting off-pattern while knitting an Aran pattern, I wondered if you very expert knitters ever have to rip out rows and rows of knitting to correct a mistake? I've been knitting off and on for more than 50 years and still do really stupid things.


I don't think of myself as an expert knitter; more like advanced intermediate if there is such a thing -- and I make plenty of mistakes, always through carelessness. I had a lapghan (lap blanket) over half completed when I noticed a dropped stitch many rows back. I was so upset as I frogged row after row. One thing I've learned is to never start a project when I'm tired or stressed or not feeling well. Hmm, come to think of it, I'm one or the other all the time.


----------



## Raybo (Mar 12, 2011)

Of course only if they're human; or maybe just call them original design elements? :XD:


----------



## cinderknitty (Jan 6, 2013)

I was just wondering the other day if you ever get to a place where you don't screw your project up somewhere. I don't think I ever get through one without having to go back and correct something. I consider myself an intermediate knitter.


----------



## Hilary4 (Apr 26, 2012)

I'm pretty good at my knitting and because I check things closely as I do them, I usually have to tink rather than frog to correct a booboo.


----------



## Colorado knits (Jul 6, 2011)

I'm by no means an expert knitter, but mistakes -- boy is that ever me!


----------



## StitchDesigner (Jan 24, 2011)

I have taught knitting, and oh, boy, let me tell you...I am currently working on socks that I have completely ripped out 4 times. Then there was that dropped stitch (before lifelines) on a lace, mohair and silk circular shawl. On a round close to the end (about 800 stitches in the round at that point). I had to rip out 40, yep, 40 rounds to get to a good working point.


----------



## Knitish (Feb 8, 2011)

Going with Tenn on this: if you are tired, sick, frustrated, or not attentive you will make mistakes so much more easily.


----------



## DeeDeeF (Mar 29, 2011)

Very few absolute "experts", One of which I'm certainly NOT, nor want to be. I picked up the needles the other day and drew a complete blank on how to purl!!! Quietly set them back down and just lay back in my chair for a few minutes. I swear, sometimes it's the easiest, basic stuff that trips you up.


----------



## tmlester (Apr 8, 2011)

Wait! You mean all that frogging and tinking isn't part of the knitting process?!!!


----------



## sue3340 (Feb 7, 2013)

What the heck is "tink" and "frog"?


----------



## Hilary4 (Apr 26, 2012)

Tink is to knit backwards ie undo a stitch at a time, and to frog is to "rip it, rip it" or undo several rows or more.


----------



## thegrape (Nov 11, 2011)

I don't know exactly what qualifies one as expert but but 'this long time knitter has frogged many times!


----------



## sstockner (Jan 27, 2013)

um... talk about mistakes. I chalk it up to learning something new. this is my first intarsia project with 17 colors and a gazillion mistakes, but eac row improves. I am learning!


----------



## deshka (Apr 6, 2011)

No.








just kidding


----------



## pmarch (Mar 18, 2012)

The answer is yup.


----------



## Norma B. (Oct 15, 2012)

sue3340 said:


> As I was berating myself for being sloppy/inattentive/DUMB for getting off-pattern while knitting an Aran pattern, I wondered if you very expert knitters ever have to rip out rows and rows of knitting to correct a mistake? I've been knitting off and on for more than 50 years and still do really stupid things.


This is a very interesting topic. I was just thinking of posting the question "Does anyone EVER have a completed project that doesn't have one or some mistakes?" I'm not talking about little squares of all one stitch, but BEEG projects. Hasn't happened to me yet. :-(


----------



## darowil (Apr 17, 2011)

cinderknitty said:


> I was just wondering the other day if you ever get to a place where you don't screw your project up somewhere. I don't think I ever get through one without having to go back and correct something. I consider myself an intermediate knitter.


Occasionally I make it through a pair of my very simple basic socks wwithout frogging (I think) but rarely anything else. Or plain squares in stocking stitch or garter stich are OK too.


----------



## Cinny60 (Nov 16, 2012)

I am making an large afghan for my nephew of the Michigan State Spartan Helmet on it. I was about half way done with the helmet when I npoticed it wasnt centered in the middle. It was off too much for me to live with so am ripping it out. I am doing this pattern in the Afaghan stitch. Way to go Me. lolol And I have done a baby blanket once. completed it, blocked it and hated the way it looked so ripped it out. So yes I make a few every now and then.


----------



## oge designs (Aug 14, 2012)

Yes we all make mistakes, hopefully learning along the way!!  that applies when knitting too!!!!


----------



## grandma jean (Dec 15, 2011)

we would be lying to say we never made a mistake


----------



## mac.worrall (Jun 24, 2011)

I'm getting worse with age,I fear.


----------



## madknitter07 (Mar 23, 2012)

I thought that was how you learnt - by making mistakes
:XD:


----------



## dawnmc1 (Sep 3, 2011)

Anyone who doesn't make mistakes doesn't do anything  :lol:


----------



## eduncanofvass (Jun 24, 2011)

thats why they make the brand-aid I have had my share I don't know a crafter who hasn't lol


----------



## leo56 (Oct 29, 2012)

Amen to DeeDee, I've picked up a project that is half done and forgoten how to do it. Usually tired, evreyone makes mistakes


----------



## moke (Oct 8, 2011)

Mistakes? why it's my middle name!


----------



## Joy8753 (Jan 1, 2013)

Joy Marshall said:



> I think anyone who says they don't have bad memories.


From one Joy to another, I totally agree, even said so to my friend the other day,whom I am helping to learn how to join our happy throng


----------



## belindamoody (Aug 16, 2011)

Always and always...if the mistake doesn't alter the number of stitches I sometimes call them my "signature"


----------



## pjherma (Dec 14, 2012)

I knit socks because socks are so forgiving......and is nice to be forgiven!!!


----------



## larlie (Apr 19, 2012)

Only when I am:

overconfident of the pattern and go into a dreamlike stat

too tired and lack concentration

under stress and mind is wandering

so happy to be getting that other slipper finished, finished it, checked with the other and see I missed a whole checkboard block and had to rip out to add a further block (happened today)

being careless

the gremlins got into my knitting and they caused the error

the TV gets too exciting

I am talking too much

I can't be bothered checking the pattern again as I am so sure I know what comes next... yeah, right.

I have the wrong glasses on, no glasses on, the wrong light on, no light on, well you get the picture.

Mainly coz I am a fallible human being.


----------



## shulamit46 (Feb 23, 2013)

I have been knitting since I was 10, I am 66, I know a lot but I am still learning, I don't call myself an expert knitter, mistakes? Plenty of them


----------



## darowil (Apr 17, 2011)

larlie said:


> Only when I am:
> 
> overconfident of the pattern and go into a dreamlike stat
> 
> ...


How about too hot?


----------



## sheriet (Mar 23, 2011)

I enjoy knitting lace often on small needles and thin yarn. Mistakes show up well under those circumstances. I frog, tink whatever I need to do to fix the mistakes. I like to think I am an expert but perhaps more correctly I am an expert at fixing, ripping and tinking!


----------



## yooperdooper (Jan 3, 2013)

Cinny60 said:


> I am making an large afghan for my nephew of the Michigan State Spartan Helmet on it. I was about half way done with the helmet when I npoticed it wasnt centered in the middle. It was off too much for me to live with so am ripping it out. I am doing this pattern in the Afaghan stitch. Way to go Me. lolol And I have done a baby blanket once. completed it, blocked it and hated the way it looked so ripped it out. So yes I make a few every now and then.


 I hope you post a picture of your afghan when you get it done. I would love to see it, and I think everyone else would like to see it too.


----------



## Lovinknittin (Apr 2, 2011)

mtnchild said:


> Use a lifeline so you don't loose stitches as you're frogging. It helps with the frustration factor when picking the stitches up when you get to the row below where your booboo is.
> Yvette


Hint: put the lifeline on the same pattern line each time. Easy to remember to where you rip down.


----------



## larlie (Apr 19, 2012)

Oh yes, 

When it is too hot.

When it is too cold.

When my feet are very cold

When I want to finish something before my visitor arrives.

When I am thinking about what to feed my visitor

When I am rushing to finish something so I can go and spin - yeah!

When I am feeling bored with what I am knitting

Any more????????????????


----------



## larlie (Apr 19, 2012)

darowil said:


> larlie said:
> 
> 
> > Only when I am:
> ...


Hello fellow Aussie.


----------



## marshanky (Dec 16, 2012)

Hilary4 said:


> I'm pretty good at my knitting and because I check things closely as I do them, I usually have to tink rather than frog to correct a booboo.


Oh dear. I learned "frog". What is "tink?"


----------



## Schoeneckwren (Apr 11, 2011)

They are not mistakes. They are design elements.


----------



## Joy8753 (Jan 1, 2013)

marshanky said:


> Hilary4 said:
> 
> 
> > I'm pretty good at my knitting and because I check things closely as I do them, I usually have to tink rather than frog to correct a booboo.
> ...


K n i t backwards = tink!


----------



## Joy8753 (Jan 1, 2013)

[


----------



## Mamasmurf (Feb 9, 2013)

My brother told me if I didn't make a mistake it was the last thing I would make. Now I intentionally make a small, unseeable mistake on every project.


----------



## flitri (Jun 13, 2011)

I just cast on the 164 stitches to start a jumper and I noticed that I had made a mistake with the cast on at the 70th stitch, had to frog back and cast on again. Ahhhhh. I have never had trouble with cast on before that I can remember and I have been knitting for 52 years. I have made plenty of mistakes in that time with the main pattern but never the cast on.


----------



## Conknit (Nov 5, 2012)

I'll admit to mistakes, but sometimes it's just an "I love you" stitch. When I first started making mitts and doing the ribbing, I would sometimes knit instead of purl or vice versa. Of course, I never noticed until the thumb gusset was almost done. Instead of ripping back, I called it an "I love you" stitch and told the person that I made the mitts for that it was in there.


----------



## patocenizo (Jun 24, 2011)

Lots and lots but that is the only way we learn humility :lol: :lol:


----------



## magsm (Nov 4, 2011)

I have made a mistakes when knitting arans and thought nobody will notice it and then I continue to knit but keep looking back at it and then decide I can't leave it like that so end up ripping back to the mistake to fix it I could save myself time if I had just fixed it in the first place


----------



## PATRICIAKEITH (Jun 13, 2011)

I agree with you, Schoeneckwren, but I usually say that I have "personalised" my work! :lol: x


----------



## elsiemarley (Jul 27, 2012)

I still make mistakes -- but I think I catch them sooner than I did years ago. I've also learned creative ways of correcting without ripping out, and when it is feasible to compensate in some way. Mostly now I rip out when I find I just don't like the pattern afterall and use the yarn for something else -- so a mistake in choosing the pattern or matching it correctly to the yarn choice. Many things are learned from making mistakes -- I don't consider it a negative thing.


----------



## ACAROLG (Apr 30, 2011)

I agree with Hilary, check A LOT!!!! I read a interview with Brook Nico and her strongest suggest was check your knitting every row so you get to understand what each stitch is doing, you also catch mistakes that way.


----------



## knittingnut214 (Feb 11, 2012)

jgarrett28 said:


> Surely You Jest!!!!! Me make mistakes......I only make Happy accidents!!!(and some not so happy).


LOL...I do, as much as I try not, make mistakes in almost everything I make...to the untrained eye...they don't show...but we know...!! :roll:


----------



## knitgirl389 (Mar 14, 2011)

I am no expert, but we are all human.which means we make mistakes.


----------



## littletreasure (Jun 4, 2011)

I consider myself an experienced knitter. Last night I hardly slept a wink knowing I had gone to bed having made a mistake, somewhere, in a baby cape I am knitting.
This morning I spent two hours trying to backtrack over 257 stitches but could not work out where I had gone wrong. Solution: rip out completely and start again as I will not be beaten by a blooming knitting pattern !!


----------



## bcasuso (Apr 3, 2011)

I would like to introduce my self...I am the Frog Queen!


----------



## NellieKnitter (Sep 10, 2012)

madknitter07 said:


> I thought that was how you learnt - by making mistakes
> :XD:


Mmm, that was what I though too! I learn more by tinking and frogging, than doing everything perfect.


----------



## cgcharles (Feb 23, 2011)

No matter how experienced a knitter a person can be, there will always be mistakes.


----------



## jonibee (Nov 3, 2011)

sue3340 said:


> As I was berating myself for being sloppy/inattentive/DUMB for getting off-pattern while knitting an Aran pattern, I wondered if you very expert knitters ever have to rip out rows and rows of knitting to correct a mistake? I've been knitting off and on for more than 50 years and still do really stupid things.


I think we all have our off days when our concentration is not at its best..somedays the instructions don't make sense then I sleep on it..if it still doesn't make sense ..I will come to the site and put the question to the experts which I have had to do in the past..I don't consider myself an expert and experience is the best teacher..if we didn't make a mistake we would never learn from it..


----------



## njbk55 (Apr 29, 2011)

Do not really consider myself expert but I do try patterns that challenge me. Yes I do make mistakes, fix them as I find them. Most of the time I can unknit a small section to fix the problem.


----------



## NellieKnitter (Sep 10, 2012)

ACAROLG said:


> I agree with Hilary, check A LOT!!!! I read a interview with Brook Nico and her strongest suggest was check your knitting every row so you get to understand what each stitch is doing, you also catch mistakes that way.


I agree, I check my work often--most of the time at the end of every row or two.


----------



## Gerslay (Oct 4, 2011)

I'm just as good at tinking and frogging as I am at knitting and purling. Gee, I wonder why?

LOL  &#9829;


----------



## OccasionallyKnotty (Jan 30, 2013)

A friend of mine was watching me "repurposing" a project and he told me his mother (a lovely lady in her 80s and a lifelong knitter) has been known to get a project nearly finished only to find a missed stitch- and she will strip back and start over. I'm thinking that means we never get too old or too experienced to make mistakes- or it takes more than70 years to get to that point.


----------



## silvercharms (Mar 29, 2011)

bcasuso said:


> I would like to introduce my self...I am the Frog Queen!


If you are kissed what do you turn into? Just curious...


----------



## marilyngf (Nov 5, 2011)

the only way to keep in practice for frogging and tinking is to make mistakes!! LOL


----------



## barrovian (Aug 8, 2012)

Is'nt that part of being a knitter? Sometimes the mistakes you make lead you to doing other ways of doing things and sometimes they make more sense than what you were doing in the first place and sometimes even easier.as long as your finished product comes out the way you want it to look.


----------



## Moondancermel (Nov 18, 2012)

sue3340 said:


> As I was berating myself for being sloppy/inattentive/DUMB for getting off-pattern while knitting an Aran pattern, I wondered if you very expert knitters ever have to rip out rows and rows of knitting to correct a mistake? I've been knitting off and on for more than 50 years and still do really stupid things.


So do we all


----------



## vpatt (Dec 24, 2011)

After 50 plus years I really do consider myself an expert......at tinking and frogging....lol.


----------



## tmlester (Apr 8, 2011)

dawnmc1 said:


> Anyone who doesn't make mistakes doesn't do anything  :lol:


 :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:


----------



## KnitnNat (Nov 17, 2012)

Thank you all! Now I know I'm not soooo dumb


----------



## Strickliese (Jan 6, 2012)

jgarrett28 said:


> Surely You Jest!!!!! Me make mistakes......I only make Happy accidents!!!(and some not so happy).


I like your thinking. Happy accidents is what I'll have from now on. Sometimes they are numerous and sometimes not. Thanks for the thought.


----------



## sue3340 (Feb 7, 2013)

thanks to everyone. I feel much better. Also thanks for the lifeline info. It's going in as soon as I finish writing this!!


----------



## charlenekbenton (Jan 25, 2013)

Susan....I just started my 1st sock on Sunday night...taking the online Cloverleaf lacy sock workshop with Jill (patchwork cat)....went to JoAnns purchased Deborah Norville Serenity Sock yarn & #1-48" bamboo circ & not happy with yarn as it kept splitting, not happy with needles they caught at their joining sooo i went to LYS on Tuesday & bought Heritage Silk sock yarn by Cascade & Addi circ needles & as of today, I have had to frog & start over 16 times! Never have I started over this many times....I am determined I will not let these socks "de-FEET" me...I am now on 30th row of leg lacy stitch & new yarn & needles are wonderful...quite a difference, the old saying "you get what you pay for" is true! I have been knitting for bout 45 yrs & couldn't tell you how many times I have frogged but this project holds the record! It's not so much the pattern more like not being use to knitting on toothpicks, LOL


----------



## Torticollus (Dec 3, 2011)

I still do make mistakes or get a dropped stitch, but now, for the most part, I know how to "ladder down" and correct the problem without having to rip back rows.


----------



## 59891 (Apr 18, 2012)

No mistakes - only design changes.


----------



## Bridgitis (Aug 8, 2011)

Learned to knit when I was nine years old. Am now 86 and knitting all of the time and yes, unfortuntely I still make mistakes once in a while and have to rip out rows. Since a learned to use a much smaller needle to pick up the stitches life is much easier. Nest time I do a shawl with four hundred stitches I am going to use lifelines which I never heard of until last year.
Phyllis


----------



## johannecw (Oct 25, 2011)

I figure I have been knitting for over 55 years. I consider myself to be a fairly good knitter - I use circular and double pointed needles, knit socks, knit with different kinds of yarn, recently learned to knit lace shawls from charts, etc. Of course, I make mistakes and have to tink or frog - or both in some patterns. Sometimes the mistakes are due to trying to knit a complex pattern when the grandkids are here and I am somewhat distracted. Sometimes I don't quite understand what I am supposed to do until I have tried a couple of ways. My advice - don't beat yourself up about mistakes. Accept that we are all human and we do make mistakes. Remember - knitting is supposed to be fun!


----------



## Kathie (Mar 29, 2011)

I think I would be considered an advanced beginner and I make mistakes all the time. I frequently start a project several times before I'm satisfied with the way it's turning out. It's just part of the creative process.


----------



## gigi 722 (Oct 25, 2011)

I made one pair of socks with mini mochi and NEVER EVER will I make another. Bought 4 skeins of Chrome and made one pair of socks and am wondering what I will do with the rest. Didn't care for it for socks but not as adamant as I am about the Mini Mochi.


----------



## mwilsonmd (Feb 28, 2013)

Can someone explain "lifelines"? I've seen the term used twice here and am u familiar with it...


----------



## 59891 (Apr 18, 2012)

No mistakes - only design changes.


----------



## clcure (Nov 11, 2012)

You must be kidding! I just finished an aran scarf made with some wool/silk yarn that my sister gave me! I've been knitting for over 50 years and have made several aran patterns. I had to frog over and over because, even though I was keeping track (closely?), I kept doing the same two rows over and over instead of only once. I haven't figured out how to do lifelines but I could figure out what I had done by looking closely at the work. Just keep knitting. Experience solves most problems (or at least how to deal with them!) we face in our lives!


----------



## Shelknit (Oct 31, 2012)

A very smart knitter once told me that if no one else would pick out the mistake easily and it doesn't mess up the pattern, leave it in because that makes it a "one of a kind" item.


----------



## Browniemom (Sep 24, 2012)

Most definetly have been there. Most recently had to rip out the entire neck border for a v-neck cardigan that I am knitting for me.


----------



## matunucknits (Feb 26, 2013)

Been knitting for 50 Years- Call me Carol the Ripper!


----------



## courier770 (Jan 29, 2011)

I've been knitting for nearly 50 years..of course I still make mistakes. The problem is, the longer you have knitted the more "glaring" those mistakes seem to be, so you go back and correct them. More novice knitters will "rip back" while those with a little more experience will "drop" a stitch back to the error and correct it...it's a curse I tell you!


----------



## czechmate (Jun 17, 2011)

I have done it all,ripped out completed sweaters,thrown away completed items,and everyday I knit ,no I am not an expert but have been knitting for years and I always make a mistake if I don't then I know something is wrong,perfection no.....pleasure YES !!! that's all that matters to me.


----------



## tamarque (Jan 21, 2011)

Okay, here is a bit of philosophy I was taught by the man who trained me in my trade. He told me one day when I had made a mistake and was going to take it all apart not to. He said that it isn't making the mistake that qualifies a good craftsperson, but how you handle the error. Some people need to start from scratch when they make a mistake. The professional approaches the problem to see how to work with it or make corrections without having to restart. 

His words, given to me about 40 yrs ago, have always stayed with me. In knitting, I have tried to learn how to make corrections without major reconstruction. Sometimes I have to frog back a pattern repeat--hate it, but take a deep breathe and think about the lack of perfection in the world and forgive myself. I try to think about what I can learn from the mistake so something can be taken from it that makes me feel good.

I think developing these kinds of attitudes is what makes a professional, not perfection.


----------



## AliPegasus (Feb 13, 2013)

I don't think I'm expert, but I am an advanced intermediate and I make mistakes all the time. I don't think "experts" don't make mistakes either, not if they are honest with themselves. I've seen mistakes in knitting magazines and in LYS samples. I don't believe it's possible to NOT make mistakes. I recently frogged a finished pair of socks that I had worn several times already, because I didn't like the fact that they were a) too slouchy, b)too big and c) the heel was not to my liking. I reskeined the yarn and washed it and hung it up to dry, and it's still in the laundry room, waiting on me to reknit it. It was a pattern of my own designing, but I'm not going to make them like that again. I know that everything I knit has at least one "design element" in it, and that's ok with me....only God is perfect!


----------



## courier770 (Jan 29, 2011)

I'm a perfectionist...blame my father, a man who was never happy until he redid something until he got it perfect!

It's not a bad trait though....people like my late father and I, often learn from our mistakes and are less likely to repeat them.


----------



## Danny (Jan 20, 2013)

I wonder if Texas has cows?


----------



## courier770 (Jan 29, 2011)

Texas has steers, Wisconsin has cows!


----------



## AliPegasus (Feb 13, 2013)

Texas has cows. where do you think the steers come from???


----------



## courier770 (Jan 29, 2011)

They are imported from Wisconsin and other dairy states!


----------



## K2P2 knitter (Jan 31, 2013)

I have been knitting for 50 years but still don't consider myself an expert. I have just frogged 36 rows on a lace shawl because I noticed the patten was off on one end. Originally frogged back to lifeline but realized the mistake was further back. I have frogged many times it is part of knitting. I also agree that working on a project with a difficult pattern when I am tired or stress sets me up to make mistakes.


----------



## Danny (Jan 20, 2013)

Asking if i make mistake like asking if the pope is Catholic. The short answer is Yes.


----------



## courier770 (Jan 29, 2011)

Knitting when you are "stressed" or "upset", will generally lead to mistakes. This is why I always have a "mindless" project on another set of needles, to work on when my stress level is high.


----------



## chorister (Aug 20, 2011)

OH yes the older I get the more times I seem to forget to check before I continue, consequently I have to re-knit!


----------



## Linda6885 (Feb 13, 2011)

Of Course! Cables the wrong way, occassional dropped stitch, counting wrong, twisting on cable needles, and it goes on. never ends.


----------



## AldaP (Nov 2, 2012)

Right on.. it helps to pay attention, even when the pattern is memorized...^.^ Wish I'd known about the "life-line" earlier on in my knitting career (56 yrs or so).. but thankfully Knitting Paradise came into my life with loads of helpful hints and techniques. 

BTW.. Tennessee Gal.. I love your profile picture. Reminds me of some good laughs we've had while watching "Keeping Up Appearances" with Mrs. Buckett..


----------



## secelia8 (Jan 7, 2013)

All the time. This is how we learn and hopefully become experienced. I am a school teacher and I remind my students that I am not God. He is the only one that is perfect.


----------



## Daisy Mae (Dec 7, 2012)

You're not the only one. I'll be knitting away, going like a house on fire, watching television, when suddenly, without warning, I glance down and see I've made a mistake about 6 inches down. Oh rats! The one thing I have improved on over the years is fixing at least some mistakes without having to rip out rows and rows. Alas, it happens to the best of us!


----------



## rosespun (May 27, 2012)

umm..they are design elements..yeah..that's it.  Still making mistakes after 40 years.


----------



## LAURA C (Jan 21, 2013)

susankschutz said:


> Oh yeah. I also have discovered recently that just because I knit socks constantly it doesn't mean that I really have the stitch numbers and formulas memorized correctly.
> As a result of having to rip out the heel shaping on my current sock I have come to a conclusion that I do not like Mini Mochi yarn. It just doesn't play fair when being tinked.


A friend of mine always says "Familiarity breeds attempt, which usually ends up in frogging."


----------



## clifspirit (Feb 25, 2013)

Mistakes??? Moi!!! Of course. I don't know if I could be called an expert, but I do take on some daunting projects. I often need to back track, frog, take out rows, rethink the project. 
Here's the mistakes I can pass on to those who make mistakes in writing their pattern. LOL There I am knitting merrily along only to later realize there is something wrong about the piece. Why didn't I notice it earlier...beats me story of my life....

Oh! and how about noticing a dropped stitch in a "finished project" when the receipient is wearing it. There I am grabbing my crochet hook and knitting needles and saying "Here, let me see that sweater, there's a little something I noticed and want to "go over it." How about in the bathroom.

Oh and then measuring wrong or assuming the piece will fit and then taking it out entirely and restarting!


----------



## Tessa28 (Sep 26, 2011)

Photo copy or scan and copy your pattern, buy a brightly coloured marker pen if you don't have one. Mark your copy pattern as you knit. You are not spoiling your pattern but can leave your work, go back, look at your copy and see where you finished,it makes life a lot easier especially if you are knitting a complicated pattern or chart. Tessa28


----------



## Ann Heistad (Jan 18, 2012)

Indeed! how would we ever learn. Only God is perfect so mistakes are allowed. Row upon row has been tinked and reknit several times, especially when learning a new stitch.


----------



## Beve (May 5, 2012)

I make mistakes, but instead of frogging lots of rows I pick up stitches. I am getting better at this and when it is simple stockinette or garter I just repair instead of rip.


----------



## SYAPJR (Mar 5, 2011)

I've been knitting 50 years and definately still make mistakes. I recently made Monster High doll clothes for the granddaughters and frogged them many times before I got it right.


----------



## LAURA C (Jan 21, 2013)

Did u notice my signature? I've been knitting for almost 40 years and my real area of expertise is frogging. Have it down to a science. I remember as a novice getting so upset over having to frog. It is now a way of life, no sweat, just frog. Sometimes I think by the time I finish frogging I have knit another garment.


----------



## bizzyknitter (May 10, 2011)

bcasuso said:


> I would like to introduce my self...I am the Frog Queen!


I love this. ;-)


----------



## mamahen (May 26, 2011)

I don't think of myself as an expert knitter; more like advanced intermediate if there is such a thing -- and I make plenty of mistakes, always through carelessness. I had a lapghan (lap blanket) over half completed when I noticed a dropped stitch many rows back. I was so upset as I frogged row after row. One thing I've learned is to never start a project when I'm tired or stressed or not feeling well. Hmm, come to think of it, I'm one or the other all the time.[/quote]

Add sleepy to that list. I've actually fallen asleep while knitting only to wake up and find stitches that fell off the needles. OUCH!! When I begin yawning, it's time to stop knitting or crocheting.


----------



## pattibe (Feb 2, 2012)

I was knitting a vest in one piece, i.e. both fronts and the back at the same time, 241 stitches. It was (notice I say was) a pattern of x's and o's, separated by seed stitch. Well, I got half way up the underarm when I realized that I had forgotten to make the last two button holes. With a sigh and after I stared at it in dismay for about 5 minutes, I ripped it out and will decide at a later date whether I really want to try it again. I wasn't too happy with it anyway so it didn't break my heart.


----------



## colonialcrafter (Nov 7, 2012)

Are you serious? Have been knitting over sixty years (oh my, that's a long time) and just had to rip a hat - a simple moss stitch hat - back about three inches.


----------



## LAURA C (Jan 21, 2013)

Tessa28 said:


> Photo copy or scan and copy your pattern, buy a brightly coloured marker pen if you don't have one. Mark your copy pattern as you knit. You are not spoiling your pattern but can leave your work, go back, look at your copy and see where you finished,it makes life a lot easier especially if you are knitting a complicated pattern or chart. Tessa28


I have actually enlarged the patttern, cut it up row by row and taped it to index cards. Helps with intricate patterns, you are only looking at the row you are working on, I also mark the card I left off on in pencil, so you know where you left off.


----------



## zookeeper1 (Feb 26, 2013)

I have been knitting for over 50 years and it's extremely rare that I complete any project without tinking or frogging.


----------



## island stasher (Dec 23, 2012)

We're only human, so, yes, we do our share of frogging!


----------



## marimom (Aug 27, 2011)

I have been knitting for over 50 years and I still make errors, not mistakes. I have frogged an entire project upon finding a large boo boo close to the beginning.
I believe that you have to be the type of person that does not get frustrated (tooooo much) by frogging.
I am now working on a very delicate lace shawl and I have to work on it early in the day before my mind gets befuddled. Then I have a cable afghan in strips that I am making for a GS to work on; very late at night when I cannot sleep, I have a mindless but beautiful sweater to work on, all stockinette. 
I believe one needs more than one thing to work on at any given time depending on your mood.


----------



## nemcfo (Jul 29, 2012)

Joy Marshall said:


> I think anyone who says they don't have bad memories.


Or is severely into denial!!!


----------



## courier770 (Jan 29, 2011)

Unless gauge is the problem I rarely "frog"...I'm more likely to drop a stitch back rather than rip back rows and rows of work. That said, it took me many years to develop the confidence to do this.

I do a bit of knitting for my coworkers...all who know I do not have the best reputation for patience..when it comes to yarn and sticks...I've got the patience of Job..it's a blessing!


----------



## AuntKnitty (Apr 10, 2011)

oh gosh...sometimes, I think I spend more time ripping out than knitting with some projects!


----------



## cheecat (Dec 30, 2011)

we all make mistakes, that's how we learn


----------



## secelia8 (Jan 7, 2013)

Unless it is critical most times you can fix rather than frog. I teach knitting and crochet and I try to get my students not to pull a loose. This can lead to discouragement However, if you are a perfectionist like I, you want it to be right and really don't mind picking a loose. As stated before it takes confidence and patience to do this. Nothing is worst than dropping a stitch or adding a stitch. Get to the end of the row or rows count back and wow! what happened. It happens to us all.


----------



## Dsynr (Jun 3, 2011)

If knitters didn't make mistooks God wouldn't have invented lifelines!


----------



## pansy2 (Jan 28, 2013)

only if I knit!


----------



## franzhere (Apr 25, 2011)

Hilary4 said:


> I'm pretty good at my knitting and because I check things closely as I do them, I usually have to tink rather than frog to correct a booboo.


May I ask what the difference is between the two :?:


----------



## pansy2 (Jan 28, 2013)

only if I knit!


----------



## gclemens (Feb 18, 2012)

Yes, of course! However, I can say that I'm much more inclined to rip out what isn't right and work on it until it is. Now knitting a lot of things isn't my goal as much as having everything I knit turn out looking like it should and something I can be proud of. Lifelines help keep you sane.


----------



## 6M2Creations (Nov 1, 2012)

Oh yeah! I've been knitting for 42 years and I still make whoppers every now and again. Brain farts occur at every age. Don't beat yourself up. Kudos for working on complex patterns, not everyone does.


----------



## megilham (Aug 28, 2012)

I also have a bad memory and this is what usually causes the mistakes, like remembering to change to larger needles after ribbing, changing one and forgetting the second now have some striped knitting!


----------



## christine flo (Apr 11, 2011)

yes i have just started knitting asweet jacket which is fairisle and lace.well i forgot to change my needle size for the the fairisle bit had to rip back about thirty rows.will posst when finished.oh have been knitting 50 plus years


----------



## cynthiaknits (Oct 19, 2011)

One of the Rules: IF you knit you will RIP.


----------



## my2blkcats (Jun 9, 2011)

Absolutely EVERYONE makes a mistake now and then. If we didn't we wouldn't be human!


----------



## belinda (Mar 30, 2011)

Experts are people who've made so very, very many mistakes that they've learned to be sure they understand the pattern before they start, check their gauge, use lifelines and markers, and to check what they've done before they go on. We're all only human, and none of us was born with needles in our hands...


----------



## sue3340 (Feb 7, 2013)

Someone wrote that they mistakes when they are tired, stressed, etc. I find that I make more mistakes when I'm tired, and also I NEVER knit when I'm drinking wine!


----------



## grandmatimestwo (Mar 30, 2011)

sue3340 said:


> As I was berating myself for being sloppy/inattentive/DUMB for getting off-pattern while knitting an Aran pattern, I wondered if you very expert knitters ever have to rip out rows and rows of knitting to correct a mistake? I've been knitting off and on for more than 50 years and still do really stupid things.


Me too! All part of knitting!


----------



## missjg (Nov 18, 2012)

sue3340 said:


> As I was berating myself for being sloppy/inattentive/DUMB for getting off-pattern while knitting an Aran pattern, I wondered if you very expert knitters ever have to rip out rows and rows of knitting to correct a mistake? I've been knitting off and on for more than 50 years and still do really stupid things.


well.. I was told once upon a time that an eXpert is an 'unknown drip'. If your human you gotta make mistakes! Comes with the territory. :-D


----------



## stockingstitcher (Feb 24, 2013)

Yes, ripping out and repairing mistakes are what make knitters into "expert knitters." Think of it as a learning experience.


----------



## laceweight (Jun 20, 2011)

If I'm not making mistakes it's probably because I am dead. Knitting would be so boring without those challenges!


----------



## belinda (Mar 30, 2011)

sue3340 said:


> Someone wrote that they mistakes when they are tired, stressed, etc. I find that I make more mistakes when I'm tired, and also I NEVER knit when I'm drinking wine!


Well, that too...


----------



## sexxysuee (May 22, 2012)

jgarrett28 said:


> Surely You Jest!!!!! Me make mistakes......I only make Happy accidents!!!(and some not so happy).


my sentiments exactly


----------



## Hazel Blumberg - McKee (Sep 9, 2011)

I've been knitting for around 50 years. Don't know if I'm a very expert knitter, but hey, I still make plenty of mistakes!

Hazel


----------



## Becky G (Feb 28, 2013)

I'm definitely not an expert knitter but I have found one way to avoid making mistakes is to copy the pattern into a table on the computer (print it) and mark off each row as I knit. I have found that it helps me stay on track. I still makes mistakes but maybe not as many.


----------



## KnitPicker (Jan 19, 2011)

sue3340 said:


> As I was berating myself for being sloppy/inattentive/DUMB for getting off-pattern while knitting an Aran pattern, I wondered if you very expert knitters ever have to rip out rows and rows of knitting to correct a mistake? I've been knitting off and on for more than 50 years and still do really stupid things.


Last I heard, there was only one perfect person who ever walked the earth. And I understand He knows how to knit.....that means the rest of us are allowed to make mistakes. Hugs.


----------



## gma11331 (Oct 18, 2011)

I made the Aran afghan that was Mary Maxim "grand prize" winner one year and it was comprised of 20 squares, each designed by a different person, in complicated stitches. After I completed it and put it together with a sort of cabled border, I noticed I had put one of the squares in upside down. I don't think anyone will ever notice it unless they are a knitter but no way was I going to rip it apart and resew it. I was afraid if I tried to just remove that one square and replace it I might accidentally injure on of the adjacent ones. So there it remains, undetected I hope.


----------



## Ronie (Jan 21, 2011)

I am NOT a expert knitter.. but I almost always have to start my projects over a few times. I never seem to remember the life line until its too late and I can tink real well  I think of it as a way to break in my hands for knitting with the size needles with size yarn.. lol


----------



## Hazel Blumberg - McKee (Sep 9, 2011)

cynthiaknits said:


> One of the Rules: IF you knit you will RIP.


LOL, but oh so true!

Hazel


----------



## normamckone (May 22, 2011)

sue3340 said:


> As I was berating myself for being sloppy/inattentive/DUMB for getting off-pattern while knitting an Aran pattern, I wondered if you very expert knitters ever have to rip out rows and rows of knitting to correct a mistake? I've been knitting off and on for more than 50 years and still do really stupid things.


Are you kidding?!! I just ripped an entire sweater with a not too easy pattern and re-knitted it because it was too big and now I have re-knitted it and am not really happy with it either. This too shall pass. Toss it in the washer. lol


----------



## courier770 (Jan 29, 2011)

Perhaps it is one's reaction to mistakes that changes with experience. I'm sure that a novice is more devastated by a simple mistake than a veteran.

I'm more likely to drop a stitch back 15 or 20 rows and rework it than I am to rip out those 15 - 20 rows but that's only because I have the confidence to do that now. Some years ago...I'd have probably ripped the whole thing out.

Experience only gives you more options on how to fix a mistake...it doesn't prevent you from making them.


----------



## sunflower19 (Sep 8, 2012)

I've been knitting longer than you and I spent last evening ripping out.


----------



## BethChaya (May 6, 2011)

I make mistakes all the time and not just in knitting!


----------



## oleganny (Oct 14, 2011)

I don't consider myself an expert & yes I make many mistakes.


----------



## JJKnitter (Jan 31, 2011)

There was a sweater I was doing for me yrs. ago and the pattern
was more than one size. Had different size needles for sizes.
Well, I used the small needle size for the small sweater to start
then changed to the largest needle size for the larger sweater
pattern. I was really mad when I discovered my error and had
to start all over again.  Now, I read the patterns very carefully
so I use the correct size needles now. Don't want to make that
mistake again!!


----------



## kkj824 (Sep 3, 2012)

mac.worrall said:


> I'm getting worse with age,I fear.


Hmmm......I thought, I was the only getting worse with age
......hehehe


----------



## kathleenknits (Jan 27, 2012)

Funny you should ask....I just skipped one portion of my fingerless glove mitt pattern yesterday and knitted a row and thought, Oh No...a mistake in the pattern! Dah, just didn't read the pattern correctly. What's a small frog????


----------



## courier770 (Jan 29, 2011)

I have a favorite, crock pot, pork roast recipe...thank GOD it calls for the same measure of Sugar and salt or I'd have been "screwed" years ago! The recipe should have been written...2TBSW of white powder!


----------



## lindseymary (Oct 29, 2011)

I never claim to be an expect anything after hearing the definition of an expert:- an "ex" is a has-been,and a "spurt" is a drip under pressure!Please don't call me an expert,Lindseymary


----------



## nevadalynn (Apr 27, 2011)

sometimes I am surprised at the mistakes I make...I SHOULD know better! hahahahahah


----------



## Norma B. (Oct 15, 2012)

Becky G said:


> I'm definitely not an expert knitter but I have found one way to avoid making mistakes is to copy the pattern into a table on the computer (print it) and mark off each row as I knit. I have found that it helps me stay on track. I still makes mistakes but maybe not as many.


Thank goodness for Excel! I spend a lot of time making my own READABLE charts and believe I save much more time by doing so. It's especially necessary when I'm changing things on a pattern. It helps me see exactly what I have to do to make it work.


----------



## Norma B. (Oct 15, 2012)

courier770 said:


> Unless gauge is the problem I rarely "frog"...I'm more likely to drop a stitch back rather than rip back rows and rows of work. That said, it took me many years to develop the confidence to do this.


I believe you're the one who taught me how to do that and I'm getting WAY too good at it. But what a life saver!! Bless you! I do look at that little stitch and ask myself if it'll really be noticable, and usually drop down to it anyway. I just would think fourteen times before ripping back to it, and then I think I'd leave it (unless it's smack in the front center where it would really be in your face!)


----------



## Hudson (Mar 3, 2011)

I am probably an 'almost expert' knitter and yes, I make mistakes. One of my continuing errors is NOT to go to bed when I am tired but to keep trying to do " a few more rows" and then the next day see all my goofs!!!


----------



## secelia8 (Jan 7, 2013)

That's me too.


----------



## courier770 (Jan 29, 2011)

I'm terrible, I think that everything is noticeable. Once we discover an error, we can use the many ways to go back and "fix" it, we cannot however go back and fix something, after the item has been completed. I think that small mistakes become glaring errors, after the fact...been there done that.


----------



## kneonknitter (Feb 10, 2011)

sue3340 said:


> As I was berating myself for being sloppy/inattentive/DUMB for getting off-pattern while knitting an Aran pattern, I wondered if you very expert knitters ever have to rip out rows and rows of knitting to correct a mistake? I've been knitting off and on for more than 50 years and still do really stupid things.


Of course we do!! Just because we have more knitting experience doesn't make us perfect. Just so you know, we tend to make the most mistakes on the simplest of knitting projects because we don't pay as much attention to it as we do to the intricate patterns. It's all about the joy of knitting, not who's fastest, better, makes less mistakes etc.


----------



## RavinRed (Apr 18, 2011)

sue3340 said:


> As I was berating myself for being sloppy/inattentive/DUMB for getting off-pattern while knitting an Aran pattern, I wondered if you very expert knitters ever have to rip out rows and rows of knitting to correct a mistake? I've been knitting off and on for more than 50 years and still do really stupid things.


I rip out all the time......if I do not like it I rip it and redo


----------



## mousepotato (May 30, 2011)

You mean like my current project where I've been using the wrong size needles and failing to do linen stitch correctly? Good thing it's a toy and size doesn't matter. I've been knitting for 59 years, myself, and knitting without picking back or ripping out is something that doesn't happen often.


----------



## hallsyh (Nov 14, 2011)

Oh no. That reversed stitch in the middle of my Tree of Life blanket was my artistic interpretation of a knot in the wood. Honest.


----------



## joanh8060 (Apr 22, 2011)

When I teach someone to drew or knit or whatever....I tell them they can not sew/knit if they are not willing to ripe out and do over. Its just part of the process. Hit don make it fun! Joan 8060


----------



## Vique (Oct 28, 2011)

If I were an expert knitter I probably wouldn't make mistakes.


----------



## Janana (Jan 30, 2013)

Expert or not we are all human and therefore capable to make mistakes. But we can learn from them too.


----------



## pattycake61 (Jan 30, 2011)

sue3340 said:


> As I was berating myself for being sloppy/inattentive/DUMB for getting off-pattern while knitting an Aran pattern, I wondered if you very expert knitters ever have to rip out rows and rows of knitting to correct a mistake? I've been knitting off and on for more than 50 years and still do really stupid things.


oh yes pretty much every item I make..lol..cause i watch TV & knit
but usually only 1 or 2 sts.-- i check regularily


----------



## GrammieGail (Jun 10, 2011)

I agree with most of the posts...NONE of us are above frogging or making mistakes!!! SOMETIMES, if the mistake is not TOOOOO noticeble...I will leave it. But usually it is BLATANT....and HAS to be taken out!!! HUGS ... GG


----------



## KaitlanBlackrose (Jun 11, 2012)

There are no mistakes only happy design enhancements


----------



## dlgarrett75 (Jan 25, 2013)

Hi! What's a 'lifeline' & 'frogging' and how do you use these? It sounds like one should know these things! Thanks so much!


----------



## nhauf001 (Jan 18, 2011)

sue3340 said:


> As I was berating myself for being sloppy/inattentive/DUMB for getting off-pattern while knitting an Aran pattern, I wondered if you very expert knitters ever have to rip out rows and rows of knitting to correct a mistake? I've been knitting off and on for more than 50 years and still do really stupid things.


yes, in fact I am very experienced in frogging and tinking -- about 50 years worth of mistake correcting myself, lol


----------



## Patty Sutter (Apr 17, 2012)

Are you kidding?!?
The reason most of us know how to fix mistakes is that we've made them all, more than once.


----------



## Norma B. (Oct 15, 2012)

dlgarrett75 said:


> Hi! What's a 'lifeline' & 'frogging' and how do you use these? It sounds like one should know these things! Thanks so much!


One definitely should know these! Lifeline is inserting a piece of smaller yarn or thread through a row (usually every so many rows depending on your pattern, and hopefully through a row that's all knit or purl) so that as you knit along and find a mistake later that is irreparable, you can pull your needle out and frog back to the lifeline, reinsert your needle along this thread and continue without too much trouble. (Frogging means to ripit, ripit---- pulling out a whole BUNCH of stitches or rows, as opposed to tinking which is knitting backwards, one stitch at a time to the mistake. (Tink = knit spelled backwards.) You can find info on lifelines by Googling it or do a search for it at the top of this page.


----------



## caloughner (Oct 3, 2011)

Not sure how expert am but the answer is YES!!! I just knit a pair of socks for charity using scraps. The top was a little tight so, I used a larger set of needles to cast on the second pair. I used the proper size needles for ribbing and then changed to larger for the remainder. Guess what? As soon as I finished I realized I had knit the sock using the larger cast on needles. Guess what again? I'm going to do the same thing for the second of that pair.


----------



## junebjh (Jun 9, 2012)

I think you are only competent when you know how to correct your mistakes whatever that takes. I know I do it often as I can't bear it if every stitch isn't perfect. I think that's my little bit of OCD


----------



## junebjh (Jun 9, 2012)

I think you are only competent when you know how to correct your mistakes whatever that takes. I know I do it often as I can't bear it if every stitch isn't perfect. I think that's my little bit of OCD 


Sorry for duplicate post


----------



## 02KNIT (Apr 23, 2012)

My husband calls it deficit knitting


----------



## courier770 (Jan 29, 2011)

I design patterns and sell them to supplement my income. Of course I make mistakes. Experience only helps me correct my mistakes a little faster and more efficiently.


----------



## 12linda (Dec 2, 2011)

yes all the time just get used to it you will be happier in the long run


----------



## 12linda (Dec 2, 2011)

good description


----------



## 12linda (Dec 2, 2011)

ben there don that


----------



## courier770 (Jan 29, 2011)

The only time I have used a "lifeline" is if I'm flying and I haven't done that in a few years..well more than a few.. Lifelines are "safety nets" and at some point you have to learn to step out on the tightrope wihtout one.

Generally they offer a false sense of security.

Don't knit a complicated pattern if you are distracted, stressed or otherwise mentally occupied.

I always keep a somewhat "mindless" pattern project on some spare needles to knit when I'm not totally myself and need some item to occupy my hands and mind.


----------



## Hazel Blumberg - McKee (Sep 9, 2011)

courier770 said:


> Don't knit a complicated pattern if you are distracted, stressed or otherwise mentally occupied.
> 
> I always keep a somewhat "mindless" pattern project on some spare needles to knit when I'm not totally myself and need some item to occupy my hands and mind.


Couldn't agree with you more. I can only work on complicated patterns--or what I consider complicated, when I'm not distracted or stressed or otherwise consumed by something else that's going on. I always have my utterly mindless "critter blankets" to work on when I just don't feel like working on anything else. Lately, they're the only thing I've been working on!

Hazel


----------



## kitteNZ (Dec 8, 2011)

I'm no expert but I do consider myself a good knitter (machine and hand) and I make mistakes all the time. I always remind myself that "he who has never made a mistake has never learnt anything". :thumbup:
Just wish I wasn't such a slow learner. :lol:


----------



## BrandySears (Feb 4, 2013)

Mistakes abound and sometimes you're lucky enough to learn something new or make it into a creative opportunity.


----------



## schmeril (Jan 4, 2013)

I have been knitting on and off for about 50 years and of course I make mistakes. My main problem is that I do not like sewing garmits up so always have several items not completed. Every now and then I pick a garmit up and complete it.


----------



## Joanna88 (Oct 12, 2011)

Oh Boy ...say no more...rising eighty-one and knitting at sevenyears old...given up counting mistakes...but I do put them right!! :thumbup:


----------



## dialfred (Nov 21, 2011)

sometimes I isolate the mistake with a cable pin below it & unravel down to the mistake & pick up with needles or crochet hook. If it's something I really care about. If it's lace I undo it, as it's harder to trace where the stitches went.


----------



## Norma B. (Oct 15, 2012)

junebjh said:


> I think you are only competent when you know how to correct your mistakes whatever that takes. I know I do it often as I can't bear it if every stitch isn't perfect. I think that's my little bit of OCD


Or AR? PLEASE just allow one tiny little mistake now and then so the rest of us won't feel pressured to strive for perfection. It probably won't happen. :|


----------



## courier770 (Jan 29, 2011)

I suppose this comes down to one's level of expertise when it comes to "boo boo fixes". A novice might be tempted to rip back 20 rows while a more experienced knitter may be willing to drop a stitch back for 20 rows and rework it....but either way it's still work!. 

Generally we learn more from our mistakes and that's why I will go back to fix one...I'll be more vigilant if I have to go back and fix one rather than to just leave it.

I've learned my best lessons by making mistakes.


----------



## sue3340 (Feb 7, 2013)

Tinking is one thing I can do if I'm drinking wine.  Or watching TV.


----------



## MotherHensRoost (May 23, 2012)

Never, of course not, me make mistakes? I may have my faults but being wrong isn't one of them...... But then, when I looked at my birth certificate I found that my middle name is "tink n frog" so that shot that theory all to heck.! Ha!

To knit at all is to learn how to tink and frog. Mistakes are part of the craft. Don't like mistakes, don't knit...it is that simple.


----------



## gin-red (Sep 17, 2011)

marshanky said:


> Hilary4 said:
> 
> 
> > I'm pretty good at my knitting and because I check things closely as I do them, I usually have to tink rather than frog to correct a booboo.
> ...


It is the word "knit" backwards which means taking out stitches one at a time.


----------



## gin-red (Sep 17, 2011)

BTW, I have become quite adept at doing it.


----------



## courier770 (Jan 29, 2011)

Of course so called "expert" knitters make mistakes. So called designer, Stefanie Japel has had a pattern out since the fall..I just got the fourth revision of a pattern she came out with 4 months ago..she's still blaming her "tech department"..nice but it's STILL wrong!


----------



## LAURA C (Jan 21, 2013)

jgarrett28 said:


> Surely You Jest!!!!! Me make mistakes......I only make Happy accidents!!!(and some not so happy).


I must be one of the happiest people on this earth!


----------



## MotherHensRoost (May 23, 2012)

LAURA C said:


> jgarrett28 said:
> 
> 
> > Surely You Jest!!!!! Me make mistakes......I only make Happy accidents!!!(and some not so happy).
> ...


OH DEAR, me too.


----------



## lavertera (Mar 15, 2011)

I am at the moment, think it's the lull I have been going through. I don't think forcing things has helped only to finish something sloppy. I am now back on track, if only doing very easy stuff that I get so bored with. I am even making mistakes with that!1 :shock: :roll: :lol: :lol: :lol: 


Pam


----------



## Norma B. (Oct 15, 2012)

courier770 said:


> I suppose this comes down to one's level of expertise when it comes to "boo boo fixes". A novice might be tempted to rip back 20 rows while a more experienced knitter may be willing to drop a stitch back for 20 rows and rework it....but either way it's still work!.
> 
> Generally we learn more from our mistakes and that's why I will go back to fix one...I'll be more vigilant if I have to go back and fix one rather than to just leave it.
> 
> I've learned my best lessons by making mistakes.


Alright. ALRIGHT! Arrrrrrr. You've shamed me into fixing it. That one little blip right in the center of the back between the shoulder blades of my sweater. I'm knitting round, front, back and sleeves together in 2/3 ribbing, so it's a LOT of stitches. Whine, whine. I had tried to fix it before when it only meant dropping down three stitches. Thought that did it, but every time I came around to it again, there it was. I would look at it and think "That's just not right" and the little devil on my left shoulder would say "Aww, c'mon, NOBODY will notice that itty bitty anomaly among the thousands of stitches around it". The little angel on my right shoulder would inject "YOU know who'll notice it---YOU and any other good knitter. You need to fix this!" I'd brush off my right shoulder and knit on. Hadn't I already done due diligence? And you guessed it----every time I came to it it got red, then redder and redder and started blinking! Devil kept saying "FORGET IT!" But Angel is now sitting in front of me not saying anything, just staring reproachfully. Yeah. Well now I have to drop down not two, not ten, but fourteen rows, and I can see that it's not one, but TWO stitches that are involved. I carefully place a tapestry needle across the stitches two below the offending ones and ladder down, undoing each of the two with a crochet hook. I know I can't do one at a time because they're somehow intertwined, and this is scary as hell. I get to the spot and figure it had to be a twisted stitch between them and very carefully replace first the right stitch all the way back up to the needle, then the left stitch. Still not right! DANG. Devil is snickering and Angel is patting me and saying "There there, you just have to be patient and DO IT AGAIN!" So back down I go, this time two more stitches below. I examine both front and back and know that this time it's going to work as I ladder back up. YES! Big sigh. Now the Gods of knitting will smile on me forever more and my fellow knitters will all say "Well done." Thank you.


----------



## clcure (Nov 11, 2012)

kathleenknits said:


> Funny you should ask....I just skipped one portion of my fingerless glove mitt pattern yesterday and knitted a row and thought, Oh No...a mistake in the pattern! Dah, just didn't read the pattern correctly. What's a small frog????


A riblet?


----------



## clcure (Nov 11, 2012)

Norma B. said:


> courier770 said:
> 
> 
> > I suppose this comes down to one's level of expertise when it comes to "boo boo fixes". A novice might be tempted to rip back 20 rows while a more experienced knitter may be willing to drop a stitch back for 20 rows and rework it....but either way it's still work!.
> ...


WoooHooo! Well done!


----------



## run4fittness (May 22, 2011)

No way do I consider myself an expert. I have been knitting almost 50 years also and still make mistakes and rip out! I just started an afghan today with two strands of lace weight held together! I have to go real slow to keep from making mistakes and I still miss the second strand every now and again! But this is what hubby's niece wanted and I am happy to do it for her!


----------



## Stephhy (May 14, 2012)

Well.

I consider myself perfect.

Notwithstanding the fact that I've never knitted anything perfectly, I can say that 'cause I have flexible standards.


----------



## grammyv (Feb 11, 2011)

I will claim to be experienced but "expert" ~ not so much!

Remember the "Knitter's Proverb: As ye knit, so shall ye rip."

Keep on knitting!


----------



## courier770 (Jan 29, 2011)

I always go back and correct errors. You only get ONE chance to make a first impression right?


----------



## kidbear (Jan 28, 2012)

Unless you are perfect I think we all make mistakes. Some mistakes that are not to bad I leave then after a while try to find them.(smile)
Still after all these years still have to frog sometimes.


----------



## Carlyta (Mar 23, 2011)

Of course I do! I just say "oh snap!", and fix it. If I get too upset about the mistake, I'll go to bed and work on it the next day. Sometimes it can just be part of a design.


----------



## walkingagain (Mar 23, 2011)

I'm noticing lately that I'm making less mistakes than before. So, I think I'm getting better at knitting and being more careful. Definitely less stressed about knitting!!


----------



## pansy2 (Jan 28, 2013)

mistakes are only learning experiences, to laugh at -- later


----------



## tmlester (Apr 8, 2011)

Norma B. said:


> courier770 said:
> 
> 
> > I suppose this comes down to one's level of expertise when it comes to "boo boo fixes". A novice might be tempted to rip back 20 rows while a more experienced knitter may be willing to drop a stitch back for 20 rows and rework it....but either way it's still work!.
> ...


LLOLOLOLOL Thanks I needed that!


----------



## caroljd (Feb 5, 2013)

I sure do !!! I've been knitting for 59years !!! :roll:


----------



## jdb (Mar 6, 2011)

It's a learning experience, right??


----------



## gin-red (Sep 17, 2011)

grammyv said:


> I will claim to be experienced but "expert" ~ not so much!
> 
> Remember the "Knitter's Proverb: As ye knit, so shall ye rip."
> 
> Keep on knitting!


Or I was told a long time ago:" A good knitter is a good ripper!"


----------



## sanditoes48 (Feb 6, 2013)

what is frogging and also what is a lifeline??


----------



## MarilynKnits (Aug 30, 2011)

I have been knitting as long as I can remember and am pretty good, but I would never call myself an expert. I have not done entrelac, don't like intricate colorwork, and have trouble getting sweaters to fit perfectly except for kids. They grow in to them.

When I am tired or distracted I make mistakes. Some are innocuous enough to ignore, but I have done my share of tinking and frogging.

Even the most expert and skilled knitters in my circle of knitting buddies have made mistakes. Maybe not the three who have achieved Master Knitter status, although I think one of them admitted to a mistake once.

We are all human and shouldn't sweat the small stuff. That is what lifelines are for!


----------



## Jodie78 (Feb 10, 2013)

Tennessee.Gal said:


> sue3340 said:
> 
> 
> > As I was berating myself for being sloppy/inattentive/DUMB for getting off-pattern while knitting an Aran pattern, I wondered if you very expert knitters ever have to rip out rows and rows of knitting to correct a mistake? I've been knitting off and on for more than 50 years and still do really stupid things.
> ...


I've gone back as many as 10 rows, picked up the stitch and rethreaded it back up to where it should be. When you pick it up, if you look closely you can see a straight piece of yarn directly above it between the two stitches. Keeping the picked up stitch on the right hand needle, use the same needle to sort of hook the straight piece of yarn onto the right hand needle. Then slip the picked up stitch over the newly created one. Keep doing this till you are back up where the stitch should be. Sometimes you have to turn the new stitch around so the proper "leg" is in front. Sounds hard but its lots easier than ripping, picking up and re knitting


----------



## Jodie78 (Feb 10, 2013)

Norma B. said:


> dlgarrett75 said:
> 
> 
> > Hi! What's a 'lifeline' & 'frogging' and how do you use these? It sounds like one should know these things! Thanks so much!
> ...


Oh, dear! I'm an expert frogger and didn't even know there was a name for it after perfecting my frogging for 60 years now.


----------



## JTM (Nov 18, 2012)

I don't know any perfect people let alone perfect knitters. I personally thank all the mentions of life line here in this forum for saving my (what is left of my) sanity...since I do have to rip out often. At least now that I do use lifeline just prior to a difficult place...when I do make those mistakes, I don't have to rip it all out...only a portion to get back to the lifeline.


----------



## Jodie78 (Feb 10, 2013)

PiggiesMom said:


> A friend of mine was watching me "repurposing" a project and he told me his mother (a lovely lady in her 80s and a lifelong knitter) has been known to get a project nearly finished only to find a missed stitch- and she will strip back and start over. I'm thinking that means we never get too old or too experienced to make mistakes- or it takes more than70 years to get to that point.


I've knitted for 60 years but my simple slouch hat wouldn't slouch so I turned the bottom edge up 2 1/2 inches, attacked a crocheted flower, and created the request of last years holiday season. Ah, yes, mistakes are not rare for anyone.


----------



## Siouxiq (Aug 26, 2011)

If it's not too bad I just call it a design feature,


----------



## stackstash (Dec 27, 2011)

Of course especially after a glass of a favorite wine. I usually notice it the next day especially with lace knitting.


----------



## stackstash (Dec 27, 2011)

Of course especially after a glass of a favorite wine. I usually notice it the next day especially with lace knitting.


----------



## zina (Jun 27, 2012)

I have to agree that we all make mistakes and nobody's perfect I just haven't met nobody yet!


----------



## Norma B. (Oct 15, 2012)

zina said:


> I have to agree that we all make mistakes and nobody's perfect I just haven't met nobody yet!


----------



## IndigoSpinner (Jul 9, 2011)

I wanted to reply to this when it was first up, but it's grown so long that I don't want to read all the replies. Yes, I'm lazy.

I count myself experienced, and still make mistakes, but if you're really a good knitter, it means that fixing mistakes is something that you do all the time. Hint: a crochet hook is your friend.

If you're knitting stockinette or rib, just find the stitch directly above the mistake and slide it off the needle, then unravel (run) down to the incorrect stitch and ladder it back up.

If you're working in seed stitch, garter stitch, or any other pattern that switches back and forth in a column from knit to purl, then a double-ended crochet hook is your friend.

Or, if you're working in anything but lace, sock yarn or sport, you could use a Seed Stitcher: http://www.knittingtoday.com/product/20011.html

Sometimes you might really have to rip, but often you can fix it.


----------



## Dreamweaver (Feb 1, 2011)

Me? No, I *never* make a mistake. Yeah, that's the ticket..... Believe that and I have a bridge for sale too......

Not only do I make mistakes, but the yarn seems to remember and I make the SAME mistake a second time.....


----------



## knit-crochet-is-me (Jul 12, 2011)

I think doing and redoing all these patterns is what makes us an expert, don't you think?

Ramona


----------



## belinda (Mar 30, 2011)

Norma B. said:


> courier770 said:
> 
> 
> > I suppose this comes down to one's level of expertise when it comes to "boo boo fixes". A novice might be tempted to rip back 20 rows while a more experienced knitter may be willing to drop a stitch back for 20 rows and rework it....but either way it's still work!.
> ...


We can say "Well done" (and we do), but you're the one that will gain the most satisfaction from it--and the next time you'll get it before you get much past it. This is how expert knitters are made! Can't wait to see a photo!


----------



## mgrsis01 (Nov 7, 2011)

I signed on late today and there are already 16 pages of responses to this topic! Hilarious...and I'm sure I've never completed any project, however small, without frogging and tinking more than once.


----------



## Hannelore (Oct 26, 2011)

I may have been knitting more than 50 years, but I wouldn't call myself an expert. I would say I have experience, but I still make mistakes and I dare say every knitter makes mistakes at some time or other. Sometimes these "mistakes" become a new stitch design if the person remembered to write the "mistake" down or how they did it in the first place.


----------



## Sandyr1946 (May 12, 2012)

LOL!! I just finished by first Teddy Bear; Karate Snuggles bear, and I pulled out and redid the karate jacket no less than 5 times!! Simply because I didn't read the pattern properly in the first place...and when I did eventually finish it, I realised I had knitted it - yes - six times - on 2 sizes too small needles, and it wouldn't fit my bear. Admittedly, the bear turned out twice the size it was supposed to be...so redid the whole thing. BUT - I didn't pull out the first jacket - am keeping it and hoping my next bear (in Panda Teddy Fur - oh, JOY!) will be smaller and the jacket will fit it...


----------



## bizzyknitter (May 10, 2011)

Last I heard, there was only one perfect person who ever walked the earth. And I understand He knows how to knit.....that means the rest of us are allowed to make mistakes. Hugs.[/quote]

Amen to that. :thumbup:


----------



## dirgni (Jun 6, 2011)

It is very easy to make a mistake. The other day I turned a cable twist the wrong way. I went down 6 rows of 6 stitches,
made the turn correctly and knitted the 6 stitches back up.


----------



## zookeeper1 (Feb 26, 2013)

I have been knitting for over 50 years and I was not aware if lifelines until I found your forum. Just goes to show that one is never to old to learn.


----------



## Cindy M (Sep 5, 2011)

I don't think I've ever done one knit or crochet project where I haven't ripped something out. It's because we're our own worst knitting police. It's usually something a non knitter wouldn't notice, but it sticks out like a sore thumb to us.


----------



## PauletteB. (Feb 7, 2012)

I have been knitting for 50 years and have my share of rips.


----------



## StellasKnits (Apr 10, 2011)

ha ha...uh, yeah. I don't know that I consider myself an "expert" but I've been knitting for around 45 years and do still make mistakes. Sometimes, in fact, I get so frustrated with an item I'm making that it has to sit in time out overnight til I'm done being mad at it.


----------



## SaxonLady (Jun 9, 2011)

sue3340 said:


> As I was berating myself for being sloppy/inattentive/DUMB for getting off-pattern while knitting an Aran pattern, I wondered if you very expert knitters ever have to rip out rows and rows of knitting to correct a mistake? I've been knitting off and on for more than 50 years and still do really stupid things.


No, never made a mistake in my life.
Hey, why is my nose growing?


----------



## mamahen (May 26, 2011)

StellasKnits said:


> ha ha...uh, yeah. I don't know that I consider myself an "expert" but I've been knitting for around 45 years and do still make mistakes. Sometimes, in fact, I get so frustrated with an item I'm making that it has to sit in time out overnight til I'm done being mad at it.


You are too funny. Think I'll steal your idea instead of giving a good yank on the yarn and usually ripping way more than I would have had I been in my right mind. Ha. (I'm talking crochet--would never yank on a knitting project--just say a few choice words. Ha.)

This reminds me of something my great-granddaughter did recently. She put herself in time out when she did something she shouldn't have.


----------



## pjherma (Dec 14, 2012)

Expert frogger, tinker, and cheater, expert knitter, no so.


----------



## Sandyr1946 (May 12, 2012)

I often say, when speaking of my many mistakes, that only one person makes perfect things - and He made me )
Have decided to use life-lines from here on in too - put two into my Panda Fur Teddy after reading and being reminded of them. Hopefully that will help.
On another post, someone said they put the WIP into time out until they have cooled down - I do that also!


----------



## poconogal (Jun 1, 2012)

I thought I was the only one that made mistakes. Glad I am in good company.


----------



## donmaur (Mar 4, 2012)

absolutely i don't think one of us is so perfect that she or he never has to go back


----------



## PATRICIAKEITH (Jun 13, 2011)

LAURA C said:


> jgarrett28 said:
> 
> 
> > Surely You Jest!!!!! Me make mistakes......I only make Happy accidents!!!(and some not so happy).
> ...


ME TOO!!! :lol: :lol:


----------



## sue3340 (Feb 7, 2013)

I can't tell you how heartened I am to hear everyone's "confessions." It encouraged me to frog a half sleeve on the Aran sweater, and start over, because I just wasn't happy with the way it looked. After all, I'm going to wear this sweater for a long time, and don't want to think "I should have ripped that out" every time I put it on!


----------



## Hannelore (Oct 26, 2011)

sue3340 said:


> I can't tell you how heartened I am to hear everyone's "confessions." It encouraged me to frog a half sleeve on the Aran sweater, and start over, because I just wasn't happy with the way it looked. After all, I'm going to wear this sweater for a long time, and don't want to think "I should have ripped that out" every time I put it on!


Haven't you heard? CONFESSION is good for the soul. :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:


----------



## IndigoSpinner (Jul 9, 2011)

The time out suggestion is a good one.

It works best if, like me, you have several projects going at once. I usually have a big, long-term project like an entrelac afghan going where I do another row of diamonds whenever I find an interesting ball of yarn, and another that's big enough that it stays at home, and a small project (usually a sock) that travels with me and gets knit on the bus or in a waiting room. Which means I CAN switch to a different project.


----------



## 12linda (Dec 2, 2011)

yah and is that Ramona calif


----------



## Pauline (Jan 23, 2011)

Oh yes, I'm one of those


----------



## ramram0003 (Nov 7, 2011)

Oh yeah! Not that I am an expert but I do make mistakes. I am not perfect but I am a perfectionist.


----------



## Bonnniemay (Nov 8, 2012)

I never make mistakes.. I blame the needles, can't be me, no it's the needles for sure.


----------



## 12linda (Dec 2, 2011)

very good I will try this


----------



## rollyperfect (Feb 7, 2012)

i think everyone does


----------



## blanche valeria (Jan 29, 2012)

What is a lifeline???


----------



## sue3340 (Feb 7, 2013)

Oh boy, I am so grateful for lifelines A lifeline is a length of yarn that you string through the stitches on your needle, so that when you have to frog (rip out) you can't go farther than the lifeline row. I currently am working on a sweater and have almost 400 stitches on a circular needle. I place a lifeline about every 10 rows. It's worth the little bit of time it takes to run the yarn through.


----------



## blanche valeria (Jan 29, 2012)

Thankks Sue


----------



## netcst (Sep 26, 2011)

Never...just like my husband never gets lost driving...just make temporary unnecessary adjustments to the original plans!


----------

