How to Pick Up Stitches

Picking up Stitches Along a Finished Edge

Insert the right-hand needle under the first stitch going from front to back. Hold your knit item with the right (front or outer) side facing you, then push the right-hand needle under the stitch that you want to pick up. Make sure that you insert the needle through both strands of the stitch. You may also insert the needle into only the front or only the back loop if needed. This will usually be indicated on a pattern as a way to create an angle, such as on the edge of a purse.

Wrap the working yarn over the end of the right-hand needle. Bring the yarn over the right-hand needle after you have pushed it under the stitch. Hold the yarn taut around the end of the needle to keep it in place. The working yarn is the yarn extending from the edge of your knit item coming out of the ball or skein of yarn.

Pull the loop through the stitch. Bring the loop of yarn through the stitch while keeping the yarn taut. Then, let the original stitch slip off of the needle as the new loop replaces it. This completes 1 picked up stitch. Tip: Pick up new stitches to add a border onto a knit project or simply as a way to make your project bigger.

Repeat to the end of the row to pick up additional stitches. Continue to pick up stitches in the same way until you reach the end of the row or until you have picked up the desired number of stitches. Check your pattern if you are using one to determine how many stitches to pick up. For example, if you want to pick up all the stitches in the row, then go all the way to the end of the row. If you only need to pick up 20 stitches, then count until you have picked up 20 stitches.

Picking up a Dropped Stitch

Identify a dropped stitch. A dropped stitch is one that has slipped off of your needle. The stitch will then unravel partially creating a visible line down that column of your knitting. If you see a column that looks like a ladder, then you probably have a dropped stitch. Dropped stitches are a common problem with knitting, so don’t worry if you drop a stitch!

Insert a crochet hook into the dropped stitch going front to back. Identify the loop of the dropped stitch. Then, insert a crochet hook into the loop to grasp it. Make sure to push the hook into the loop from the front of the work if it is a knit stitch. If the stitch was a purl stitch, then pick it up going from the back of the work to the front instead.Tip: You can also use your right-hand needle to hook the dropped stitch if you do not have a crochet hook. However, using a crochet hook is an easier way to pick up dropped stitches.

Loop the horizontal strand over the end of the hook and pull it through the loop. Locate the horizontal strand 1 row up from where you picked up the loop. Use the hook to grasp the horizontal strand and pull it through the loop on your hook. Make sure that the strand is not twisted. Pull it straight through the loop towards the front of the work for a knit stitch, or towards the back of the work for a purl stitch.

Remove the loop from the crochet hook and reinsert the hook. Carefully take the loop off of the hook and hold onto it with your fingers. Then, push the end of the hook into the front of the loop. Make sure that the loop is not twisted when you insert the crochet hook into it. You may need to adjust it with your fingers first.

Repeat to pick up more stitches. Hook the next stitch and pull it through the loop. Repeat the same process to hook the next stitch just as you did the first stitch.

Slip the last stitch onto your left-hand needle and knit it as usual. After you have hooked the last horizontal strand and pulled it through the loop, slip the stitch onto your left-hand needle. Then, knit or purl the stitch as you normally would. Repeat the process if you need to pick up any other dropped stitches.

Increasing and Decreasing When You Pick Up a Stitch

Insert the needle through the back loop of a stitch to increase. If you want to add stitches as you pick them up, work 2 pickup stitches into the same stitch. Pick up the first stitch by going under both strands of the stitch, then insert the needle through the back loop to pick up a second stitch. For example, if you have 30 stitches in the row and want to add 5 more, then pick up an additional stitch after every sixth stitch you pick up.

Skip a stitch to decrease. If you want fewer stitches than you have available to pick up, then skip the desired number of stitches to reduce your total. Pick up the rest of the stitches as you normally would. For example, if you have a total of 40 stitches available to pick up and you only want 20 stitches, then skip every other stitch.

Wait until the second row to work make 1 increases. A make 1 increase is when you make a new stitch using the yarn extending between 2 stitches. Use your right hand needle to pick up the yarn that extends between 2 stitches and twist this loop with your fingers. Then, slip the loop onto your left-hand needle and knit or purl it as you normally would. You can pick up 1 stitch between any 2 stitches.Looking for a different way to work increases or decreases in a knitting project? Try knitting 2 together to work a decrease, or knit front and back to increase.