Stitches

How do I manage to keep making and losing stitches when I'm knitting?

I just learned to knit from my grandma and I'm working on a scarf for a friend. However, I think it's kind of funny that I keep managing to adjust the number of stitches. I started off with 24, and have fluctuated from 22 to now 32. How come this happens? What am I doing wrong? I'm not too concerned seeing as this is my first knitting experience, I'm just curious.

Public Comments

1. It is very common when you are learning to lose and gain stitches in your knitting -- the best way i found when teaching was to count the stitches after every row and if you did not find a flux then really look at that row- notice how the yarn lays - go to the next row and if it is different then really look at that row - soon you will be able to notice the difference it a correct row and a botched one - here are a few ways you can "lose" a stitch. 1. it fell off the needle 2. you knitted it together with another stitch. gaining stitches 1. you knitted a stitch twice 2. your needle hooked the ladder Between rows and you knitted it not realizing it was not a stitch -- this happens alot if you set your work down in the middle of a row! 3. you looped the yarn around the needle in the previous row by mistake and have knitted that loop. 4. you wrapped the yarn twice around the needle while knitting and now have two loops from one stitch. most of these are techniques we may use when wanting to increase or decrease but it can be frustrating when you are not meaning to do it!!
2. 1. If you "drop" a stitch, the number decreases. Look below the stitches you are working on to see if there is a vertical line of stitches that ends in a free loop somewhere below your needles (stretch the fabric side-to-side if necessary). 2. If you knit two stitches together, the number decreases. Look below the stitches you are working on to see if there is a vertical line of stitches that tapers off and ends somewhere below your needles. 3. If you "split" the yarn loop you're working into, you may make two stitches from one. 4. If you pick up the free yarn from the stitch below, you may make two stitches from one. 5. Often, beginners will make an extra stitch at the beginning or end of a row when turning, 6. If you're knitting a pattern that requires "YO" or "K2tog" or "SSK" or "S1K1PSSO," you may miscount and do too many or not enough. And I'm sure there are other ways I haven't thought of.