Stitches

How to redo knitting the beginning of a scarf?

I just finished knitting a nice scarf but the beginning is too tight and id like to redo it. if i unravel from the beginning can i just knit those lines back in or will it be facing the wrong direction? I only need to redo about 10 rows. Thanks!

Public Comments

1. just leave in as your first attempt. the only way i know is to unravel and for the first ten rows, sounds drastic to me.
2. You can't undo the first ten rows without undoing all the rows that came after them. That sounds a bit extreme for this type of problem. My best suggestion is to undo the LAST ten rows and knit them tighter or decrease a stitch or two. That way, the two ends of your scarf will match and 'most everyone will think you did it on purpose. It'll look fine. It's all about the fixing, truthfully enough. When you knit your next item, check on the tension as you go along. Lay the item out on a table and examine it after every 10-15 rows. That way, if you check yourself as you go, you'll only have a few rows to undo to fix any problem that comes up.
3. If you've worked the scarf in stockinette or garter stitch, there is a way. Look at the stitches as they sit on the needle. The center of the stitch is a "V". Now turn the work upside down, and look for a V going in this direction, which was the sides of two adjacent stitches when turned right side up. You can pick up stitches through the new V holding the work upside down. You can pick up stitches across a row. This will create a new row of live stitches sitting on the needle. Holding the work upside down, pick up a row of stitches a row or two away (into the good knitting) from where the stitches are too tight. Cut the yarn a few rows away (into the tight knitting) from the picked up stitches, and unpick until the live stitches are the end of the scarf. Now reknit what was the tight end with stitches that are the right gauge. This isn't a perfect solution, because you are picking up stitches that are offset one-half stitch from the stitches going in the original direction of knitting. You may need to fudge the ends of the first row. Do look carefully at the knitting before you start cutting yarn (!). You may want to test the technique on a small swatch so you understand the process. Or just leave it as is--a first project isn't supposed to be perfect! P.Ward Discover an Easy, Step-by-Step System to Design and Knit a Sweater That Really Fits! http://www.KnitSweaterPattern.com