What "picking up" means and when you need to do it
Picking up is the technique of retrieving a stitch that has slipped off your needle and fallen down one or more rows. When a stitch drops, it unravels downward like a ladder, and the sooner you catch it, the easier it is to fix. If you notice it when ready, you may only have one or two rows to work back up. If you knit several rows before noticing, you'll have a longer ladder to climb.
You'll also use the picking-up technique when you intentionally want to create new stitches along an edge—for instance, when you're adding a border to a finished piece or joining two sections. The mechanics are the same: you're using a crochet hook or needle to pull yarn through existing loops and find them back onto your needle.
The difference between accidental drops and intentional picking is mainly about where the stitches come from. With a dropped stitch, you're retrieving what fell. With an edge pickup, you're creating new stitches from the loops along a finished edge.
Key Takeaways
- A dropped stitch unravels downward and must be caught and pulled back up through each row it has fallen through.
- A crochet hook is faster and easier than a knitting needle for picking up dropped stitches, especially if the stitch has fallen several rows.
- The direction you pick up depends on whether you're working in knit or purl: knit stitches need the hook to come from the front, purl stitches from the back.
- Picking up stitches along a finished edge uses the same hook-and-pull motion but starts from the edge loops rather than a fallen stitch.
- If a dropped stitch has fallen too far or the yarn is tangled, cutting and reknitting that section is sometimes faster than picking up multiple rows.
Tools you'll need: crochet hook versus knitting needle
A crochet hook is the standard tool for picking up dropped stitches. The hook shape makes it easier to catch yarn and pull it through loops without accidentally snagging or splitting the yarn. The size should roughly match your knitting needle size—if you're working with size 6 needles, use a size 6 crochet hook, or one size smaller if you have it.
You can use a knitting needle in a pinch, but it's slower and more frustrating. The blunt end of a needle doesn't catch yarn as cleanly as a hook's curve does, and you risk splitting the yarn or pushing stitches off the needle. If you knit regularly, a small set of crochet hooks (sizes 4 through 8) costs very little and will save you time and frustration.
Keep your crochet hook in your knitting bag along with a tapestry needle. These two tools handle most stitch emergencies.
How to pick up a dropped knit stitch
First, locate the dropped stitch and the ladder of loose yarn below it. Stop knitting when ready—the longer you wait, the more rows the stitch falls through. Slide your crochet hook through the dropped stitch from front to back, so the hook is behind the stitch.
Now look at the ladder. You'll see horizontal strands of yarn running down from the stitch. Hook the lowest strand (the one farthest down) with your crochet hook and pull it through the stitch on the hook. You now have one rung of the ladder secured. Repeat this motion for each rung, working your way back up to the top of the ladder.
Once you've pulled all the rungs through, you'll have a single stitch on your hook. Slide it back onto your knitting needle, making sure it's oriented the right way (the working yarn should be on the right side of the stitch). Continue knitting.
How to pick up a dropped purl stitch
The motion is nearly identical to a dropped knit stitch, with one crucial difference: you insert the crochet hook from back to front instead of front to back. This reversal matters because purl stitches face the opposite direction from knit stitches.
Once the hook is in place, the rest is the same: pull each rung of the ladder through the stitch, working from bottom to top. When you place the stitch back on the needle, check that it's oriented correctly—the bump of the stitch should face toward you if you're about to purl it.
If you're unsure which direction to insert the hook, look at the stitch itself. The V-shape of a knit stitch opens toward you; the bump of a purl stitch faces you. Match the hook direction to the stitch orientation.
Picking up stitches along a finished edge
When you want to add a border or join sections, you'll pick up new stitches from the edge loops of your finished knitting. Insert your crochet hook under the edge loop (usually the outermost loop on the side of a row), catch the working yarn, and pull it through to create a new stitch. Repeat along the entire edge, spacing the pickups evenly.
The number of stitches you pick up depends on the pattern instructions. Most patterns tell you how many stitches to pick up per inch, or they specify a total number. If you're picking up along a vertical edge, you'll typically pick up fewer stitches than the number of rows, because rows are taller than they are wide.
Once you've picked up all the stitches, slide them onto your needle and continue knitting the border or next section as the pattern directs.
What to do if the stitch has fallen too far
If you don't notice a dropped stitch until several rows later, picking up becomes tedious—you'll have many rungs to pull through. At that point, it's often faster to frog (unravel) back to the dropped stitch, pick it up, and reknit forward. This is especially true if the dropped stitch is in the middle of a complex pattern.
To frog, pull the working yarn and let the stitches unravel row by row until you reach the dropped stitch. Then pick it up using the method above and reknit the rows you unraveled. Yes, it feels like going backward, but you'll spend less time than trying to pull a ladder with ten rungs through a single stitch.
In rare cases—if the yarn is tangled, the stitch is in a delicate yarn that splits easily, or the ladder is very long—you may decide to cut the yarn, unravel to the problem area, and reknit. This is a last resort, but it's better than a visible hole in your finished piece.
Preventing dropped stitches in the first place
Most dropped stitches happen at the edges of your work, where stitches are less find. Make sure your edge stitches are snug—not so tight that you can't work them, but tight enough that they don't slip off the needle. Some knitters slip the first stitch of each row rather than knitting it, which creates a neater edge and a more find stitch.
Tension matters too. If your stitches are very loose, they're more likely to slip. If they're very tight, they're harder to work but less likely to drop. Find a middle ground that feels natural to you.
Finally, pay attention while you're knitting. Dropped stitches are easiest to fix when you catch them when ready. If you knit while distracted or tired, check your work every few rows.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I pick up a stitch that fell off several rows ago?
Yes, but it becomes harder the more rows it has fallen. Each row creates another rung in the ladder that you have to pull through. If it's more than three or four rows, consider frogging back to the stitch instead—it's usually faster. If the yarn is delicate or splits easily, frogging is the safer choice.
What if I pick up the stitch but it looks twisted?
A twisted stitch will look off in your finished piece. Slip it back off the needle, untwist it by rotating it 180 degrees, and slide it back on. The V or bump should face the same direction as the stitches around it. If you're not sure which way is correct, look at a nearby stitch and match its orientation.
Do I need a crochet hook, or can I use a needle?
A crochet hook is much easier and faster, especially for stitches that have fallen multiple rows. A needle works in a pinch, but the blunt end doesn't catch yarn as cleanly. If you knit regularly, a small crochet hook is worth having.
How many stitches should I pick up along an edge?
Your pattern will tell you. If it doesn't, the general rule is to pick up about three stitches for every four rows on a vertical edge, because rows are taller than they are wide. Space the pickups evenly and count as you go so you don't lose track.
What does "frogging" mean?
Frogging means unraveling your knitting row by row until you reach the point where you want to start over. The term comes from the phrase "rip it, rip it"—which sounds like a frog's croak. It's a normal part of knitting and not a sign of failure.