One more in the ongoing series....
So, has this ever happened to you? You are knitting along on your Fair Isle garment, making slow but sure progress on some 375 stitches per round, when you realize that something is wrong. Let's say you are on round 60. The stitches you are about to knit into (round 59) were not knit in the correct order. That is, when you look at the next 5 stitches there might be 2 pattern stitches and 3 background stitches when there should have been 1 pattern stitch, 2 background stitches, and 2 pattern stitches.
No need to panic!
Sometimes you can drop those stitches and reknit them in the correct order—this works when there are the same number of pattern and background stitches. But in the scenario I've postulated above, although there is more than enough yarn to convert the 3 background stitches into 2 background stitches (we don't worry about a longer float), there is definitely not enough yarn to convert 2 pattern stitches into 3. Are you following me?
In other words, you've goobered it up good.
Rather than tink (un-knit, for the uninitiated) back around the entire circumference of the garment—an enthusiasm buster for sure—I take a long piece of yarn in the color I need (in our scenario, I'd pick the pattern color) and I knit the missing stitch with it as follows:
Drop the five stitches.
Reknit the 1 pattern stitch, 2 background stitches, and 1 pattern stitch with the original yarn.
Now knit the missing pattern stitch with your new piece of yarn.
Two ends hang from the new stitch—these will be darned in later.
There you go. Nothing to see here, Ma. Moving on.... You are now ready to continue knitting round 60.
Speaking of progress, the Lingonberry Sweater is coming along!
And OMG it is GORGEOUS!!!
Posted by: Linda | May 27, 2011 at 04:55 PM
I am filing away your tip for future use, cause I am sure I will need it sooner or later.
Posted by: Francesca | May 27, 2011 at 05:58 PM
What a LOVELY sweater, Janine!
Posted by: Jeannine Bakriges | May 27, 2011 at 06:38 PM
Brillant. Thanks!
Posted by: Skylark | May 27, 2011 at 10:45 PM
Great post--thanks for the tip! Great sweater!
Posted by: Andrea | May 28, 2011 at 05:24 AM
I love creative fixes like this! Your sweater is gorgeous.
Posted by: Eva | May 28, 2011 at 07:13 AM
oh. doh. of course. I have several times goobered up real good. Tried to fix mistakes in colorwork only to make an even bigger cock-up of it. And then faced tinking or just plain old ripping and picking up. sigh. What an awesome tip, thanks so much.
Posted by: claire | May 28, 2011 at 07:17 AM
Very good! To correct just one stitch, I would probably have woven a duplicate stitch in the proper color over it and hope that blocking would flatten any extra bulk, but your way is smarter and neater. Thanks, Janine.
Posted by: Gretchen | May 28, 2011 at 08:19 AM
Oh, simple and brilliant and I never would have thought of it...
Posted by: Therese | May 28, 2011 at 08:23 AM
Holy Duh! Thank you sooooo much. Simplicity and brilliance in one fell swoop!
Posted by: Syd | May 30, 2011 at 08:37 AM
I have never, ever failed to joint without twisting. You blogged about it and lo and behold, I did it for the first time. AND I only noticed after I was on Row 11. 0.o Y'know, there's just no way out of that one except starting over! I'm not blaming you, I just thought it was an odd juxtaposition.
Posted by: Marji | May 30, 2011 at 10:05 AM