How to fix a dropped stitch

A dropped stitch is a live loop that has escaped the needle. As it unravels, the yarn from each row becomes a horizontal ladder rung. Stop pulling the fabric and secure the lowest live loop with a crochet hook or locking marker before working upward.

1. Lay the work flat and find the lowest intact loop. Keep the rungs in their original bottom-to-top order.
2. With the knit side facing you, insert the hook through the live loop from front to back. Catch the next rung behind it and pull that strand through toward the front. The new loop replaces the old one.
3. Repeat one rung at a time. For a purl reconstruction, bring the rung in front and draw it through toward the back. Reposition the hook as needed rather than twisting the loop.
4. Return the final live loop to the needle with the same mount as its neighbors. In standard Western mounting, the right leg sits in front. Ease excess slack along nearby stitches without tugging hard.

Different patterns need different reconstruction

Stockinette uses knit reconstruction on the V side and purl reconstruction on the bump side. Garter alternates the two as viewed from one face; check the neighboring row to choose the starting direction. In 1×1 ribbing, first identify whether the dropped column is knit or purl. This bench models a knit column. Lace, cables, increases and decreases require the actual pattern and are outside this simple ladder model.

What this laboratory teaches

The diagrams illustrate loop order, knit/purl reconstruction and crossed-loop mistakes. They are not a yarn-physics simulation or a photo diagnosis. Front/back views mirror the schematic; X-ray separates highlighted front and rear legs by color. Compare the actual fabric with the neighboring stitches before using a direction on your project.