When I knit my stiches are really tight, how can I fix it?

Question

When I knit a row of stitches I find it hard to get the needle through when I knit my next row. It makes my knitting look really stretched out.

It's not the needles or the wool because when my Mum knits I can get them back through the other needle fine.

I never used to have this problem and now it is taking me forever to knit... I need to know for my school assignment because it's due next week, please help!!

Answer 1

The other answers are all correct, you are pulling too hard on your working yarn which will make the stitches tighter.

How about trying to use a larger sized needle for a while.

Answer 2

Be sure you are not knitting on the points - I had this problem for a while - especially when I was in a hurry.  Be sure you are inserting the needle past the points when you begin your stitch, and then push your completed stitch down past the points before you slide it off the needle.

Answer 3

First off, relax.  Consciously relax your hands when you knit.  One of my knitting pupils was concentrating so hard that she held the needles so tight that her hands shook and her knuckles turned white.  Naturally, her stitches were extremely tight.  Relax.  Hold your needles comfortably.  Relax your hands.  

If you're knitting "continental," pull out just a titch more wool when you pull each stitch through.  Stop every two or three stitches and poke at them to see if they are just loose enough to get a needle through.  (You'll only need to do that for the first couple of rows, until it becomes more natural to you to knit a bit more loosely.)    Once you get more comfortable with it, you can check 20 or 30 stitches at once by sliding them along the needle.  If they won't move easily, they are too tight.  If they will fall off the needle, they are too loose.  Don't worry about that just now, though.  Stitches of the proper tension should slide easily along the needle when pushed with a finger.

Answer 4

You deadline is putting stress on you to finish, and as a result your tension is off.  You may also be knitting into the back of the stitch in each row which does twist and tighten the stitches.  Yes, you need to slow down and relax and look at your technique.  If the knitting is fine when your mother knits the stitches, yes, you are holding the yarn too tightly.  You may also be working for too long a time at a stretch.  Your yarn tension changes the longer you knit without a break, too.  Stop for a few minutes and shake out your hands every half hour or so.

Answer 5

You're pulling the yarn to tightly, loosen up on the yarn and give it some slack.

Answer 6

I did that when I was learning.  I was really trying too hard to make the stitches correctly and was cranking down on the yarn when putting it around the needle.  I only suggest consciously trying to let more slack on each stitch.