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One of the most common issues described by beginner knitters is that their knitting has seemingly random holes throughout. Fortunately, the holes are not actually random- they can be caused by a few unintentional actions. Once a knitter understands how these holes appear, they can make correction that will prevent this from happening in future knitting projects.
If you are cruising along and suddenly notice that your garment is a bit misshapen with a bit of a gouge in one side, you may be the victim of this mistake. This is a very common beginner mistake and happens when the yarn is brought over the top of the needle at the beginning of a row. When this happens, it appears that the the stitch that was brought over is actually two stitches. When we assume that there are two stitches, we work them separately and create two stitches from the first stitch of the row. You may notice holes, but you will also notice that the edges of your garment are slanting outward.
When you notice that you have made this mistake, the only way to fix it is to unravel your work. If you continue making this mistake, use a lifeline so that you can save some of your work along the way.
Related: What Is a Knitting Lifeline and How Do I Use It?
If you notice that there is a gaping hole in the middle of your knitted project, don't freak out. If you are knitting a project that has both knits and purls in the same row, you may have made a common mistake. This type of hole typically appears when the yarn is brought to the front of the work, as if you were purling, but then you remember that you need to knit stitch instead, but you forget to move the yarn to the back of the work. In this case, you create an additional stitch and create a hole. If you are a beginner knitter, it may be challenging to multi-task while knitting. If you find that you are creating many of these yarn overs, it means that you may need to knit in an environment with fewer distractions while you are learning.
If you notice the mistake when you get to the next row, drop the yarn over to loosen up adjacent stitches and then redistribute the yarn. If you notice it later into your knitting, unravel your work to the place of the mistake.
If you notice that your garment has a couple of small holes and a strange curve to it, you have turned your work in the middle of a row. This is affectionately referred to as the "Mommy Mistake." You think that the little one is napping and you are working away on your knitting. But, suddenly, your child begins to cry and you drop everything and run to them. When you return to your knitting, you start working in the wrong direction.
The only way to fix this is to unravel it. Not only are the holes unsightly, but the extra rows will not shape up correctly.
If you notice a small hole, you may have knit under the strand in between stitches. This usually occurs when we use yarns with different textures or variegated yarn. Focusing more on your knitting and avoiding distractions can help to prevent this common mistake.
Fixing this mistake is the same as fixing the accidental yarn over. If you notice the small hole further into the project, you will have to unravel, as the extra stitches that are created will be an issue.
When we insert the needle into a stitch to knit, then wrap the yarn, but we forget to pull the wrap through the stitch to create a new stitch, we slip a stitch and create a hole. This is another instance of distracted knitting. It is important for beginner knitters to knit is a quiet space without distractions until they are more comfortable with the stitches.
If you notice the slipped stitch in the next row, pull the wrap through and complete the stitch. If you don't notice the hole until further along, unravel your work and fix it.
If you are interested in learning more about how holes are created in your knitting, this is a great video that demonstrates the most common mistakes.
