Dropped stitches can occur in a number of ways. Depending on the cause
Dropped stitches can occur in a number of ways. Depending on the cause of the drop, the resulting loop can be the length of a regular stitch or roughly half the length. Done on purpose, they can create lovely patterns. Repairing an unwanted drop stitch can range from a simple no show fix, to the fix is slightly visible, to rip it out to where the dropped stitch occurred.
Dropped stitches are a frequent occurrence for a new knitter. It happens when the wrap falls off the needle as the new stitch is being pulled through. The old stitch is caught and lifted up one row. As the next stitch is worked, a strand is placed at the bottom of the unworked stitch. This strand will be shorter.
With flat knitting, this unworked strand presents itself on the next row. Simply pull the strand through the stitch above it in the correct direction to get the needed purl or knit stitch, place the newly corrected stitch on the left needle and continue across the row. While this strand is shorter, knits are forgiving. The small stitch steals yarn from adjacent stitches and usually becomes undetectable.
Working in the round presents a different problem. The dropped stitch is usually found many rows later. Work to the column of stitches where the drop occurred. After triple checking to be sure you have isolated the correct column, remove the stitch from the left needle. Gently cause that column to run by freeing the loops down to the dropped stitch. Catching a stitch below the drop, latch each strand to the top and hang last loop on left needle. Continue across the row.
Stacking these strands can easily occur for hand knitters when knitting socks on double pointed needles. An end stitch can fall off the end of one needle and go unnoticed for several rows. These strands are shorter than a regular stitch. Latching up one or two of these short strands will go unnoticed. When latching these short strands for more than three or four rows, a vertical line of tight stitches appears. It is you as the knitter/designer has to decide whether to leave that forever tight section or to rip out several rows and reknit the rows correctly.
