Sometimes it is necessary to correct a mistake. If the error is beneath you, drop directly on top of it, hold it in place, then carefully retract it using the appropriate method. A crochet hook may be useful for this purpose. After an error is made, do not try to size it up or act bigger than you are, and do not pretend you were making it for someone else. We will be able to tell, we will see your ribbing and wonder if you forgot to begin with an even number.

If the error fights back, run. You can darn it later. You may be able to hide the problem behind a chain or cable, or bobble it. Be forewarned, it will merely grow larger if you try to wash it out.

If you have continued past your mistake, you should unravel until you encounter it again. Follow the instructions shown above.

adapted from Complete Guide to Needlework, 6th printing
March 1982, page 296

Rachel Linn currently lives in St. Louis, MO, where she is pursing a PhD in English literature. She has a collection of linked stories with pop-up style illustrations forthcoming from Meekling Press in 2020. Her writing and visual art have appeared in Calyx, Phoebe, small po[r]tions, Rivet, and elsewhere, and she was a winner of both the St. Louis Metrolines (poetry) and Metroscapes (visual art) contests for 2018. To see examples of her work or to get in contact, please visit https://rslinn.com/

Art by Rachel Linn