Fixing a mistake in a lace pattern
Begin by identifying which stitches need to be corrected and what row you are currently on in the chart. Since the first chart was finished you should have just finished Row 12, slip stitches from the left needle to the right needle until stitch 3 is between the needles, then drop stitches 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 off the needles. The first row that you remove will be the WS row 14 and I find it helpful to say either WS or RS as I pull out each row, pull out 4 rows of stitches. Place stitches 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, from Row 8 back on the needle (remember right leg front) ready to rework the lace pattern on Row 9 correctly. Using the bottom-most ladder of yarn just like when fixing a single dropped stitch work across the 5 stitches in the correct pattern. For the next row which is a WS row 10, we will try the passing back method to help with tension, pass the 5 stitches back to the left needle evening the tension as you pass. Work the WS row 10 by knitting all the stitches on the RS. In this manner continue working the rows following the chart and using the lowest rung of unpicked yarn.
If you are having difficulty reading a lace pattern it is always a good idea to use a lifeline. A lifeline is a thin smooth piece of yarn or thread that you run through a row of stitches, keeping track of which row you are marking on the chart. Then if you make a mistake that you simply cannot fix, like perhaps an entire row you can take the work off the needles and rip back to the lifeline row with confidence knowing what row it is and that the stitches are held securely with the lifeline.
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