One of the dead giveaways of a new knitter is the wonky edge. It’s easy to knit a nice, neat center panel, but if the edges are sloppy, stretched out, or otherwise messy, it can be a real eyesore. This is because the first and last stitch in any row are a little bit different from the stitches in between. The yarn tension is a bit different when you turn the work, and often new knitters pull the yarn too tight or too loose at that point. This is a good time to pay attention to your edges so that your scarves and dishcloths don’t be ugly later on.
Start by knitting a swatch and watching what happens when you come to the end of a row. When you finish that last stitch, turn the work slowly and take a look at that loop that’s sitting on the needle. Don’t pull the yarn right away, just let that stitch sit there for a moment before you start the next row. One thing new knitters often do is pull the yarn way too tight when turning the work. This makes the edge stitch way too long, and you end up with a long, sloppy column of stitches up the side of your work. Letting the yarn just sit there while you turn keeps that edge stitch balanced.
Another thing you can do is try knitting a few rows and really watch the first two stitches in each row. Knit slowly, and use the same tension you do in the middle of the fabric. If that doesn’t help, try giving a little tug on the working yarn after the second stitch instead of the first. That seems to even out the tension a bit, and my edges get straighter. If you keep practicing, your edges will get straighter and neater, which makes the rest of the fabric look better. One mistake I know I make is rushing through the first stitch in a row because it’s so “easy.”
This motion often leaves too much yarn behind, which makes a loose edge loop that gets more and more pronounced as you knit more rows. The solution is to not rush, and to treat that first stitch of the row like any other stitch. Slide your needle into that loop slowly, and wrap your yarn around it just like you do any other stitch. Knitting for 15 minutes a day, even on a little tiny swatch, can help get your edges looking neater in no time.
Try working on a narrow swatch for 15 minutes and focus only on your turning and first two stitches. Stop and put the needles down every few rows, then look at the edges of your work and see how they’re coming along. You can see how the changes in your tension affect that edge column. Over the course of several days, you’ll start to see your edges getting straighter and more even. This makes the whole piece look nicer, even if you’re working on something simple.