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Working in rows · Beginner

Frogging

Frogging is ripping out crochet. Take the hook out of the loop and pull the yarn: the stitches come undone one after another, back to the place you want. Then put the hook back into the loop and carry on. It is how a mistake a few rows down is put right.

How to work it

  1. Mark where to stop

    Find the mistake, and put a stitch marker or a safety pin in the fabric there, so that you do not rip out more than you need.

  2. Take the hook out

    Slide the hook out of the loop.

  3. Pull the yarn

    The end of the top row, with the hook taken out. The last loop stands open on the last stitch, and the yarn that leads to the ball runs away from it. An arrow shows that yarn being pulled.

    Pull gently on the yarn that leads to the ball. The last stitch comes undone, then the one before it, and so on back along the row and into the rows below.

  4. Slow down at the mistake

    As you come to the mark, undo the stitches one at a time, and stop when the mistake is gone.

  5. Put the hook back

    The same piece after two stitches have been pulled out. The top row is two stitches shorter, the hook is back in the loop at its end, and the yarn that came out of those stitches is crinkled.

    Put the hook back into the open loop, and start crocheting again from there.

  6. Wind up the loose yarn

    Wind the yarn you pulled out back onto the ball as you go, so that it does not tangle.

At a glance

Also called
ripping out, ripping back
Used for
undoing rows back to a mistake; taking a whole piece apart so that the yarn can be used again
What it means
To rip out stitches: a few, some rows, or a whole piece
Where the word comes from
It is said to come from "rip it, rip it", which sounds like the croak of a frog.
Why it is simple in crochet
Only one loop is open at a time. Crochet comes undone one stitch after another along the row; it cannot run down a column of stitches the way knitting can.
Yarns that are hard to rip out
Fuzzy and furry yarns. Their loose fibers catch on each other, and the yarn sticks.
The yarn afterward
Yarn that has been pulled out of stitches is kinked. Wound into a loose hank, soaked in water and dried flat, it straightens out.

A whole piece can be frogged as well as a few rows. Makers rip out a piece they no longer want, to get the yarn back for something else.

Knitters have a second word, tinking, for undoing one stitch at a time: it is knit spelled backward.

When it goes wrong

The yarn sticks and will not pull out.
Do not tug. Fuzzy and furry yarns catch on themselves and are hard to unravel: go slowly and gently.
I ripped out too far.
Crochet the stitches again from where you stopped. Next time, mark the place before you pull.

Questions

Why is it called frogging?
The usual story is that "rip it, rip it" sounds like a frog's "ribbit, ribbit".
Can I use the yarn again after frogging?
Yes. It will be kinked from the stitches. To straighten it, wind it into a loose hank, soak it in water, and lay it flat to dry.
Is frogging easier in crochet than in knitting?
Yes. Crochet has one open loop at a time, so there is one loop to put back on the hook. Knitting has a whole row of open stitches to pick up.

Where to go next

Stitches

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