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Glite Dictionary
to pick up stitches

to pick up stitches

7.8
To put a needle into dropped or unfinished loops to fix knitting
  • phrasal verb
  • Jargon
translation icon : recoger puntos
  • After dropping a few loops, she skillfully picked up stitches to restore her knitting.

Examples

  • If you pick up stitches too tightly, the repaired area may pucker.

  • He practiced how to pick up stitches along the edge of his scarf.

  • Don't pick up stitches!

  • She will pick up stitches after the mistake.

  • After dropping a few loops, she skillfully picked up stitches to restore her knitting.

  • He practiced how to pick up stitches along the edge of his scarf.

  • If you pick up stitches too tightly, the repaired area may pucker.

Synonyms

to stitch
vsto pick up stitches
99 2.5

To join or repair cloth with a needle and thread

is done by inserting a needle into existing yarn loops not by using thread
to sew together
vsto pick up stitches
7 2.3

To join two pieces of cloth with a needle and thread

is done by inserting a needle into existing yarn loops not by joining separate pieces
to stitch up
vsto pick up stitches
6 3.9

To sew a hole or loose edge to make clothing whole again

is done by inserting a needle into existing yarn loops not by mending hems
to restitch
vsto pick up stitches
1 4.1

To sew a seam again to fix it when it comes apart

is done by inserting a needle into existing yarn loops not by joining fabric pieces
to reknit
vsto pick up stitches
7.4

Make something again using yarn and needles after taking it apart

is done by inserting a needle into existing yarn loops to reconnect them

Surface Forms

pick up stitches infinitive
picked up stitches past
picked up stitches past participle
picking up stitches present participle
picks up stitches third person singular

Morphology

pick + up + stitch

The meaning is directly derivable from combining 'pick up' (to lift or collect) with 'stitches' (knitted loops): it literally describes lifting/collecting stitches onto the needle to repair or continue knitting. Although technical to knitting, the composition follows a normal phrasal-verb + noun pattern and is likely inferable by a B1 learner who knows the constituent words.

Etymology

Pick up stitches comes from knitting: you use a needle to literally pick up loose stitches by lifting the loops of yarn back onto the needle to fix the fabric. So, it means 'to repair' or 'to reconnect' dropped or unfinished stitches in your knitting.