Used in both hand and machine knitting, the lifeline is a separate piece of cord or yarn that is threaded through one complete row of stitches. It serves the dual purpose of stopping a run dead in it’s tracks, and providing a stable row of knitting that can be rehung in the needles so that the entire piece doesn’t have to be scrapped. However, weaving the lifeline in does take some time, so it’s an inconvenience. The balance one must strike is between the time spent putting in lifelines (ie how often to put a new one in) and risk of a dropped stitch and having to unravel the knitting to the previous lifeline, or even the beginning of the piece and starting over.

Here is my technique for inserting a lifeline. (There are other techniques equally valid.) The thing to keep in mind is that a lifeline cannot simply be knitted into the fabric along with the regular yarn, as it would also run, right along with the regular yarn if a stitch is dropped.

Try to put the lifeline in on a knitted row. This assures you will get all the stitches, and make it much, much easier to rehang if necessary.