My tension has changed halfway through a project. Can I fix it without undoing it?

Up to about 5% — one stitch per 20 — nothing shows after stuffing or blocking. Between 5% and 10% you get a soft step that reads as a change of shape rather than a mistake, which on a body or a bag is acceptable if it sits at a natural break point.

Above 10% you have two different fabrics in one object and no amount of compensation hides it. At that point the honest options are to undo back to the break, or to restart with the whole piece at the new tension if the piece is small.

If your new tension is tighter, add a round with six increases placed at the standard six points — no staggering, so the widening is neutral. If the new tension is looser, add a six-point decrease round. Either way, one round of six is worth about 4-5% of circumference on a 30-stitch tube.

Put the compensating round where the silhouette naturally changes: at the waist, under the arms, at the base of a neck. A compensation round in the middle of a straight section is the one place it shows.

Wind all your yarn into cakes before starting, not as you go: a centre-pull cake feeds at a constant rate, while a hand-wound ball tightens as it empties and pulls your tension with it. That single change removes most mid-project drift.

Second, keep the hook in the work. Pieces left off the hook overnight relax unevenly at the top edge, and the first two rounds after you resume are always slightly loose. Work one waste round and undo it.