if and when, it depends

Knit one purl one, knit two together.
Drop a stitch, it runs.
Unpick, pick-up the loops one by one, 
align them, precisely, nicely right,
on your knitting needle.
Get back to counting sheep to sleep
where you left off.
Knit one, purl one, knit two together.
Repeat to end of line.

Seams unseemly, jeans too loose.
Letting out is needed.
Stitch-picker to the rescue.
Pry and poke the needle in
and cut unseemly threads that bind
and hold the seams together.
But if it hurts, depends 
on when you have your stitches out. 

To pick up the pieces,
swivel and swing, parry and prise 
those pick-up sticks in turnpike prickly stack,
red ones, green ones, blue and violet.
It's up to you to choose, the piece you want to lose
without jostling, moving or shaking any other piece.
For if it wobbles, ever so slightly,
your friends will notice
and you lose.