help with sloppy last stitch

[countrymama]

How do I keep the last stitch in my row/first on the next row from being loose and sloppy looking? The rest of my row is neat and tight but that last one is bigger and loose..it makes my work look mess. I'm afraid if I "slip it" that it'll throw off my pattern.

[salmonmac]

Slipping the first or last st of the row is the easiest way to neaten up the edge but if you can't do that, try tightening up a bit on the first two sts of the row. With practice these loose sts stop being a problem.

[suzeeq]

When I slip st the first st it winds up looser than not, so I learned to work it instead, then pull the yarn a little bit and it comes out more even. If you see this on just the first row, keep knitting, it looks better as you knit more rows.