loose ends arggghhhh

[alexmeier175]

ok so I recently ppicked up knitting again..my grandma thaught me when I was 6,and now I'm in my 30s lol..
I'm doing simple swatches: 10, stiches, 6 rows, K first row, P second row..etc...
Whiel most of teh stiches look good, for some reason the end of the Knit rows (or start of teh purl rows) is super loose..I mean like ugly loose.. I tried to slip teh first stich on every row and it doesnt help much..any ideas??
Maybe it's because I'm a guy and tend to put too much force in things
Alex

[Ingrid]

Both genders suffer from loose end stitches!

Slipping the first st as if the purl and knitting the last stitch of every row gives a better edge.

Another way, which I unconsciously find myself doing, is really pulling that first stitch tight--keeping my working yarn really tight for the first two-three stitches.

[rebecca]

I find giving the 2nd st a nice tug works nicely for me