Become a Knitting Superstar™
Become a Knitting Superstar™
Become a Knitting Superstar™
Become a Knitting Superstar™
Become a Knitting Superstar™

Increases

Increases

YO – Yarn Over

This simple increase makes a lacy-looking hole in your work, so only use it if you want a hole. Increases by 1 stitch.

Not incidentally, the yarnover, in combination with Knit 2 Together, is the basis of all lace patterns.


YO - Yarn Over
YO - Yarn Over

To Do the YO – Yarnover:

  1. With yarn in back*, loop the yarn once around your right-hand needle clockwise.

*If you are knitting, your yarn will be in the back when you start the increase. If you are purling, the yarn will be in the front. Either way, the yarnover will be correct if you make one full wrap around your right-hand needle and return the yarn to where it started from.


KFB – Knit Front and Back

An easy increase, the Knit-Front-and-Back leaves a horizontal purl bump under the increased stitch.


KFB - Knit Front and Back
KFB - Knit Front and Back

To Do the KFB – Knit Front and Back:

  1. Knit the first stitch on your left-hand needle but don’t remove it from the needle.
  2. Stabilize the stitch with your finger.
  3. Insert your right-hand needle into the back loop of the same stitch.
  4. Knit the stitch and remove both loops from the left-hand needle.


PFB – Purl Front and Back

The purl front-and-back is an easy increase which is nearly invisible when used on Reverse Stockinette stitch.


To Do the PFB – Purl Front and Back:

  1. With yarn in front, purl the first stitch on your left-hand needle but don’t remove it from the needle.
  2. Stabilize the stitch with your finger.
  3. Insert your right-hand needle into the back loop of the same stitch.
  4. Purl the stitch and remove both loops from the left-hand needle.


M1/M1L – Make One/Make One Left

Make One is a nearly invisible increase that seems to appear out of nowhere. The increased stitch leans to the left.


M1L - Make 1 Left
M1L - Make 1 Left

More Info:

Note: Make One and Make One Left are the same thing


M1R – Make One Right

A mirror image of Make One Left in both appearance and execution, this increase leans to the right.


To Do the M1R – Make One Right:

  1. Spread your needles apart a little bit until you can see the little ladder in between the stitches.
  2. Using your right-hand needle, scoop the ladder onto your left-hand needle, with the left-hand needle going under the loop from back to front.
  3. Use your finger to to make a little room in front of the front loop of the new loop.
  4. Knit this new stitch through the front loop.
  5. The result: an increase whose front leg looks like it leans to the right.

More Info:

If you look closely at what you’ve just made, you’ll make some discoveries.



  1. See the little twisted stitch? That’s the ladder you picked up and knitted into. When you knit into the back loop of a stitch, it twists it, which also tightens it up a little bit.


  2. See how the front leg of the twisted stitch leans to the right? That’s why this stitch is called the make one right.
  3. If you knit several more stitches and look back at the increase, you’ll see that it looks like it’s coming out of nowhere. That’s why it’s called an invisible increase.


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