Basic Increases

Learning to increase in knitting is just as essential for shaping as learning to decrease. These are the four most common basic increases you’ll find in patterns, and each increases a single stitch. The primary reasons to choose one over another is aesthetic, because some are more visible than others, but there are also differences in whether or not they create stitches between two existing stitches or make two out of one. Below we’ll explain some of the most common single-stitch increases you’ll encounter in patterns, and tell you where to use them and why.

YO

The YO, also known as the Yarn Over increase or an eyelet increase, is both an increase and a fundamental for making lace. It’s created by wrapping the yarn over the needle in between two stitches, and when purled or knit into normally on the following row, it makes an eyelet or decorative hole in addition to adding one stich. Typically in lace knitting, it will be paired with a decrease nearby to make eyelets without increasing the stitch count. To prevent the eyelet but still increase, the YO can be knit or purled into the back of the loop to twist the stitch, but this is less invisible than other increase styles, so this variation is less common. A YO increases one.

Step 1

Bring the yarn to the front.

Step 2

Bring the yarn across the needle to the back. This creates the yarn over.

Step 3

The yarn over is locked in place when the next stitch is worked, but this stitch is not counted as part of the yarn over itself and should be worked as the pattern specifies.

Step 4

Continue knitting, and the eyelet will become more apparent after the following row is worked.

KFB

KFB stands for Knit Front and Back. It’s an increase whose name describes what you do. A single existing stitch gets knit into twice to make two stitches out of one. KFBs always place the new stitch to the left of the old stitch, and it looks particularly nice in garter stitch because it blends into the garter ridges without disruption. The KFB is unique in that it can be worked on edge stitches and does not require a neighboring stitch to secure it.

Step 1

Knit one, but do not drop the worked into stitch off the left needle.

Step 2

Insert your needle into the back loop, aka the back leg, of the stitch that was just knit into.

Step 3

Wrap your yarn around the needle to knit.

Step 4

Pull the loop through to create a second stitch out of one knit stitch.

Step 5

Now drop the worked into stitch off the left needle.

Step 6

Continue knitting, and note that a small loop was created that looks similar to a purl stitch where the increase was made.

M1

M1 is one of the most confusingly named increases. M1 stands for Make One, but it is not an instruction to increase using your preferred method; it’s the name of a specific increase that lifts the bar between two stitches in the row below and knits into it to make one new stitch. It creates one stitch in between two stitches, so if it is substituted with another increase that makes two stitches out of one, like a KFB, without accounting for the differences, knitters will find that they don’t have enough stitches to complete their increase row.

Despite the confusion its name can cause, this is an incredibly popular increase method for a good reason! It’s one of the most subtle increases, and it has two versions that can be mirrored similar to mirrored K2tog and SSK decreases. The two versions are the left-leaning M1L and right-leaning M1R, and many patterns will not specify which to use, expecting the knitter to follow their own preferences. When the pattern just instructs to M1, many knitters like to alternate M1L and M1R so they’re mirrored, but the choice is yours!

M1L

M1L stands for Make One Left and is a M1 increase that is left-leaning. Always use this version when patterns specify an M1L, and have it in your skillset along with the M1R, so you can choose it if it’s the best option for your project when the pattern says simply M1. See the M1 section above for more information.

Step 1

Insert the left needle from front to back through the horizontal strand between the stitch just worked and the next stitch to pick up the horizontal strand.

Step 2

Insert your right needle through the back loop, aka the back leg.

Step 3

Knit as if it was a normal stitch, and drop the loop off your left needle.

Step 4

Continue knitting, and notice how there’s a small stitch created with a twist to the left where the M1L was created.

M1R

M1R stands for Make One Right and is a M1 increase that is right-leaning. Always use this version when patterns specify an M1R, and have it in your skillset along with the M1L, so you can choose it if it’s the best option for your project when the pattern says simply M1. See the M1 section above for more information.

Step 1

Insert the left needle from back to front through the horizontal strand between the stitch just worked and the next stitch to pick up the horizontal strand.