A yarn over is when you wrap yarn around your needle to create a new loop and an intentional hole

A yarn over (often written as YO in patterns) is one of the simplest techniques in knitting, but it looks different depending on what stitch comes before and after it. The basic idea is the same every time: you move your working yarn to the front of your needles, then knit or purl the next stitch, which traps the yarn on your needle and creates a new loop. That loop becomes a small hole in your fabric — which is the whole point. Yarn overs are used to make lace patterns, buttonholes, and decorative eyelets.

The yarn over itself does not require any special hand movement. You are not wrapping yarn around the needle in a separate step. Instead, you straightforward position the yarn where it needs to be, then work the next stitch normally. The yarn ends up on the needle as a side effect of that normal stitch.

Key Takeaways

  • A yarn over creates a new loop and a small hole by positioning yarn on the needle before you work the next stitch.
  • The most common yarn over is done by bringing yarn to the front between the needles, then knitting the next stitch as usual.
  • Different stitch combinations (knit-to-knit, purl-to-knit, purl-to-purl) require slightly different yarn positions, but the principle stays the same.
  • Yarn overs are used in lace patterns, buttonholes, and any design where you want a visible hole in the fabric.

Yarn over after a knit stitch (the most common version)

If your pattern says to yarn over and the stitch before it was a knit, here is what you do: bring your working yarn to the front of your work between the two needles. Your yarn is now in front. Knit the next stitch normally. That is it. When you knit, the yarn passes over the needle, and the yarn you brought forward gets caught on the needle as a loop.

This is the version you will use most often because knit stitches are the most common stitch in knitting. Once you have done it a few times, it becomes automatic — you bring yarn forward, knit, and move on.

Yarn over after a purl stitch

If the stitch before the yarn over was a purl, your yarn is already at the front of your work (because you just purled). Bring the yarn to the back of your needles by moving it over the top of the right needle, then purl the next stitch. The yarn ends up on the needle the same way.

Some knitters find this version slightly less intuitive because you have to move the yarn backward instead of forward. The motion is small — just over the top of the needle — but it is a different direction than the knit-to-knit version.

Yarn over between two purl stitches

If both the stitch before and the stitch after the yarn over are purls, your yarn starts at the front. Bring it to the back over the needle, then bring it forward again between the needles, then purl the next stitch. This double motion might seem odd, but it is necessary because you need the yarn to end up in front (where it needs to be for a purl stitch) after you have moved it to the back.

This combination is less common than the others, but it does appear in some lace patterns. If you see it in a pattern and are unsure, check the pattern notes — some designers write out the motion step-by-step rather than just writing YO.

What a yarn over looks like when you are done

A completed yarn over shows up as a small hole in your fabric with a loop around the edge. If you are working a lace pattern, these holes form the design. If you are making a buttonhole, the hole is where the button passes through. In a regular stockinette stitch fabric, a yarn over stands out because it is the only intentional gap.

When you look at your work from the front, a yarn over from a knit stitch looks like a small eyelet with the loop visible on the surface. The hole is usually about the size of a pencil point, though it depends on your yarn weight and needle size. Thicker yarn creates larger, more obvious holes.

Common mistakes and how to avoid them

The most frequent error is forgetting to move the yarn to the correct position before you work the next stitch. If you knit without bringing the yarn forward first, you have just worked two stitches in a row without creating a yarn over. The pattern will look wrong, and you will have one fewer stitch than you should.

Another mistake is working the yarn over itself as if it were a stitch. You do not knit into a yarn over or purl into it on the next row — you work it as a regular stitch. Treat it like any other loop on your needle. If you try to do something special with it, you will disrupt the pattern.

If you accidentally create a yarn over when you did not mean to, you can usually fix it on the same row by dropping the extra loop off your needle. On the next row, you will have one fewer stitch than expected, but you can pick up the dropped stitch and find it. It is easier to catch the mistake right away than to rip back several rows later.

Using yarn overs in patterns

Lace patterns use yarn overs in combination with decreases (usually knit two together or slip-slip-knit) to keep the stitch count the same while creating holes. The yarn over adds a stitch, and the decrease removes one, so your row ends with the same number of stitches you started with. This is how lace patterns stay balanced and do not gradually widen or narrow.

For a buttonhole, you typically yarn over once or twice in a row, then bind off or drop stitches on the next row to create the opening. The size of the buttonhole depends on how many stitches you bind off. A single yarn over makes a small hole for a thin button; multiple yarn overs in a row create a larger opening.

When you are reading a pattern, yarn overs are usually marked as YO. Some patterns also use a symbol in a chart — often a small circle or oval. If you are following a chart, the circle means yarn over, and the position of the circle tells you exactly where it goes in the row.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to wrap the yarn around the needle for a yarn over?

No. A yarn over is not a separate wrapping motion. You straightforward position the yarn on the needle by moving it to the correct spot, then work the next stitch normally. The stitch itself traps the yarn on the needle.

What happens if I yarn over but forget to decrease on the next row?

You will have added a stitch to your row. If you are working a lace pattern that is supposed to stay the same width, this extra stitch will throw off the pattern. If you catch it right away, drop the extra stitch off the needle. If you do not notice until later, you may need to rip back and redo the section.

Can I yarn over on the last stitch of a row?

Yes, but the loop will sit on your needle at the end of the row and become the first stitch of the next row. Work it as a regular stitch on the following row. This is common in lace patterns and buttonholes.

Does the size of the hole depend on the yarn weight?

Yes. Thicker yarn creates larger, more visible holes because the yarn itself is thicker. Thin yarn makes smaller, more delicate holes. The needle size also affects the hole size — larger needles create more open fabric overall.

What is the difference between a yarn over and an accidental extra loop?

A yarn over is intentional and positioned correctly so that it becomes a stitch on your needle. An accidental extra loop usually happens when you wrap yarn around the needle without meaning to, and it often looks loose or uneven. If you are unsure whether you created a yarn over correctly, check that the loop is sitting on your needle the same way as the other stitches.