A yarn over is a deliberate loop you create by wrapping yarn around your needle to add a stitch and make a hole in your fabric

A yarn over (often abbreviated YO) is one of the simplest ways to increase stitches and create intentional openings in your knitting. Instead of working into an existing stitch, you wrap your working yarn around the needle to form a new loop. The hole that results is the point — yarn overs are the foundation of lace patterns, eyelet details, and decorative increases.

The basic motion takes three seconds. You bring yarn to the front of your work, move your needle to the back, and continue with your next stitch. The yarn naturally wraps around the needle as you move it. On the next row, you knit or purl that wrapped loop as a regular stitch, and the hole stays behind.

Yarn overs work the same way whether you are working flat (back and forth on straight needles) or in the round (on circular or double-pointed needles). The direction you wrap depends on what stitch comes before and after the yarn over, but the principle never changes: you are making space for yarn to sit on the needle where no stitch was before.

Key Takeaways

  • A yarn over is created by wrapping yarn around your needle between stitches, and it produces both a new stitch and a visible hole.
  • The most common yarn over is worked by bringing yarn to the front, moving the needle to the back, and working the next stitch normally.
  • You knit or purl the yarn over loop on the following row just like any other stitch.
  • Different stitch combinations require the yarn to wrap in different directions, but all versions follow the same wrap-and-continue logic.

The basic yarn over between a knit and a knit stitch

This is the most common yarn over you will encounter. Start with your working yarn on the side where it naturally hangs after your last knit stitch — usually at the back of your work. Bring the yarn forward between the needles to the front of your work. Move your right needle to the back and knit the next stitch normally. The yarn wraps around the needle as you insert it, and you have created one yarn over.

On the next row, when you reach that wrapped loop, treat it as a regular stitch. Knit it or purl it depending on what your pattern calls for. The loop becomes a stitch, and the hole appears in the row below.

If you are working in the round on circular needles, the same motion applies. Bring yarn forward, move needle back, knit the next stitch. The direction does not change because you are always working in the same direction around the circle.

Yarn overs after a purl stitch

When the stitch before your yarn over is a purl, your yarn is already at the front of your work. Leave it there. straightforward move your right needle to the back and knit the next stitch. The yarn wraps around the needle as you knit, creating the yarn over. You do not need to bring yarn forward because it is already in position.

This is where many knitters get confused: the motion looks different depending on where your yarn starts, but the result is identical. The yarn ends up wrapped around the needle either way.

Yarn overs before a purl stitch

If your next stitch is a purl, you need yarn at the front of your work to purl. Bring yarn to the front between the needles. Move your right needle to the back, then bring it forward again to purl position. Purl the next stitch. The yarn has wrapped around the needle during that forward-and-back motion.

This version feels slightly longer because you are moving the needle twice, but you are still just wrapping yarn around it. The wrap happens as the needle travels.

Reading yarn overs in patterns and charts

Written patterns show yarn overs as "YO" or "yo". Knitting charts use a small circle (○) to mark the position of a yarn over. When you see that symbol, work the yarn over using whichever method matches the stitches before and after it.

Most lace patterns alternate yarn overs with decreases — a yarn over adds a stitch, and a decrease (like knit two together, or K2tog) removes one. This keeps your stitch count stable while creating the open, airy look of lace. If a pattern calls for multiple yarn overs in a row, work each one separately using the appropriate wrap direction for the stitches around it.

Common mistakes and how to avoid them

The most frequent error is accidentally creating a yarn over when you did not intend to. This happens when you bring yarn to the front of your work and then forget to move it back before knitting. To avoid this, always move your yarn to the back of your work before knitting a stitch, unless the pattern specifically calls for a yarn over.

Another common issue is dropping the yarn over on the next row because it looks loose or unfamiliar. Treat it exactly like any other stitch — it will tighten up as you work subsequent rows. If it truly falls off the needle, pick it up with a crochet hook and place it back on your needle.

Some knitters worry that yarn overs make their fabric too loose. They do create holes, which is the point, but the stitches themselves should be the same tension as the rest of your work. If your yarn overs look dramatically looser than surrounding stitches, you may be pulling too gently when you work them. Maintain even tension throughout.

Yarn overs in different stitch patterns

Lace patterns rely almost entirely on yarn overs paired with decreases. Eyelet patterns use isolated yarn overs to create small, regular holes — often in rows spaced several rows apart. Decorative increases use yarn overs when you need to add stitches while creating a visible, intentional line of holes (common in shawls and top-down garments).

Once you understand the basic wrap, you can work yarn overs in any pattern. The stitch combination changes, but the principle stays the same: wrap yarn around the needle to create a new stitch and a hole.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I cast on yarn overs, or do they only appear in the middle of knitting?

Yarn overs only appear during knitting, never in a cast-on. You create them by wrapping yarn around the needle between existing stitches. If a pattern seems to call for a yarn over at the edge, it is actually part of the first row of knitting after the cast-on.

What if I accidentally skip a yarn over in my pattern?

Your stitch count will be one short for that row. You can usually fix it by working a yarn over in the next row where the pattern calls for a decrease, effectively swapping their positions. If you do not notice until several rows later, you may need to frog (rip out) back to the mistake and redo those rows.

Can yarn overs be worked on the wrong side of the fabric?

Yes. If your pattern is written for flat knitting and includes yarn overs on wrong-side rows, you work them the same way — wrap yarn around the needle according to the stitches before and after. The hole will appear on the right side of the finished fabric.

Why does my yarn over look bigger than my other stitches?

Yarn overs are supposed to create visible holes, so they naturally look different from regular stitches. If the stitch itself (not the hole) is significantly looser than surrounding stitches, tighten your tension slightly when you work the yarn over and the stitch after it.