The three ways to add stitches in knitting

An increase adds one or more stitches to your working row, making your fabric wider. The three main methods are the yarn over, the knit front and back, and picking up a loop from the row below. Each one creates a slightly different look and sits in a different place on your needle. Which one you use depends on whether you want the increase to be visible, invisible, or decorative.

Most patterns tell you which increase to use. If yours does not, the yarn over is the safest choice for most garments because it creates a small eyelet that blends into stockinette stitch. The knit front and back is faster and leaves almost no trace. Picking up a loop is the slowest but gives you the most control over where the new stitch lands.

Key Takeaways

  • A yarn over is made by wrapping yarn around the needle between two stitches and creates a small, intentional hole that works well in most patterns.
  • Knit front and back means knitting into the front of a stitch, then into the back of the same stitch before slipping it off the needle, adding one stitch with almost no visible trace.
  • Picking up a loop involves inserting your needle under a horizontal strand from the previous row and knitting it as a new stitch, which is slower but gives precise placement.
  • The pattern you are following will usually specify which increase method to use, and following that instruction keeps your fabric looking as the designer intended.
  • Increases are used to shape sleeves, necklines, and the body of garments, and the method you choose affects how the shaping looks from the outside.

Yarn over: the most common increase

A yarn over (often written as YO in patterns) is the simplest increase to execute. You wrap the working yarn around the needle to create a new stitch, which leaves a small hole in the fabric. This hole is intentional and decorative — it is not a mistake.

To make a yarn over between two knit stitches, knit the first stitch normally, then bring the yarn to the front of your work (toward you). Insert the right needle into the next stitch as if to knit, then wrap the yarn around the needle from front to back and complete the knit stitch. The loop you created by wrapping the yarn is your new stitch. On the next row, knit or purl this new stitch like any other.

Yarn overs work well in lace patterns, shawls, and anywhere you want the increase to show. They also work in solid stockinette if you do not mind a small eyelet. If you want the increase to be invisible, use one of the other two methods instead.

Knit front and back: the invisible increase

The knit front and back increase (often abbreviated KFB) adds a stitch with almost no visible change to your fabric. You knit into the same stitch twice — once through the front loop and once through the back loop — before removing it from the left needle.

Insert your right needle into the front of the next stitch on your left needle and knit it the normal way, but do not slip the stitch off yet. Bring your right needle to the back of the left needle and insert it through the back loop of that same stitch. Knit through the back loop, then slip the original stitch off the left needle. You now have two stitches on your right needle where there was one.

This method is fast and leaves the fabric looking nearly unchanged. The trade-off is a tiny bump or bar on the left side of the new stitch, which is barely visible in most yarns and colors. Many patterns use KFB for sleeve increases because the shaping is subtle.

Picking up a loop: the precise increase

Picking up a loop (sometimes called a lifted increase or M1) means inserting your needle under a horizontal strand from the row below and knitting it as a new stitch. This method gives you the most control over exactly where the new stitch appears.

To pick up a loop, look at the row directly below your working row. Between the stitch you just knit and the next stitch, you will see a small horizontal strand running left to right. Insert your left needle under this strand from front to back, then insert your right needle through the loop on your left needle and knit it. Slip the loop off the left needle. You have added one stitch.

This method is slower than the other two because you have to locate and lift the strand each time. It is most useful when you need increases to line up perfectly, such as in symmetrical shaping on both sides of a garment. The new stitch blends in well and leaves no hole or visible bump.

Where increases go in a pattern

Patterns place increases at specific points to shape the garment. Common locations are at the edges of sleeves (to make them wider as they go up the arm), along the sides of the body (to add width gradually), and around necklines (to create a wider opening).

Most patterns write increases as a single abbreviation or instruction in the row, such as "K5, YO, K to last 5 sts, YO, K5" (which means knit 5 stitches, make a yarn over, knit to the last 5 stitches, make another yarn over, then knit the last 5). This tells you exactly where in the row the increase happens. Follow the pattern row by row; do not try to guess where increases should go.

If you are designing your own garment or modifying a pattern, increases are usually placed one or two stitches in from the edge so they do not sit right at the selvage, where they can be hard to work with later.

Common mistakes when increasing

The most common error is accidentally creating a new stitch when you did not mean to. This happens when you wrap the yarn around the needle without meaning to, or when you knit into the back loop of a stitch by accident. Check your stitch count after each row to catch this early.

Another mistake is placing increases in the wrong row or the wrong spot within a row. Patterns are written in a specific order for a reason — the shaping will not look right if you move the increases around. If your pattern says to increase on row 4, do it on row 4, not row 5.

A third error is using the wrong increase method for the pattern. If a lace pattern calls for yarn overs and you use knit front and back instead, the fabric will look wrong because the eyelets will be missing. Always use the method the pattern specifies.

Increasing multiple stitches at once

Sometimes a pattern asks you to add several stitches in one row, such as "increase 8 stitches evenly across." This means you add 8 new stitches spread out across the row so they look balanced, not all bunched in one spot.

To do this, divide the total number of stitches on your needle by the number of increases you need to make. If you have 60 stitches and need to increase 8 stitches, you get roughly 7 or 8 stitches between each increase. Knit that many stitches, then make an increase, then knit the next group, and repeat until you have made all 8 increases. The spacing does not have to be exact — close is good enough.

You can use any of the three increase methods for this. Yarn overs will create 8 small eyelets spread across the row. Knit front and back will add 8 stitches almost invisibly. Pick the method that matches your pattern or your preference for how the increases should look.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between an increase and casting on new stitches?

Casting on adds stitches at the edge of your work before you start knitting, usually at the beginning of a project. An increase adds stitches in the middle of a row while you are knitting, which is how you shape a garment. Increases are also much faster because you do not have to tie off or find them the way you do with cast-on stitches.

Can I use a yarn over in the middle of a row, or only at the edges?

You can use a yarn over anywhere in a row. It creates a small hole wherever you place it. In lace patterns, yarn overs are scattered throughout the row. In stockinette, they are usually placed a few stitches in from the edge so the eyelets do not sit right at the selvage.

Why does my knit front and back increase look like a little bar?

The bar is the strand of yarn that connects the two stitches you created from one original stitch. It is normal and part of how the increase works. In most yarns and colors, it is barely noticeable. If it bothers you, try picking up a loop instead, which leaves almost no visible trace.

Do I count the new stitch when I increase?

Yes. If your pattern says you should have 60 stitches after a row with increases, count the new stitches you created as part of that total. If you made 8 increases and started with 60 stitches, you should end with 68 stitches on your needle.

What if I increase in the wrong place by accident?

If you notice it in the same row, you can drop the extra stitch and let it unravel back to where it came from, then pick it back up and knit it correctly. If you do not notice until later, you can either frog (rip out) back to that row and fix it, or leave it and accept that the shaping will be slightly off. Most small mistakes are not noticeable in the finished garment.