How to Increase in Knitting: A Must-Read Beginner Knitters Guide
- anouskaiap
- Jul 30
- 5 min read
Updated: Sep 26
Once you've mastered how to work knit and purl stitches, learning how to increase in knitting is one of your next steps. It's a must-learn for any beginner knitter! Increases are used to shape your knitting, add volume or increase sizing, and adapt a garment's fit to suit you better, so let's dive right in...
In this easy-to-follow guide, we’ll cover:
What is an “Increase” in Knitting?
To increase means to add stitches to your knitting within a row or round. These extra stitches expand your fabric or introduce shaping.
What Does “Leaning” Mean When Increasing?
Increases (and decreases) often move or point in a certain direction.
Increases can be:
Right-leaning
Left-leaning
Neutral with little to no lean at all
Increasing in the direction that your knit fabric '"is going" is an essential step to get a clean and polished finished object. Also, leaning decreases are often used for symmetrical shaping (e.g., a sweater or shawl) and, again, gives your knitting a polished look.
But, don't spend too much time asking yourself "Which way do knitted increases lean?" at the start... Just follow the pattern as is and you'll get the hang of it as you go!
Common Types of Knitting Increases
1. KFB (Knit Front and Back)
Lean: Neutral
This is by far one of the simplest increases for beginners.
How-to:
Knit into the front of a stitch as normal, but don't drop the stitch off of your left-hand needle.
Pull the loop a little longer and with that same stretch of yarn knit into the back leg of the same stitch. This will have formed two stitches on your right hand needle.
Pull your yarn tight as you slide the stitch you have just knit twice off of your left-hand needle.
You have just increased by one stitch.
Positive: Really quick and easy to work.
Warning: Leaves a small bump which is visible in stockinette stitch. Also, the wrong side equivalent (Purl Front and Back / PFB) is right-leaning not neutral.
2. M1L / M1R (Make One Left / Right)
Lean: Left or Right leaning
This is great when you want a clean increase between stitches and when worked well, it's hardly noticeable!
How to work them:
Before knitting the next stitch on the left-hand needle, identify the horizontal bar of yarn that stretches between the stitch on your right needle and the stitch on your left.
Use your right-hand needle to pick up that bar of yarn. How you pick up the bar will determine which way the increase leans and how you work the stitch.
M1L: Pick up with the left hand needle moving through from front to back. Then knit into the back leg of the yarn on your needle. (see video)
M1R: Pick up with the needle moving through from the back to the front and then knit through the front leg of the yarn on your needle as you usually would. (see video)
You have now made an extra stitch and can continue knitting.
Positive: Great for mirrored shaping and easy to work once you get the hang of it!
Need a hand remembering which is which? M1L is worked to the back... 'back' has 4 letters like 'left'. M1R is worked to the front and 'right' has 5 letters like 'front'.
Warning: If you do not knit the stitch as described above correctly, it will leave a hole in your knitting, as per the image on the right!
Looking for an easy-to-knit pattern, packed full of tutorial videos, to help you get the hang of M1L/M1R? My Blueberry Bandana is out soon!
3. YO (Yarn Over)
Lean: Neutral
Often used as a decorative increase that leaves a hole intentionally. If you're a beginner knitter, you've probably already worked this increase by accident and wondered why you have more stitches and some surprise holes in your work!
How to make it:
Before working the next stitch on your left-hand needle, wrap the yarn under and back over your right-hand needle in a clockwise motion.
You can then work the next stitch as normal and this will result in an extra stitch.
Positive: Easy to knit and perfect for lace-effect, decorative or airy knits.
Warning: Can lead to tension issues in your work at times, loosening tension more than expected over multiple YOs.
4. Lifted Increases (RLI / LLI)
Lean: Left or Right leaning, depending on how it's worked
A neat increase that many say is the most invisible of all increases!
Positive: Neat, nearly invisible, polished!
Negative: If worked multiple times over multiple rows, tension can increase across the fabric and cause distortion or rigidity because you are 'pulling up' lower rows each time.
How to knit the right lifted increase (RLI):
Looking at the stitch you would theoretically work next on your left-hand needle, identify the stitch below (that looks like a V).
Put your right-hand needle through the loop that forms the right side of the V, being sure to move your needle through from back to front.
Pull upwards slightly to 'open up' this stretch of yarn.
Knit, as normal, into the 'simil-stitch' that you now have on your left-hand needle as a result of steps 2 and 3.
Drop the stretch of yarn, the' simil-stitch', off the left-hand needle.
You have just increased by one stitch.
How to knit the left lifted increase (LLI):
Looking at the stitch you have just knit on your right-hand needle, identify the stitch two rows below (again, look for the V).
Put your right-hand needle through the loop that forms the left side of the V, moving from back to front.
Pull up on that stretch of yarn.
Knit into the back leg of the yarn on your left-hand needle (essential to ensure you don't leave a hole behind).
Drop the stretch of yarn you picked up in steps 2 and 3 off of the left-hand needle.
You now have a new stitch.
Pro Tips for Better Increases
First of all: cast on a swatch and gather your patience. The best way to learn is to try out all of the above techniques multiple times until the muscle memory kicks in!
When knitting a garment with multiple increases, be consistent with your method across the project.
Stick a little post-it note to the pattern you're working that reminds you of how to work the increase, that way you minimise the risk of working it wrong and ending up with holes.
Removable stitch markers are your best friend for tracking increases. Mark each row/ stitch or round in which there's an increase to ensure you are working the right number and at the right point in your work.
Step back and look at what you are knitting at regular intervals. That way you can frog back to any mistakes you make asap and fix them without the pain of having to frog hours worth of knitting for a little increase worked incorrectly.
Ready to try?
There are so many fantastic patterns out there to get started with, often times a simple neck scarf or shawl pattern is a great place to start getting the hang of increases and build your confidence!
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