How to Knit 4 Easy Increases: A Comparison -

Hey! I’ve been working on several patterns over the last while, and I have been meaning to compare knit increases to help determine what look I want for them in the patterns. We’ve already used several of them for different patterns, like the farmhouse dishcloth, and the double seed farmhouse dishcloth, and we’ll do lots more in the future.

I’ve never actually put them all side by side like we’re doing today, I’ve just followed patterns, and then when I didn’t like it, I’d try a different one. We’re going to go over the basics of 4 different increases, yarn over (and reverse yarn over), cast on, knit front and back (Bar increase) and knit back and front, and finally, lifted increases (left and right). Another popular one is the make 1 increase, both left and right, but I felt like these 4 were the most beginner friendly and since we focus on beginner friendly techniques and patterns here, I’ll leave it for now, but maybe it’ll get its own post later.

So, I’ve definitely found reasons to use all of the ones I’m showing you today, and they each serve their different purpose, like the yarn over, for example. I love the way it looks on the dishcloths. Its perfect. I’m also working on this summer shawl, and I’ll give you a sneak peak. I’m using lifted increases for it.

I also knit a raglan sweater last winter, and it used the yarn overs for the raglan line. If you’re not sure what I mean, its the line between the neck and underarm, where the increases shape the shoulder.

Anyway, cast on increases are more invisible than some others, and most popular is the knit front and back, but if you’re working on your own designs in the future this comparison can be a great companion to help you decide the look you want around your increases.

Some Basics About Increases

You’ll want to keep in mind, we increase on every second row max, and not every row. This is because if you increase too quickly, your fabric won’t sit flat, and will be wonky, wavy or turn into a bowl.

Each increase has a variation, which gives a slightly different look, like left leaning vs right leaning. Not all of them have a lean, but there is a variation for each one.

If you want to do your increases up the center of your work, your stitches are going to lean the opposite way, to have your increase move to the sides from a center column.

All of the examples I’ve included can work in stockinette or garter stitch, but they will look different in both options. My best recommendation is to make a small swatch and test things out before starting a big project.

I hope that helps!

Yarn Over (& Reverse Yarn Over)

Yarn overs(YO) are one of the simplest and most popular increases especially for beginners. (That’s one of the reasons we’re starting here) It involves just moving your yarn to the front before knitting your stitch.

To make this one, you’re going to bring your yarn to the front, between your needles, like you want to purl the stitch, but insert your needle to knit the next st. Your yarn will go over the right needle and around to knit the stitch. This will create the yarn over, on your right needle.

Reverse Yarn Over (RYO)

This time, you’re going to bring your yarn over the right needle, and then between the needles to have the yarn come out the back again, then knit your next stitch.

This time it only creates a tiny little hole. You can see here, directly above my thumb is the small space created by the RYO and the stitch itself is the little x of yarn. It works if the look you’re going for is subtle, less lacy than the standard yarn over.

Cast On Increases

Cast on increases can be worked in any position, for example, on the end of a row, or in the middle for a more subtle look. If casting on at the end of a row, this could be for a Christmas stocking, worked one side at a time, and sewn together. We’d also use it to add stitches for the underarm of a sweater, etc.

We did already talk about this style of cast on, more as a full cast on row, in this post, and we’re showing how it can be used within a row, as well.

To use this cast on increase, you can add one or two stitches at a time within the stitches of a row, but you may end up being wonky if you add too many. I suggest one at a time, spread out throughout the row.

Wherever you want to add your increase, pick up your working yarn, give it a twist to make a loop, so the long side of your yarn is over top of the stitch coming off your needle, then add the loop to your needle and knit across. You’ll begin working it on the next row. See the 2 images in this section for the 2 different ways to twist to make the loop. The one above shows the working yarn going to the left and down, and the image here shows it going to the right. The first was worked at the beginning of the row, and the second at the end of the row.

This picture is showing the finished version when adding cast on stitches.

Knit Front & Back or Bar Increase (KFB & KBF)

Knitting front and back is a popular way to use an existing stitch to create 2. It may even be the most popular. It is known for creating small horizontal ‘bars’ next to the stitch, when working the back loop. When worked evenly, they can become part of the fabric, and even one of the features.

In this picture, the dark arrows show the knit front and back, and the light arrows shows knit back then front, increases.

To create the knit front back (KFB), on your increase stitch, knit it normally.

Then, before looping it off the left needle, bring your right needle around and knit the stitch again through the back. then you can lift it off the left needle and keep working across your row.

The KBF is very similar, we just knit the back loop first, then the front. Sorry, getting decent pictures of these were difficult and doesn’t really do it justice.

Lifted Increases – Left Lifted (LLI) & Right Lifted (RLI)

These ones are a fave of mine, and give such a clean look. They would work through the center of the swatch or project too, by switching them.

To begin the right lifted increase (RLI), we’re going to work prior to the second stitch on our swatch. Pick up a loop from the stitch below the one we’re going to work next, as in the image.

Place the stitch back on the left needle, as in this image.

Then bring your needle through the front of the stitch and knit it normally.

To make the left lifted increase (LLI), first, we’re going to knit the stitch we need to use for the increase. Then, insert your right needle into the same stitch as we used for the RLI, keep in mind it is another row below the stitch on your needle now because we’ve already worked the stitch in the current row. In this image, I’m pointing to the stitch we’re going to lift, with my left needle.