How to Increase in Knitting (5 Methods: KFB, YO, M1, M1L/M1R)

Stephen opens by listing the five increases he reaches for across every Westknits pattern: knit front back, yarn over, make one with a backwards loop, make one left paired with make one right, and make one by knitting into the back of the stitch from the row below. Each one looks different in the finished fabric. Some are decorative and visible on purpose. Others disappear into stockinette. Knowing which to grab is the difference between a shaping line you can spot from across the room and one nobody will ever see.

Start with the easiest one. KFB stands for knit front back. Knit into the front of the stitch like normal, but before you slip it off the left needle, knit into the back of that same stitch. Two stitches from one. It leaves a tiny bump that hides perfectly in garter and seed stitch, which is why Stephen uses it along the edges of the Vertices Unite and Dotted Rays shawls.

In stockinette that little bump shows up as a visible pearl, so save KFB for textured fabric.

Yarn over is the most visible of the five, and the only one that adds a hole on purpose. Bring the working yarn up and over the top of the right needle, then knit the next stitch. That's it. The hole becomes a decorative eyelet, which is why Stephen builds entire shawls like Dotted Rays and Slumber around stacked yarn overs.

To yarn over before a purl, bring the yarn over the needle and back to the front, then purl the next stitch. The motion is bigger but the result is the same eyelet.

Make one with a backwards loop is the lazy genius option. Twist the working yarn into a small loop and place it on the right needle, locking the overlap so it doesn't pop loose. Either direction of twist works. On the next row you knit that loop like a normal stitch.

It's nearly invisible in stockinette, sits flatter than KFB, and Stephen uses it across the yoke of the Painting Bricks sweater, especially when starting a new color row. It's also a perfect substitute when M1L and M1R feel too fussy.

M1L and M1R are the tightest, tidiest increases of the bunch. For M1L think "I left the front door open" - lift the ladder between two stitches with the left needle from the front, then knit through the back loop to twist it.

For M1R think "I'll be right back" - lift the ladder from the back, then knit through the front to twist it. The twist closes the gap so the fabric stays solid with no visible hole. Stephen uses these along the spine of Painting Chevrons for a crisp shaping line.

The fifth one is make one by knitting into the back of the stitch from the row below. Drop your eye one row down, find the stitch sitting below the next live stitch, insert the right needle into the back of it, and knit.

You can pick it up off the right or left needle - whichever feels natural. The new stitch tucks in cleanly with no hole and no tug, which is why it's Stephen's go-to for the raglan lines of the Westknits Go-To Raglan. If you see a small gap, your tension might be loose; M1L or M1R will close it up.

Quick decision guide.

• Garter or seed stitch edge? KFB. The bump disappears into the texture.
• Want a decorative hole for a shawl or lace panel? Yarn over.
• Stockinette and want the increase to vanish? Backwards loop M1 or knit-into-the-row-below. Pick whichever feels comfier in your hands.
• Need a crisp shaping line with zero gap, like a raglan seam or a chevron spine? M1L paired with M1R.

There's no single right answer. Swatch two on the same project and pick whichever sits nicer in your fabric.