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A yarn over is the easiest increase in knitting. You wrap the yarn once around the right needle, and that wrap becomes a new stitch on the next row. It also leaves a small hole, which is the whole point in lace. Rokolee of Rokolee DIY shows it four ways, because the move changes a little depending on the stitches on either side. She also covers the next row, and how to undo a yarn over you made by accident.
Every yarn over is the same motion. The yarn wraps once around the right needle, counterclockwise, coming over the top from front to back. What changes is where the yarn starts and where it has to end up. Before a knit stitch it must finish at the back. Before a purl stitch it must finish at the front. Keep that in mind and you never need to memorize four versions.
| Pattern says | What you do | UK name |
|---|---|---|
| k1, yo, k1 | Bring the yarn forward between the needles, then knit | yfwd |
| k1, yo, p1 | Yarn forward, wrap over the needle, forward again, then purl | yrn |
| p1, yo, p1 | Yarn over the needle to the back, forward again, then purl | yrn |
| p1, yo, k1 | Leave the yarn in front and knit | yon |
The wrap is not pulled through any stitch below it. It floats on the needle with nothing anchoring it, so when you work it on the next row it leaves an open eyelet. One yarn over adds one stitch. Lace patterns usually pair each yarn over with a decrease such as knit two together, so the count stays the same and only the holes are left. If your stitch count keeps creeping up, check that every decrease is there.
Rokolee practices in chunky yarn so the camera can see every wrap. Holes in chunky yarn look big and a bit clumsy. For a real project, pick something finer. Fingering, sport or DK weight shows off eyelets best, and a smooth, light color makes the pattern easy to read. Fuzzy mohair and dark shades hide the holes.
New to the two basic stitches? Start with how to knit and purl. A yarn over is one of several ways to add a stitch, and how to increase in knitting covers the others. For lace you also need decreases, and how to read a knitting pattern explains the abbreviations. Lace looks crumpled until it is washed and pinned out, so finish with how to block knitting.
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How to knit a yarn over between knit and purl stitches, work it on the next row, and fix an accidental yarn over. An easy project: about 20 minutes. You need 5 things, including chunky yarn for practice, knitting needles and locking stitch markers. The 9 steps start with bring the Yarn to the Front Between the Knitting Needles and knit the Next Stitch to Wrap the Yarn Over the Right Needle.
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Knit up to the spot your pattern marks yo. Here it comes after a knit stitch, written k1, yo, k1. Bring the working yarn forward between the two needle tips, toward you, the same way you would to purl. Do not purl. Having the yarn sit in front is the whole setup for this yarn over. Nothing has been wrapped yet.
UK patterns call this yfwd, short for yarn forward.
Put the right needle into the next stitch knitwise and knit it as normal. To finish that stitch, the yarn has to travel from the front, up over the top of the right needle, and down to the back. That trip over the needle is the yarn over. Keep your tension relaxed so the wrap does not pull tight against the needle.
Hold the wrap in place with your right index finger for the first few tries.
Look at the right needle. The new yarn over sits there as a slanted loop, leaning a different way from the stitches around it. It has no stitch underneath holding it, so you can see a small gap below. That gap is the start of the eyelet. Count your stitches now and you will find one extra for each yarn over.
Clip a locking stitch marker beside each yarn over so you can find them on the next row.
For k1, yo, p1, knit the first stitch and bring the yarn forward as if to purl. That alone is not enough, because a purl stitch needs the yarn in front anyway. Wrap the yarn counterclockwise over the top of the right needle to the back, then bring it forward between the needles again. Now purl the next stitch.
UK patterns write this as yrn, yarn round needle.
For p1, yo, p1, purl the first stitch. The yarn is already in front. Take it up over the top of the right needle to the back, then bring it forward again between the needle tips. It has gone all the way around the needle once, counterclockwise. Purl the next stitch and the wrap stays put on the right needle.
If the loop looks twisted, it went the wrong way round. Undo it and wrap over the top instead.
For p1, yo, k1, purl the first stitch and leave the yarn where it is, in front. Normally you would move it to the back before a knit stitch. This time you do nothing. Knit the next stitch with the yarn still in front. It has to come over the top of the right needle to reach the back, and that makes the yarn over for you.
This is the easiest version, and also the one beginners make by accident.
On the next row the yarn over looks loose and a little messy. That is how it should look. Knit or purl it like any other stitch, whichever the pattern asks for at that spot. Once you have worked it and the stitch after it, the slack disappears. A neat, closed eyelet is left in the row below. Lace patterns are built from rows of these holes.
Work into the front of the loop. Working into the back twists it and closes the hole.
Found a yarn over you did not mean to make? Slide it off the left needle and let it go. It leaves a loose strand along the top of the row. Pull it a little at a time, following the yarn from stitch to stitch, and spread the extra across the neighboring stitches. Keep easing until the tension looks even, then carry on knitting.
Count stitches at the end of every row while you learn. An extra stitch is usually a stray yarn over.
Hold the work up after a couple of rows. Each yarn over has become a round eyelet, and any you dropped have vanished into the fabric. In chunky yarn the holes look large. In a finer yarn they look small and delicate, which is why lace is usually knit in fingering or DK. Wash and pin out lace to open the holes fully.
A row of eyelets makes a handy channel for threading ribbon through a hat or bag.
Keep going
How to Knit a Cowl for Beginners
More on this topic, picked for this yarn over between knit and purl stitches.
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How to Knit a Yarn Over Between Knit and Purl Stitches
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