Chapter 6

Techniques Every Knitter Should Know

In This Chapter

Manipulating stitches: Slipping, doing yarn overs, and twisting

Making increases and decreases

Playing around with knit and purl patterns introduced in Chapter 5 can keep you busy for a long time, but you can do a lot more with knitted stitches. Cables, lace, and color work all lie ahead — literally (they’re covered in the next part) and figuratively. As you begin to explore different stitch patterns and follow patterns for projects and garments, you’ll want to familiarize yourself with the different stitch maneuvers that crop up in instructions for more demanding knitted fabrics.

For projects that give you the opportunity to practice the maneuvers that we cover in this chapter, head to Chapter 9.

Slipping Stitches

If your directions tell you to slip a stitch (abbreviated sl st), they mean for you to move a stitch from the left-hand (LH) needle to the right-hand (RH) needle without knitting or purling it and without changing its orientation (that is, without twisting it).

To slip a stitch, insert the RH needle purlwise (as if you were going to purl) into the first stitch on the LH needle and slip it off the LH needle onto the RH needle. Unless your instructions specifically tell you to slip a stitch knitwise, always slip a stitch as if you were going to purl it. Figure 6-1 shows stitches being slipped both purlwise and knitwise.

Figure 6-1: Slipping stitches purlwise (a) and knitwise (b).

Slipped stitches are used in different ways. You frequently run across them in methods for decreasing stitches — when you want to reduce the number of stitches you have on your needle. They also form the basis of a family of stitch patterns. Like garter stitch, slip-stitch patterns are stable and lie flat — and they’re a breeze to knit.

Making a Yarn Over

A yarn over (abbreviated yo) is a way of making an extra stitch on your needle and creating a deliberate little hole in your fabric. Yarn overs are an indispensable part of lace knitting (see Chapter 12 for more about using yarn overs in lace). They have a multitude of other applications as well, such as decorative increases, buttonholes, and novelty stitch patterns.

To make a yarn over, you simply bring the knitting yarn (the “over” strand) over the needle between two existing stitches on one row, and then work that strand as a stitch when you work your way back to it in the next row.

Until you get used to them, though, yarn overs can be a little confusing. The things to remember are that in all cases

The working yarn starts in front of the needle. Sometimes it’s already there (if you’ve been purling); sometimes you have to put it there deliberately (if you’ve been knitting).

You wrap the yarn around the needle from front to back and work the next stitch as normal. (Sometimes the pattern instructions ask you to wrap the yarn twice — or more times — around the needle to make a bigger hole. A double yarn over is usually written yo twice.)

As you work the row following the yarn over row, you’ll recognize the yarn over by the big hole that suddenly appears on your needle where a stitch should be. Above the hole is the strand of yarn that you’ve crossed over the needle. Think of the strand as a stitch and knit or purl it as you normally would.

You will have 1 extra stitch for every yarn over you do. For example, if you start with 4 stitches and then knit 2, yarn over, knit 2, on the next row you’ll have 5 stitches instead of 4.

To help you keep yarn overs straight, the following sections break down how to make a yarn over when it goes between 2 knit stitches, between a knit stitch and a purl stitch, between 2 purl stitches, or between a purl stitch and a knit stitch.

Between 2 knit stitches

To make a yarn over between 2 knit stitches (which you would encounter in a pattern as k1, yo, k1), follow these steps:

1. Knit the first stitch.

2. Bring the yarn forward between the needles into purl position.

3. Knit the next stitch on the needle.

When you knit the next stitch, the yarn automatically crosses the RH needle, forming a yarn over (see Figure 6-2.)

Figure 6-2: Making a yarn over between 2 knit stitches.

Between a knit and a purl stitch

To make a yarn over that follows a knit stitch and precedes a purl stitch (which you would encounter in a pattern as k1, yo, p1), follow these steps:

1. Knit the first stitch.

2. Bring the yarn to the front into the purl position, wrap it back over the top of the RH needle, and return it to the front into purl position again.

Basically you’re just wrapping the yarn once around the RH needle from the front.

3. Purl the next stitch (see Figure 6-3).

Figure 6-3: Making a yarn over between a knit stitch and a purl stitch.

Between 2 purl stitches

To make a yarn over between 2 purl stitches (which you would encounter in a pattern as p1, yo, p1), follow these steps:

1. Purl the first stitch.

2. Wrap the yarn around the RH needle front to back to front so that it ends up in purl position again.

3. Purl the next stitch (see Figure 6-4.)

Figure 6-4: Making a yarn over between 2 purl stitches.

Between a purl stitch and a knit stitch

To make a yarn over that follows a purl stitch and precedes a knit stitch (which you would encounter in a pattern as p1, yo, k1), follow these steps:

1. Purl the first stitch and leave the yarn in the front of your work.

2. Knit the next stitch.

The yarn automatically crosses the RH needle when you knit this next stitch (see Figure 6-5).

Figure 6-5: Making a yarn over between a purl stitch and a knit stitch.

Twisting Stitches: Knitting through the Back Loop

When stitches are lined up in the ready-to-work position, they have a front and a back. The front of the stitch is the part of the loop on your side of the needle. The back of the stitch is, well, on the side of the needle facing away from you. When you knit in the usual fashion, you work into the front of the loop; you insert your RH needle into the stitch from left to right, lifting and spreading the front of the loop — the side of the loop on your side of the needle — when you insert your needle (see Figure 6-6a).

Figure 6-6: You can knit into the front (a) or the back (b) of stitches.

By knitting through back of the loop (abbreviated ktbl), you twist the stitch and create a different effect. Stitch patterns that use twisted stitches have an etched, linear quality. On a background of reverse stockinette stitch, a vertical or wavy line of twisted stitches stands out in sharp definition. Frequently, you find twisted stitches combined with cables in traditional Aran patterns.

If your instructions tell you to knit through the back of the loop, they’re asking you to change the direction from which your needle enters the stitch. When you work into the back of a stitch, you’re deliberately twisting the stitch. You can purl into the front and back of a stitch as well:

To knit through the back of the loop: Insert your needle from right to left, with the RH needle behind the LH needle, lifting and spreading the back of the loop — the side of the loop on the opposite side of the needle (see Figure 6-6b). Then wrap the yarn around the needle and pull a new loop through.

To purl through the back of the loop: Insert your needle through the back of the loop from right to left (see Figure 6-7b) and purl as normal.

Figure 6-7: Purling into the front (a) and the back (b) of stitches.

Abbreviations can vary from pattern to pattern. Some patterns use ktbl to mean “knit through back of loop”; others use k-b to mean the same thing. What can be even more confusing is that many patterns use k-b to mean “knit in the stitch below” (a technique discussed in the later section “Knitting into the stitch below”). Before you start, check your pattern to see what its abbreviations stand for.

Working Increases

Not all knitted pieces are square. Being able to increase (abbreviated inc) or decrease (abbreviated dec) stitches along the edge or within the body of a knitted piece enables you to create knitted pieces with edges that taper and expand. When you increase stitches, you add them to your needle. When you decrease stitches, you get rid of stitches on your needle.

As with everything else in knitting, there are several ways to increase and decrease stitches. Some methods are almost invisible, and others are decorative and meant to be seen. And because increases and decreases are often worked as pairs (picture adding stitches at either end of your needle when you’re shaping a sleeve), if one slants to the right on the right side of your work, the other slants to the left on the wrong side.

The following sections outline the ways to work increases into your work. Keep in mind that each method has a different appearance. So how do you know which one to use? If the increase is part of a fabric stitch pattern, the pattern will almost always tell you how to make the increase. Other times, you have to decide for yourself. Having a few techniques up your sleeve gives you the flexibility to decide which increase will look best in your current project.

Various knitting patterns require that you knit a single increase, work a double increase, or distribute several increases along a given row. Try some of the fundamental techniques in this section to get a firm handle on your choices.

Bar increase

So-called because it leaves a telltale horizontal bar under the increased stitch, the bar increase is best for increases worked at the edge of your knitting, where it will be enclosed in a seam. Knitting directions for the bar increase read, “Knit 1 into the front and back of the stitch” or “k1f&b.”

To make a bar increase when you’re working on the knit side, follow these steps:

1. Knit 1 stitch as you normally would, but don’t slide the old stitch off the LH needle.

2. Bring the tip of the RH needle behind the LH needle and enter the back of the stitch from right to left.

Refer to the section “Twisting Stitches: Knitting through the Back Loop” for information about the front and back of a stitch.

3. Knit the stitch as normal and slide it off the LH needle.

You’ve worked 2 stitches from a single stitch.

To make a bar increase when you’re working on the purl side, follow these steps:

1. Purl 1 stitch as you normally would, but don’t slide the old stitch off the LH needle.

2. Keeping the RH needle behind the LH one, insert the tip of the RH needle through the back of the loop, entering it from left to right.

3. Purl that stitch again and slide it off the LH needle.

You’ve worked 2 stitches from a single stitch.

If you’re using this bar increase several stitches in from the edge as part of a paired increase, adjust the position of the stitch in which you make the increase so that the bar shows up in the same place on each side.

Working a make 1

To work the make 1 increase (abbreviated m1), you create a new, separate stitch between 2 stitches that are already on the needle. When you get to the point where you want to make an increase, pull the LH and RH needle slightly apart. You’ll notice a horizontal strand of yarn, called the running thread, connecting the first stitch on each needle. You use the running thread to make the new stitch. The increased stitch will be a twisted stitch that crosses to the right or to the left and leaves no little hole. (Refer to the earlier section “Twisting Stitches: Knitting through the Back Loop” for details on how twisted stitches work.)

After you make one of these increases, check to make sure that it’s twisted in the direction you intended. If it isn’t, undo your new stitch — it will only unravel as far as the running thread — and try it again.

Twisting to the right

When you’re working on the knit side and want your make 1 increase to twist to the right, work to the point between 2 stitches where you want to increase, and then follow these steps:

1. Bring the tip of the LH needle under the running thread from back to front.

The running thread will be draped over the LH needle as if it were a stitch (see Figure 6-8a).

2. Insert the RH needle through the draped strand from left to right (see Figure 6-8b) and knit as normal.

Figure 6-8: Knitting a m1 increase that twists to the right.

If you want to work a right-twisting make 1 increase on the purl side, follow the preceding steps, except change Step 2 by purling the strand by going into the front loop (the part that’s closest to you) from right to left and purling as normal (see Figure 6-9).

You can turn a make 1 into a decorative eyelet (a little hole) increase by knitting or purling into the running thread without twisting it.

Figure 6-9: Purling a m1 increase that twists to the right.

Twisting to the left

If you’re working on the knit side and want your make 1 increase to twist to the left, work to the point between 2 stitches where you want to increase, and then follow these steps:

1. Insert the tip of the LH needle under the running thread from front to back (see Figure 6-10a).

2. With the RH needle, knit the strand through the back (see Figure 6-10b).

Figure 6-10: Knitting a m1 increase that twists to the left.

Follow the same steps when you want your make 1 increase to twist to the left from the purl side, except change Step 2 by inserting the RH needle through the back loop from left to right and purling as normal.

Knitting into the stitch below

Knitting into the stitch below is a technique often used for increasing stitches. If your instructions tell you to “knit (or purl) into the stitch below,” often abbreviated k1b or k-b (or p1b or p-b for purling), follow these steps (adjust them to purl into the stitch below):

1. Insert your needle into the stitch directly below the next stitch on the LH needle (see Figure 6-11); then wrap and knit as you normally would.

This is the increase stitch.

2. Knit the stitch on the LH needle.

You now have two stitches where one used to be. If you look at the purl side of your work, you’ll see two purl bumps for the stitch you’ve made.

Figure 6-11: The stitch you knit in when you knit into the stitch below.

Making a double increase

There are occasions in knitting — in certain stitch patterns or when working a raglan sweater from the neck down — when you need to increase 2 stitches in the same place. This is called working a double increase, and it often uses an existing stitch as the increase point.

Doubling your increase with a yarn over

Doubling your increase with a yarn over results in 3 stitches being made from 1 stitch. To use this technique, work to the stitch in which you plan to make the increase and then follow these steps:

1. Insert your RH needle as if to knit.

2. Wrap the yarn around the needle and bring the new loop through to the front, but don’t slide the old stitch off the LH needle.

3. Bring the yarn between the needles to the front.

4. With the yarn in front and down, insert the RH needle as if to knit into the same stitch again.

5. Bring the yarn over the RH needle to the back.

6. Wrap the yarn around the tip of the RH needle as you normally would, pull the loop through, and slide the old loop off. You’ll see 3 stitches clustered together on your RH needle.

Doubling your increase with a make 1

Doubling your increase with a make 1 makes a new stitch on either side of an existing center stitch. Make the increase symmetrical by twisting the m1 increase before the center stitch to the right and the m1 increase after the center stitch to the left. To create a double increase with a make 1, work to the stitch marked for the increase, and then follow these steps:

1. Work a m1 that twists to the right.

As in the m1 increase presented earlier in this chapter, insert your LH needle under the running thread between the stitch just made and the stitch designated as the center stitch, insert the RH needle from left to right through the lifted strand stitch, and knit as normal (refer to Figure 6-8).

2. Knit the next (center) stitch as normal.

3. Work a m1 that twists to the left.

With your LH needle, pick up the running thread between the knitted center stitch and the stitch that follows it; then knit the lifted strand through the back (refer to Figure 6-10).

For more ways to work a double increase, check out Knitting from the Top by Barbara Walker (Schoolhouse Press). She gives a whopping ten ways to make a double increase.

Increasing at several points in a single row

Patterns sometimes ask you to increase several stitches evenly across a row. It’s up to you to figure out the best spacing. To do so, follow these steps:

1. Take the number of stitches to be added and add 1.

This gives you the number of spaces between increases.

2. Divide the total number of stitches on your needle by the number of spaces between the increases.

For example, if you have 40 stitches and you need to increase 4 stitches, there will be five 8-stitch sections between the increases. If your pattern calls for you to work bar increases into existing stitches, make your increases in every eighth stitch across the row. When you’re counting the stitches between increases, don’t include the increased stitches.

If your numbers don’t come out even and you have a remainder of several stitches, you can

Divvy up the extra stitches and knit them before the first increase and after the last increase.

Alternate working an extra stitch into every other section of stitches between increases until you’ve used up the extras.

Graph paper is great to have on hand for charting out increases — and all other manner of knitting math.

Doing Decreases

A decrease is a method for getting rid of a stitch on your needle. You use decreases for shaping at the edges and/or in the middle of a knitted piece. They’re also used in conjunction with increases in various stitch patterns, most notably in lace.

A decreased stitch looks like 1 stitch overlapping another. Depending on the design you’re working with, you can make your decreases slant to the left or right. When a stitch overlaps to the right, the decrease slants to the right. When a stitch overlaps to the left, the decrease slants to the left.

Knitting 2 stitches together

When you knit 2 stitches together (abbreviated k2tog), they become 1 stitch. The stitch on the left overlaps the one on the right, and the decrease slants to the right. If you’re working decreases in pairs (on either side of a neckline you’re shaping, for example), use the k2tog on one side and the ssk decrease (see the later section, “Slip, slip, knit”) on the other side.

To knit 2 stitches together on the right (knit) side of your knitted fabric, follow these steps:

1. Insert the RH needle knitwise into the first 2 stitches on the LH needle at the same time.

2. Knit them together as if they were 1 stitch (see Figure 6-12).

Figure 6-12: Knitting 2 stitches together (k2tog).

Purling 2 stitches together

Although most knitting patterns have you decrease on right-side rows only, sometimes you may be asked to work a decrease from the purl side. When you do, you can purl 2 stitches together (abbreviated p2tog) instead of knitting them together. When you look at a p2tog decrease from the knit side, the stitches slant to the right, just as they do with a k2tog decrease.

When you need to work a single p2tog decrease on the wrong (purl) side of your knitting, follow these steps:

1. Insert the RH needle purlwise into the next 2 stitches on the LH needle (see Figure 6-13a).

2. Purl the 2 stitches together as if they were 1 stitch (see Figures 6-13b and 6-13c).

Figure 6-13: Purling 2 stitches together (p2tog).

Full-fashioning

You can work increases and decreases on the edge or several stitches in from the edge. If a series of increases or decreases is worked 2 or more stitches from the edge, it creates a visible line, and the shaping is described as “full-fashion.” This shaping technique is peculiar to knits and sometimes distinguishes a sweater that’s cut and sewn from knitted fabric from one that has been knitted to shape. Working increases or decreases several stitches from the edge is both attractive and makes it easier to sew knitted pieces together because you have two untampered stitches at the edges to seam between.

Slip, slip, knit

Slip, slip, knit (abbreviated ssk) results in a left-slanting decrease. The ssk decrease is the mirror image of k2tog: It slants to the left. Use it when you want to work symmetrical decreases.

To work a ssk on the knit side, follow these steps:

1. Slip the first stitch on the LH needle (as if to knit) to the RH needle without actually knitting it.

2. Do the same with the next stitch.

The 2 slipped stitches should look like the stitches in Figure 6-14a.

3. Insert the LH needle into the front loops of these stitches (left to right), as in Figure 6-14b.

4. Wrap the yarn in the usual way around the RH needle and knit the 2 slipped stitches together.

To work an ssk on the purl side, follow these steps:

1. Slip the first stitch on the LH needle (as if to knit) to the RH needle.

2. Do the same to the next stitch.

Figure 6-14: Working a slip, slip, knit (ssk) decrease.

3. Keeping the 2 slipped stitches facing in this direction, transfer them back to the LH needle.

4. Purl the 2 stitches together through the back loops (see Figure 6-15).

Figure 6-15: Purling 2 slipped stitches through the back of the loops.

Pass slipped stitch over

Psso refers to pass slipped stitch over, a less attractive version of the left-slanting ssk decrease but one that’s still used in certain stitch patterns and in double decreases (decreasing 2 stitches at once). Essentially, psso makes a bound-off stitch in the middle of a row. You can work it from the knit or purl side of your work.

Here’s how to work a psso on the knit side:

1. Slip 1 stitch knitwise from the LH needle to the RH needle.

2. Knit the next stitch on the LH needle.

3. Insert the tip of the LH needle into the slipped stitch and bring it over the knitted stitch and off the needle as if you were binding off.

To work a psso on the purl side, do the following:

1. Purl 1 stitch.

2. Slip the next stitch knitwise to the RH needle, and return it in this changed direction to the LH needle.

3. Transfer the purled stitch (from Step 1) from the RH needle to the LH needle.

4. Insert the RH needle into the slipped stitch and bring it over the purled stitch and off the needle.

“Pass a stitch over” means to bind it off.

Making double decreases

Sometimes you need to decrease 2 stitches at the same time. Certain stitch patterns depend on this double decrease for its effect, and sometimes it’s necessary in garment shaping. Like single decreases, the double decrease can slant to the left or right. Or it can create a single vertical line at the decrease point.

Right-slanting double decrease

To work a right-slanting double decrease on the knit side, follow these steps:

1. Work a ssk.

Slip 2 stitches knitwise one at a time to the RH needle, insert the LH needle into the front of the loops, and knit them together. (Flip back to the earlier section, “Slip, slip, knit,” for instructions on making a ssk decrease.)

2. Slip the stitch you just worked back to the LH needle.

3. Bring the second stitch on the LH needle over the decreased stitch and off the needle.

4. Return the decreased stitch to the RH needle.

To work a right-slanting double decrease on the purl side, do the following:

1. Slip the next stitch from the LH needle to the RH needle.

2. Purl the next 2 stitches together.

Refer to the earlier section, “Purling 2 stitches together,” to find out how to do so.

3. Pass the slipped stitch over the decreased stitch.

Left-slanting double decrease

To work a left-slanting double decrease on the knit side, follow these steps:

1. Slip the next stitch on the LH needle as if to knit.

2. Knit the next 2 stitches together.

Refer to the earlier section, “Knitting 2 stitches together,” to find the instructions for doing so.

3. Bring the slipped stitch over the decrease stitch as if you were binding off.

To work a left-slanting double decrease on the purl side, do the following:

1. Purl 2 stitches together.

Flip back to the section, “Purling 2 stitches together,” to find out how to do so.

2. Slip this decreased stitch back to the LH needle.

3. With the RH needle, bring the second stitch on the LH needle over the decreased stitch and off the needle.

4. Return the decreased stitch to the RH needle.

Vertical double decrease

This double decrease creates a vertical line instead of a line that slants to the left or right. To make a vertical double decrease, follow these steps:

1. Slip the first 2 stitches on the LH needle to the RH needle (as if to knit).

2. Knit the next stitch on the LH needle.

3. With the LH needle, bring both slipped stitches together over the knitted stitch and off the RH needle, as in Figure 6-16.

Figure 6-16: Bringing the 2 slipped stitches over in a vertical double decrease.