Beginnerland
Skill Builder: Another Way to Increase
Ann and Kay’s Skill Set: Beginning Knitting is a tidy little book—a perfect set of nine lessons to get a new knitter started with confidence. And there’s the Skill Set Box of Joy, a complete kit designed to provide all the materials that are referenced in Skill Set.
Sometimes, you need your knitting to get bigger, which means you need to increase the number of stitches you have.
Skill Set teaches a classic and important increase: knit through the front and back of the stitch, abbreviated as kfb.
The new stitch created by kfb takes the form of a little bump—looks a bit like a purl stitch—to the left of the stitch. In some places, this bump can be pretty visible.
A little bump, a bit like a purl stitch.
There are times when you might need a different way of adding stitches. The next great increase to know is make 1 (abbreviated as “m1”).
This is a slight untruth. There’s at least five different increases that classify as make 1—and that’s just for the knit stitch! That doesn’t even take into account purl versions.
Here’s the deal: what the instruction make 1 is really saying is to create a stitch where there wasn’t one before.
You’re probably puzzled at this point: doesn’t kfb make a new stitch?
Well…yes and no. kfb has you work twice into a single stitch, converting one to two, then placing the new stitch after the existing one. When a pattern calls for make 1, it’s asking you to make a new stitch without using one of the existing ones.
The difference is about counting your stitches. If the pattern starts a row with “k1, m1,” it wants you to place the new stitch immediately after the first. If you do “k1, kfb,” the new stitch comes after the second one.
It’s a subtle difference, and it’s (usually) not all that big a deal, but it does mean they’re not interchangeable when reading pattern instructions. If the pattern says kfb, do it. But if it says m1, don’t do kfb.
The designer might choose to specify m1 when they want a slightly less obtrusive look. Any of the usual m1 increases are smooth and a little less visible than kfb.
So if the pattern asks for m1, what should you do? Which of these many variations should you use?
This is where there’s very good news! There is one generic version that works in any circumstance: the backwards loop make 1.
Here’s how you do it: make a backwards loop and place it on your right-hand needle.
That’s it! You do have to make sure that the yarn loop is actually twisted, crossing over itself.
Snug it up on the right-hand needle and then just keep going.
Yup, that’s it! This makes a new stitch, no fuss, no muss. On the following row, you will knit or purl into it, depending on the pattern you’re working. It might feel a bit tighter than a normal stitch, but that’s fine.
I love this because it’s easy to do and easy to remember. The other versions of m1 have multiple steps.
It’s also neutral, it that it works with both knits and purls, so it goes with garter stitch, stockinette stitch, or any other pattern stitch. And it really is tidy and unobtrusive.
Tidy! Unobtrusive!
Elizabeth Zimmermann wrote about it in her book Knitting Without Tears. Because of this I sometimes abbreviate it as “m1z” in my patterns to be clear that I mean this version.
I did mention there’s other versions.
You might see “m1R” (make 1 right) and “m1L” (make one left) in a pattern. These require you to knit (or purl) into the strand that runs between the stitches. You might also encounter RLI and LLI. Tthese are increases that have you work into the side leg of stitches in rows below.
These are absolutely great increases, all of them. The only bit that can be a challenge with them is that they each have multiple steps to remember, and if you do them wrong, they can make holes or look a little wonky.
If the pattern asks for a specific version and provides specific instructions, then follow those. But the pattern is no more specific than m1—or equally if you don’t have (or can’t remember) the instructions for the specialized ones, or you’re just not confident about working them—the m1z is your friend!
If you want to learn more about increases, read my column here.
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Hello, I didn’t know about the loopy-way to make increases, so smart! Does it also work for lace, when it’s important the way the stiches lean to? Thanks!
A good question! There’s two answers here: in general, in the lace pattern stitches themselves, it’s most likely that the increases will be yarnovers. But if you’re thinking of the increases worked for shaping a lace shawl – usually at the edges and sometimes in the middle – then you can absolutely use M1Z there. It will look a little different, but not a huge amount. Experiment and see what you think!
It’s so early and I’ve already learned my “new thing of the day”!! Thank you, Kate. I will use that tip often.
Thank you for help us when we are home and need ideas in a minute
Thank you! This really cleared up some questions for me and will help greatly going forward in my knitting.
Dear MDK, what happened to the state that was, at one time, sold with the skill builder? It doesn’t seem to work any more.
Dear Kate – thanks for this hot tip. So easy!
What a great tip. So easy!! I love this.
Software (as in app) not state.
Great question! I just checked the app on my iPhone and it has disappeared. I would like to know, as I had been planning to use it to help a friend learn to knit.
As usual, crystal clear explanations!
I tend to use what the designer intended (even the method of a lace decrease, and those vary) but in some patterns the specified increase left that little hole, which I don’t like.
The EZ increase is truly ‘learn something new every day!’
Thanks AGAIN!
m1z? love it ! simple is always best!
I have been promoting this M1Z for years to my knitting groups. It is perfect for top down yokes and crown down hats because it does not distort adjacent stitches. It Thank you Kate Atherley for being the authoritative modern voice to champion it.
That was so helpful and answered a question I have been wondering about for a long time!
Thanks, Kate.
Love this. I’ve never, ever thought of the backward loop except for top-down underarm increases! I recently made a pattern where on the left side, I was instructed to use kfb and on the right, kbf.
Thank you! So much easier than the others if only a m1 is required.
Oh wow, thank you. I wish I had know about this while working on a grueling test knit — lace in Kidsilk Haze no less– and having a wicked time getting the M1’s finagled. So helpful.
I learned to knit from that book and used her M1 method before I learned other methods but I still like the way it blends in with the pattern
As someone who learned from Knitting Without Tears, this has always been my go-to increase. I only discovered (many years ago!) that every didn’t use this m1 when when students had problems getting row gauge using the ‘standard’ m1 in top down raglans.
WOW!
This is so easy and looks terrific! Thanks for the great tip! I always enjoy your helpful columns.