Increases and Decreases in Knitting Explained

Knitting a rectangle is satisfying, but at some point you want to knit something that actually fits a body or wraps around a heel. That is where shaping comes in. Shaping is just the act of adding or removing stitches to change the width of your fabric, and every hat crown, sweater sleeve, and sock heel depends on it.

The good news: there are only a handful of techniques you need to know. Once you understand what each one does and why it leans the way it does, reading a pattern becomes much easier.

Why Shaping Matters

A flat piece of knitting is the same number of stitches from cast-on to bind-off. Shaping breaks that rule on purpose. You add stitches (an increase) to make the fabric wider, and you remove stitches (a decrease) to make it narrower.

Increases and decreases also create direction. A right-leaning decrease tilts the fabric one way; a left-leaning one tilts it the other way. Pattern writers use both to create mirror symmetry, visible texture, or intentional lines, think of the V-shaped seams on a raglan sweater or the neat diagonal lines on a bias-knit scarf.

If you are already comfortable with knitting in the round, shaping is the next natural step. If you want more background on basic stitches first, the guide on knit 1 purl 1 ribbing is a solid place to start.

Common Increases

An increase adds one new stitch to your needle without you casting on anything extra. Here are the three you will see most often.

Knit Front and Back (kfb)

Knit front and back (kfb) is the friendliest increase to learn. Work into the stitch as normal but do not slide it off the left needle yet. Instead, insert the right needle into the back loop of the same stitch and knit again, then slide it off. You have turned one stitch into two.

The kfb creates a small purl bump on the right side of the new stitch. In many patterns this is perfectly acceptable; in others (like seamless top-down sweaters) you might prefer an invisible increase instead.

Make One (M1)

Make one (M1) lifts the horizontal bar of yarn that runs between two stitches and knits into it. Insert the left needle tip under that bar from front to back, then knit into the back of it to twist the stitch closed. If you knit into the front instead, you get a small hole, fine for some lace effects, but not what you want in a clean seam.

There are two versions:

• M1L (make one left): lifts the bar from front to back and knits through the back loop. Leans left.
• M1R (make one right): lifts the bar from back to front and knits through the front loop. Leans right.

Patterns will usually specify which one they want. If they just say "M1," use M1L as the default.

Yarn Over (yo)

A yarn over (yo) is the simplest increase of all: wrap the yarn over the right needle between two stitches. On the next row, you knit (or purl) that wrap as a regular stitch. The difference is that a yarn over leaves a deliberate hole behind. That is a feature, not a bug, lace patterns are built almost entirely from yarn overs paired with decreases to keep the stitch count balanced.

Common Decreases

A decrease removes one stitch. The two workhorses are k2tog and ssk, and they lean in opposite directions.

Knit Two Together (k2tog)

Knit two together (k2tog) does exactly what the name says: insert the needle through two stitches at once and knit them as if they were one. The result is one fewer stitch, and it leans to the right on the knit side of the fabric.

You will see k2tog at the end of a decrease pair (for example, on the right side of a raglan line). It is quick and tidy.

Slip Slip Knit (ssk)

Slip slip knit (ssk) is k2tog's mirror image. Slip the first stitch knitwise, slip the second stitch knitwise, then insert the left needle through the fronts of both slipped stitches and knit them together. The result leans to the left on the knit side.

The two slips re-orient the stitches so they sit correctly on the needle before you join them, skip the slips and you get a twisted, awkward stitch.

Left vs. Right: Why It Matters

Patterns pair k2tog and ssk intentionally. On a simple hat crown, you might see "k2tog at end of section, ssk at beginning of next section." The k2tog leans right, the ssk leans left, and together they form a tidy point. Using two k2togs would make both lines tilt the same way and look unbalanced.

Quick Reference Table

Technique	Abbreviation	Adds or Removes	Direction of Lean
Knit front and back	kfb	Adds 1 stitch	Neutral (small bump)
Make one left	M1L	Adds 1 stitch	Left
Make one right	M1R	Adds 1 stitch	Right
Yarn over	yo	Adds 1 stitch	None (creates a hole)
Knit two together	k2tog	Removes 1 stitch	Right
Slip slip knit	ssk	Removes 1 stitch	Left

Reading Increases and Decreases in a Pattern

Seeing "k2tog" for the first time in a pattern can be alarming if you have never done one before. A few things to remember:

Abbreviations are always spelled out in the pattern's key. If a pattern says k2tog, there will be a glossary section that explains it. Check that before hunting online.

Row vs. round matters. On flat knitting, decreases on the wrong side (purl side) look different from the knit side. A common wrong-side decrease is p2tog (purl two together), which behaves like k2tog but is worked on the purl side.

Count your stitches after each decrease row. The pattern will usually tell you how many stitches you should have. If your count is off, it is easier to find the error now than ten rows later.

Paired decreases balance the stitch count. In lace, every yarn over is usually paired with a k2tog or ssk somewhere in the same row, so the total stitch count stays the same. If a pattern says "k2tog, yo" in the same row, no stitches are lost or gained.

Once you are comfortable with basic shaping, you can try reading the live instructions on the fabric itself. A k2tog always leaves a little diagonal line going up to the right; an ssk leaves one going up to the left. Recognizing those lines helps you track where you are in a pattern without counting every row.

For a change of pace after you master these, crochet uses its own version of increases and decreases, the crochet granny square guide is a fun project that uses increase rounds to build outward from the center.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the easiest increase for a beginner?

Knit front and back (kfb) is the most beginner-friendly because it requires no extra yarn manipulation before you start the stitch. You just knit into the same stitch twice. The trade-off is the small purl bump it leaves, which is visible but not a problem in most projects.

Is k2tog or ssk harder to do?

Most knitters find k2tog slightly easier because you just insert the needle and knit, no slipping required. The ssk involves three moves (slip, slip, knit through both), which can feel awkward at first. With a little practice both become automatic.

Can I substitute kfb for M1?

You can in many cases, but the results look different. The kfb leaves a visible bump; the M1 is nearly invisible when worked correctly. If a pattern specifies one, it is best to use it. If the pattern just says "increase 1 stitch," either will work.

Why does my yarn over leave a hole I did not want?

A yarn over always creates a hole, that is its nature. If you see a yo in a non-lace pattern, it is often followed by a decrease to cancel it out, or it is intentional (like a buttonhole). If you are getting accidental holes, check whether you are accidentally wrapping the yarn before a stitch when you do not mean to.

What does "k2tog tbl" mean?

"Tbl" means through the back loop. Knitting two stitches together through the back loop twists them and produces a left-leaning decrease, similar to ssk but slightly different in appearance. Some older patterns use k2tog tbl where modern patterns would write ssk. They are not identical, but in most cases either will work.