Okay, let's get this thing started. Twice this week I've had knitters tell me that they were scared of yarnovers, and afraid to try any patterns that included them, and I've helped a couple of other people figure out pattern problems that were caused by incorrect yarnovers, so this is plainly a topic on which there's a lot of confusion.
One big source of the confusion is that there are a lot of bad instructions out there. One popular way to tell people to do a yarnover is to tell them to move the yarn to the front, and then from that position knit the next stitch. This does, in fact, cause a yarnover to happen, but it's a horrible way to teach it.
Why? Well, three reasons. One, it gives the strong impression that knitting the next stitch is part of the yarnover, and this is wrong. Two, it leaves a person with no idea whatever what to do if the stitches before and after are anything other than two knits. And three, it completely glosses over the loop over the needle, which is the very essence of a yarnover.
Can I do better? Yes, I think so.
First, what is a yarnover? It's a simple thing: just a loop of yarn that goes over the right needle. It should be oriented in the same way that other stitches are oriented, which for most people means that it needs to come up the front of the needle first and then down the back. It does not include knitting or doing anything else to the next stitch on the needle, and in fact does not use up a stitch from the previous row at all. It does increase your stitch count for the current row by one, so if you do not want your piece to get wider, you need to balance it with a decrease; if you do want it to get wider, of course, that isn't necessary.
Now that we know what a yarnover is, how do we do it? The yarnover itself is accomplished by simply flipping the yarn over the needle, but there may need to be a step before and/or a step after, depending on what the preceding and following stitches are.
If the preceding stitch is a knit (and for purposes of this, anything that is a variant of a knit, like a k2tog, counts as a knit), you need to move the yarn between the needles to the front, because the yarnover starts with the yarn in front. If the preceding stitch is a purl (or a variant of a purl), then you don't need to do anything, because the yarn is already where you want it.
Once the yarn is in front, just bring it over the top of the right needle to the back. That's your yarnover! Wasn't that easy?
Now, if the following stitch is a purl, you need to move the yarn between the needles again, to the front, so you're ready for that following stitch. If the following stitch is a knit, you don't need to do anything extra, but are ready to work that stitch.
So, three little steps: move the yarn forward if it's not already there; flip it over the right needle; move it forward again if you need it to be forward for the next stitch. Ta da! And now you know how to do a yarnover, regardless of what the stitches around it are, and without screwing up your stitch counts.
Be sure to read the next couple of posts, which will explore a few other aspects of using yarnovers in your knitting.
Thanks so much! I have been trying to figure out a yarn-over for about 20 minutes and your post helped me instantly.
Posted by: Nikki | December 12, 2005 at 11:33 AM
Excellent explaination..........
Posted by: Holly Burnham | August 06, 2007 at 09:39 AM
Hi. I have been reading through the book "Knitting Counterpanes" by Mary Walker Phillips (ISBN No. 0-918804-98-1) and on page 72 the pattern calls for yarn overs (abbreviated to "O"). When knitting the row following a yarn over, some rows instruct you to "knit O closed" whilst other rows instruct that "the O's remain open". Have you any idea what these terms mean. I would really appreciate any help you may be able to offer. Kind regards.
Posted by: Sue Smith | January 13, 2008 at 04:22 PM
why is it some patterns say to yarnover
vs
just making a caston stitch
to add one stitch to the row?
Posted by: Annie | January 19, 2008 at 11:27 AM
Annie, to answer your question, a yarnover is generally used where one wants
a hole, for decorative purposes (as in lace) or functional purposes
(as in a small buttonhole). It's often paired with a decrease so that
the stitch count remains the same, although sometimes it is used as a
decorative increase. Where a hole is not desirable, a different type
of increase is usually used.
For more information, you might like to read my series on increases,
beginning with this post:
http://explaiknit.typepad.com/let_me_explaiknit/2007/09/expanding-our-h.html
Posted by: Sara | January 23, 2008 at 12:21 PM
Great discussion-I think I get it now. How about a "yarnover twice" instruction? I gather this means wrap the yarn twice around , but then do you knit/purl them on the next row as two new stitches or what? I guess this makes a really big hole.
I make a lot of magic loop socks, and have trouble making a yarnover that is the last stitch on a side.
Thanks for your patient explanation. I'm amazed that instructional books gloss over the complexities completely.
Posted by: TMN | February 18, 2008 at 09:18 AM
Thank you so much! I KNEW this was easy, and yet I kept screwing it up!
Isn't common sense grand?
Posted by: sarahS | May 09, 2008 at 06:41 AM
thanks so much! I was SO confused about YO and purl for a fancy baby mitten with this instruction:
* yo, with yarn in back sl 1 as to p, k 2 tog., p.s.s.o., yo, p 2, repeat from *
now it all makes sense : )
Posted by: Kate | May 18, 2008 at 09:28 AM
Thanks, this is so wonderfully well explained.
You have the gift!
Posted by: Fran | November 26, 2008 at 11:52 AM
You have saved me hours of frustration, and in a nutshell explained why I keep ending up with the wrong number of stitches on my needles! I wish I could bake you a big chocolate cake and leave it anonymously, it's that big of a rescue! Thanks a million!
Posted by: Jenni | March 13, 2009 at 08:24 PM
how do you wrap yarn around the next st and return it to the left needle thanks.
Posted by: christine | July 01, 2010 at 10:17 AM
I would like to get a magazine from you that will be perfect because you can explain everything in there and it will be easier for us.
Posted by: Viagra Online | November 16, 2010 at 08:28 AM
Thank you, thank you, thank you. Absolutely the best explanation. Now, I know why my 'lace' looked funny, and my pattern didn't repeat evenly. So wish this explanation were in at least one of my 'how to knit' books.
Posted by: Jinni Black | April 12, 2011 at 08:15 PM
One big source of the confusion is that there are a lot of bad instructions out there. that's why I love your post, because you explain everything amazing
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