If you’ve knit for any length of time, you’ve probably come across this M1 in knitting. Or maybe it said M1L or M1R. What does this mean?
Why use a M1 increase?
The most common increase in knitting is to knit into the front and the back of a stitch. I find this the easiest, but it’s not always the best solution. Sometimes you want a stitch to lean in one direction or the other.
The M1 increase is the next most common increase stitch. In this stitch, you work into the horizontal strand from the row below, between the stitches.
This is an easy increase and even a newer knitter can get the hang of it with practice.
M1 Knitting Increase Video Tutorial
How to increase with M1
M1L Increase
Step One: To work the M1L increase, locate the bar in between the stitches from the previous row.
Step Two: Insert the left hand needle under the bar from front to back.
Step Three: Insert the right hand needle into the back of the stitch and knit into the back loop.
This creates a twisted stitch and makes one bar increase.
M1R Increase
Step One: To work the M1R increase, locate the bar in between the stitches from the previous row.
Step Two: Insert the left needle under the bar from back to front.
Step Three: Insert the right needle into the front of the stitch and knit into the front loop.
This also creates a twisted stitch and is often used opposite the M1L, such as on sleeve increases.
If this is done correctly it should be a nearly invisible increase.
Tips and Tricks for a Perfect M1 Increase
Often, a pattern won’t tell you what type of increase to work and you will need to decide what works best. It might simply say “Inc 1 st each side very 3rd row 5 times”. What do you do then?
Typically you can use the M1 increase in a situation like this, but you will want to mirrow M1L and M1R for a symmetrical increase.
When working mirrored increases such as those on sleeves, you will want to work a M1R on one side and a M1L on the other. I often got this confused and needed to refresh my memory every time I wanted to use them!
The way to remember it is that the L and R stand for the direction that the stitches will lean, NOT the side of the work that they need to be on.
In the video, you might notice that I work the M1L first, then the M1R. I did this because the M1L is easier to work and used more often, but if I was increasing symmetrically I would actually need to reverse the order.
When looking at the right side of the work (which is easy to see in Stockinette stitch), the M1R leans to the right and is worked first when working mirrored increases. The M1L is worked closer to the end of the row because it leans to the left.
It depends upon the pattern how far into the row or round you need to work the M1 increase, but if I’m doing them on a sleeve I will leave at least one stitch as the selvedge stitch for the seam, sometimes two.
Common Problems with M1 Increases
I still have a hole in my work, even when I twist the stitches. One remedy to this is to make the new stitch slightly looser than the stitches around it. This will keep the bar from being raised too high, which will leave a hole underneath the increase in the knit fabric. Another tip is to not pull on the bar too much when making the M1, so try just putting the needle tip in the bar instead of stretching it to fit on the widest part of the needle.
I need to do a M1 increase, but I’m not on a knit row. You can also work this increase on a purl row, just work a purl stitch into the loop (front or back depending upon which increase you are making) instead of knit.
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Happy Knitting!
Amanda
Everything You Need to Know to M1 in Knitting
If you’ve knit for any length of time, you’ve probably come across this M1 in knitting. Or maybe it said M1L or M1R. What does this mean?
Materials
- Yarn in any weight
Tools
- Knitting needles in size appropriate for weight
Instructions
How to M1L Increase
- Locate the bar between the stitches from the previous row.
- Insert the left hand needle under the bar from front to back.
- Insert the right hand needle into the back of the stitch and knit into the back of the stitch.
How to M1R Increase
- Locate the bar between the stitches from the previous row.
- Insert the left needle under the bar from back to front.
- Insert the right needle into the front of the stitch and knit into the front loop.