When your knitting starts with a smaller amount of stitches, and then widens with many additional stitches, you will use this type of increase. For instance, if you want to go from say 10 stitches to 30 stitches in the next row, how do you do this? Actually it is quite simple to do. This addition of stitches can be all on one end of the existing knitting or added to both ends.
Example: In the Men’s Cabin slippers, this type of increase is needed. Another example is the Bold Stripe Sweater.
Let’s say that you have been knitting with 10 needles and you have one loop on each needle and you want to go to 30 stitches in the next row. You are increasing 10 stitches on each side to have a total of 30 stitches. You will Cast On 10 new stitches at front of knitting and 10 new stitches at back of knitting.
- First, cut the yarn of your 10 stitches of the current knitting.
- Make a loop knot in yarn supply, and place loop on the needle 10 to the left of your knitting, on board farthest from knitter. (This is like starting from the beginning)
- Weave the yarn around the bare needles in pattern. When you get to the cut end of yarn at beginning of current knitting, tie the new yarn to the cut tail of yarn. Weave across the existing knitting and continue for 10 additional more needles.
- Weave back, to finish your circular over all 30 stitches.
- Hook over the 10 stitches in the middle (they have 2 loops on each needle.) Place an anchor yarn over the 2 areas where you just started new stitches. These are new Cast On stitches. They have only 1 loop at this time.
- Weave another circular over all 30 stitches and hook over all. You now have 30 stitches on your board. You will want to Bind Off the new stitches for a finished edge once piece is completed.
- This process is used on sweaters where the sleeves are knit into the front and back of the sweater. The entire piece is one continous piece of knitting. If you’re doing stripes, you can always do the increase in different color for next stripe.
