Yarn Over Tutorial. yarn over yarn over needle yarn 'round needle yarn forward yarn back yarn forward over needle yarn forward round needle

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1 Yarn Over Tutorial The first exposure to Yarn Overs for many of us is the simple sequence worked on the knit or right side of our work: k1, yo, k1, followed by purling across it on the wrong side or next row. That is very straightforward, easy to knit sequence. But as we continue to knit we run into other, more complex situations. We may glance at a pattern, see the YOs sprinkled throughout, and think we are good to go since we have experience with that little k1, yo, k1 sequence. Here is where the trouble begins. Knits and purls are specific stitches that are consistently made the same way each time. That little YO notation on the other hand, is often used for at least three different maneuvers and in that sense refers to the RESULT of the action (a hole) not the action itself. A pattern that has YO in the direction may mean in one instance to carry the yarn over the needle while in another place in the pattern it may mean to wrap the yarn around the needle. Inexperienced knitters sometimes make the mistake of wrapping the yarn around the needle between two knit stitches when all that is needed is to bring my yarn to the front then work the next knit stitch, no wrapping needed. By the way, some knitters seem to confuse SSK and YOs. SSK is not the same as a YO but is often paired with it because a YO (generally) adds a stitch to your stitch count. For the stitch count to remain consistent a corresponding decrease is needed to offset the YO, hence the SSK. Many patterns written in English, and particularly those written in the United States, use the notation YO to mean all three different maneuvers. An experienced knitter will have no problem executing that pattern but a less experienced knitter may well not know that YO can mean different things and get terribly frustrated as a result. Then, there is the case of other patterns using different abbreviations for these same maneuvers. YO, YON, YF, YFWD can all mean exactly the same thing. If you are working a pattern that uses a notation other than YO, you will find that they may also use different notations for the different kind of yarn overs. Here is a list (probably not complete) of abbreviations that you may come across and what they stand for. They don t all mean exactly the same thing but some patterns will use just the one term for all. YO YON YRN YF YB YFON YFRN YFWD yarn over yarn over needle yarn 'round needle yarn forward yarn back yarn forward over needle yarn forward round needle yarn forward

2 Instead of any of the above abbreviations, you might even find the notation of "make 1" "over" or "cast up," depending on the knitting culture that produced the pattern. Some of the newer sources are also beginning to be more specific with pattern instructions. The next link from New Stitch A Day is a video showing how to work both yos and yrn AND they also differentiate them in the written pattern instructions. YO and YFRN in same pattern (As a side note: watch how in row 4 the yo and stitch next to it are sort of on top of each other and have to be separated or spread out to knit.) So much weight that little abbreviation YO is often asked to bear! It is not surprising that even very experienced knitters get stumped. But enough of talking about the subject, starting with the easiest to work and then moving on, here are YO variations and how to execute them. YO between two KNIT stitches: About 95 per cent of yarn overs are the classic (K1, YO, K1), which is not likely to cause trouble for too many people. To work this YO, all that the knitter (both Continental and English style) needs to do is knit the first stitch, move the yarn from the back to front of the work and then knit the second stitch. By moving the yarn to the front, it is automatically carried OVER the needle as the knitter carries the yarn back over to the back of the work to make the next knit stitch. This is the easiest way to make a YO. In fact, it is so easy that new knitters often find they have made one by mistake while switching between knit and purl. The process of working a YO between two knits LOOKS a little different when done by continental and English style knitters but the basic procedure is still bringing the yarn from the back to the front between the two knit stitches. Yarn Overs between two knits, Yarn Overs between two purls Yarn Overs Between knit and purl stitches and between purl and knit stitches Yarn overs for Continental style knitters You can work a YO between two knits by bringing the yarn from the back to the front over the right needle rather than bring it under the right needle. This will still produce a hole but you end up with a stitch oriented on your needle the wrong way when you work the next row. You can re- align it on the left needle to avoid a twisted stitch. Most likely, YOs worked this way will also be bigger than when you work them bringing the yarn forward by bringing it under the needle and there is no way to fix that. Here is a blog that has lots of photos of YOs work the right and wrong wrong way. Knitting to Stay Sane

3 YO between two purls: This is an example of where you need to wrap the yarn around the needle. It takes wrapping the yarn entirely around the needle to end up with the characteristic diagonal line of yarn over the to of the needle. Here is a link that discusses and Photo illustrates the different varieties: YO between a PURL and a KNIT: This is by far the EASIEST YO to WORK because the knitter literally does nothing extra to create the YO. The purl is worked, then with moving the yarn to the back of the work the knit is worked. I emphasize easiest to WORK because some knitters are confused by this situation because there is NOTHING to do to make the YO; you just purl, then knit, no other actions are needed. Another confusion that may arise from this scenario is when the knitter comes to this YO in the following row. The stitches look like an X on the needle, not normal looking ones. This is discussed further in the following section. YO between a KNIT and a PURL: Wrap the yarn ALL THE WAY AROUND THE NEEDLE, starting by bringing the yarn under the right needle to the front just as if you were moving from a knit to a purl. Then continue carrying the yarn back up and over the top of the needle and then to the front. Then you purl the next stitch. You might think to work this YO just by putting your needle into the stitch to purl and carrying the yarn from the back to the front to complete the stitch. After all, that is the equivalent of how you work a YO between a Purl and a Knit. Working it that way will, however, will leave you with a very odd looking combination of stitches on the next row that you have to sort out by re- orienting the YO on the left needle before you can work it. I certainly don t recommend doing it that way but mention it in case you happen to work it that way by mistake. Recap with photos. I do not have the ability to take and post photos that are anywhere as clear as do others. Here is a site that recaps what is explained above with accompanying photos. Creative Knitting on YOs

4 We ve covered YOs 101, now on to more advanced information K, YO, P vs P, YO, K A YO worked in the sequence K, YO, P often results in a larger hole than the sequence P, YO, K. The common way to work this is to bring the yarn forward under the needle after the knit and then purl. However, when you work P, YO, K there is no moving the yarn between the stitches, which can result in larger holes from the K, YO, P than the P, YO, K. If you have both sets of stitches in the same project, say a shawl with a mirror image design, you can actually work both sets of stitches the say way bring the yarn from the first stitch over the top of the needle to form the YO. In this way you will have the same size holes. You can find further, more detailed information on this here: Explaiknit Missed YOs It is very easy to miss making a YO particularly if your pattern has lots of them. Fortunately, that is a relatively easy mistake to correct. While working the next row, when you come to the spot where you missed working the YO just pick up the bar between the two stitches and work a stitch into it. The stitch notation M1 or M1K or M1P is actually what you are doing when you make this correction. Some patterns even give this as an alternative to doing a YO in the knit row and purling it in the subsequent row. Dropped (intentionally) YOs or Double YO Some patterns call for a PART of the YO to dropped in the subsequent row. This is often the case when the pattern specifies double, triple or quadruple YOs such as the Shimmer Wave Scarf. The pattern is not asking you to create two or three or more holes, but to wrap the yarn around the needle multiple times, then knit into just one of those wraps and drop the rest so as to make a bigger hole. YO at beginning of a row This may seem like an impossibility but I assure you it is easily done. For this, I thing the only way is to show you: YO at beginning of row - for English and Continental knitters Multiple YOs First of all this can sound like it is asking you to work two YOs side by side which as far as I know is an impossibility. It probably produces as much frustration and frogging as any pattern direction I can think of. It is pretty much a combination of M1FB with a YO between each of the stitches you are making in the M1FB. In the first part of a M1FB after you have pulled the new loop onto the right needle just bring the yarn forward the knit the back of the stitch. You can keep working the YOs between knit stitches into that same stitch for as many YOs as the pattern calls for. The knitter in this video is working multiple k1, yos into a knit stitch but the same can be done into a yarn over. Multiple YOs or K1, yo, K1, yo, K1 in same stitch

5 YOs in longer pattern sequences Here is an example: SSK, YO, SL1- K2Tog- PSSO In this stitch pattern, you START the YO by bringing the yarn forward after completing the SSK, then you work the SL1- K2Tog- PSSO. It is not until you have completed this sequence that you have the classic YO across the to of your needle. This is not hard to do, the knitter just has to know that the YO is really in sort of a limbo between the yarn is brought forward after the K2tog is worked. SSK worked: Yarn brought forward and Sl1 slipped to right needle:

6 K2Tog started: (Note yarn coming from right side of slipped stitch, up over top of needle and to the back to work the K2Tog) K2Tog Completed, PSSO still to be worked: PSSO Completed. YO is NOW complete. You can see the characteristic diagonal stitch across the top of the needle

7 Y O Short Rows This is a combination of two subjects many knitters find quite challenging. Rather than reinventing the wheel, I am just going to post the link to an excellent blog on the subject. SameKnit Blogspot Markers and YOS YOs also give us fits when you have a marker right next to it. It can be tricky to work the YO and still end up with the marker where it needs be. It is hard to give instructions on how to make sure the marker is on the correct side of the YO, but by working the sequence carefully and watching how the pattern develops you will gain skill in this. When NOT to YO In some patterns, some of the YOs work up to be much larger than others. The section K, YO, P vs P, YO, K on page four addresses this when cause by the difference between the stitches on either side of the YO. You might run into this working a V- Shaped shawl. For some unknown reason (at least to me) some other patterns work up with some of the YOs turning out much larger than others in the same project for no apparent reason. A fix for that is to NOT work a YO in the knit row. Instead of making the YOs in the knit row, place markers to indicate where they should be and then continue on with your row. In the subsequent row, do a M1p or M1k (make one either purl or knit style). This accomplishes a YO in one row rather than the more typical two rows and is usually results in a smaller hole. Here is two versions of instructions for the same shawl, the first with a two- row YO and the second spelling out using the M1p in place of the traditional YO. Traditional YO instructions RS Row: K3, yo, Knit to marker, slip marker, yo, Knit to next marker, yo, slip marker, Knit to last 3sts, yo, K 3 WS Row: K3, yo2, Purl to last 3sts, yo3, K3 (slipping both markers). M1p replacing YO instructions RS Row: K3, YO, knit across to the last three stitches (slipping markers as you go), YO, K3 WS Row: K3, YO, Purl across to marker, SM, M1p, purl to marker, M1p, SM, purl to last three stitches, YO, K3.

8 I am sure there is more information on Yarn Overs than I have captured here. And, I am sure there is more here than any one person needs. But the information here should cover most situations, including the one you are dealing with. I did this tutorial to help further the skill and enjoyment of fellow knitters. I would love to hear from those who it helps, as well as constructive criticism. If I can, will answer questions PMd to me. Happy Knitting ElyseKnox