DIY Knitting: how to make a knitting increase?

Knitting is a manual activity far from being a has-been. On the contrary, it is totally trendy. It is one of the favorite creative hobbies of women creators, it is even addictive. It can be practiced in front of your Netflix series, in public transport or on Thursday nights in a knitters' club.

Are you new to knitting? Don't panic, you're in the right place! We've prepared a series of videos with the basics of knitting for you. Learning to knit has never been so easy, get started!

In this video, you will learn how to make a knitting increase, in other words how to add stitches to a knitted fabric. In the language of knitters, an augmentation means that you will add one or more extra stitches to your work. This technique is essential for making sleeves in knitwear or for making a shawl.

How do you increase a knitted fabric?

We will explain the different types of augmentation: end of row augmentation, beginning of row augmentation and interlock augmentation.

1. To make a knit increase at the beginning or end of a row (this is the easy method):

• Step 1: Knit the desired number of stitches by hand.
• Step 2: Then resume knitting as normal.

2. To make the technique of interlock increase in knitting (without hole): it is an increase that is made between the stitches. With this method, we avoid small holes between the increased stitches. No stress, it is still easy to do with a little practice.

• Step 1: Knit the number of stitches indicated in your pattern. At the point where you want to add stitches, pick up the parallel yarn with the right needle, from front to back. Swing the yarn over to the other knitting needle.
• Step 2: Knit this stitch as normal. That's it, you've got one more stitch. Repeat if you need to add more stitches.
• Step 3: Continue knitting until the end of the row.

Making a trendy shawl is the perfect way to practice an increase in bartacking. Feel free to check out our knitting tutorials for inspiration.
Follow our tips and tricks from our toolbox to learn how to knit. The basics of knitting will no longer hold any secrets for you!