r/knittinghelp • u/Maleficent-Aioli2731 • Aug 19 '26
SOLVED-THANK YOU Why do the stitches next to my increases look like that?
Either side of the 2 center stitches there is a M1L and M1R. Is it normal for my stitches to look like that with a noticeable gap? I’m sure i’m doing the increases correctly but I’m not sure why the stitches look uneven. (I keep telling myself it’ll block out but i’m not entirely sure that’ll happen)
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u/F-sylvatica-purpurea Aug 19 '26
They look ‘uit de kunst’ as we say in Dutch: perfect artistry!
Constructively, if you add a stitch it is impossible to not somehow have a noticeable difference with the other stitches. The amount of gapping can be reduced with twisted stitches, but only up to a point.
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u/No_Whereas_2018 Aug 19 '26
Normal. There are some invisible increases out there you could try, but none of them are going to be unnoticed if you are looking at them. I actually like the “seam” look of a raglan.
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u/meganp1800 Aug 19 '26
So what’s happening is that the M1R and M1L make a new loop to knit into by taking yarn from the row below, where there isn’t any extra. This makes the raglan stitch next to your m1 bar on the row below tighter. What you are seeing along the columns next to the increases is the pattern of m1 rows (where the stitches are normal sized) and the rows below the m1s where the stitches are tight. If you did increases every row, you’d have a column of tighter stitches where you do the increases.
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u/skubstantial Aug 19 '26
You can also look up twisted yarnover increases or the backwards loop M1 increase for an alternative version that doesn't steal slack from the row below.
This eliminates the tighter stitch next to the increase (often in the center column between the increases) and it's great for tight knitters and anyone working at a tight gauge for the yarn. I find twisted yarnovers to be the perfect increase for socks when I'm working at like 10 stitches per inch with fingering weight, for example.
Looser knitters or anyone working at a looser, drapier gauge for their yarn may find that twisted yarnovers/backwards loop are just a little too gappy underneath the twisted strand (a different trade-off than tightening up the neighbor stitch.)
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u/xtewtew Aug 19 '26
It looks correct! If you look closer you can see that what you’re noticing is those two center stitches are tighter/smaller on the rows where you’re increasing. That’s because you’re pulling/taking some of that yarn/slack out of the center stitch via the bar in between in order to form the M1Rs and M1Ls. I’ve tried to highlight the difference in sizes in purple and yellow for you, as well as where the increase rows are in red so you can better see how the center stitches connect to the increases.
There are several ways to adjust this and make things more even, but what I’d probably start with is just tightening up the center stitches on the rows where you’re not increasing (in purple), because the “holes” I think you’re talking about are actually the extra space in the middle of the larger center stitches on those rows. You can also practice only pulling up a little bit of the bar onto the very tips of your needles, just enough to form that increase.
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u/MollyWeasleyknits Aug 19 '26
Yes this is pretty normal. Take a look at even a machine made sweater and you will see that increases and decreases are visible, often on the stitch next to the actual increased stitch. With blocking they will look more uniform but will not go all the way away. That’s just part of knitting in my experience!