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If you are reading this post chances are that you have come across a section in your knitting that calls for you to m1 or make 1 and you’re not sure what that means exactly.
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So What does M1 mean in knitting terms then?
“Make 1” or M1 is one way of increasing in knitting. You have to make another stitch where there was not one before. There are other ways of increasing stitches. The most popular one is when you knit into the front and back of a stitch.
Advantage of M1 over other increasing methods
One of the advantages of using the M1 method is that this technique gives a more invisible increase than the other methods.
M1L and M1R
You can also be asked in a knitting pattern to M1L and M1R which means having the increased stitch leaning to the left or to the right-hand side of your work.
If you are only asked to M1, with no details as to whether it should lean left or right – just do the method you find easier which is probably going to be M1L
Here is a useful video tutorial that explains this technique
How to do the M1R Method
- knit to the place where you need to add a stitch
- Look for the horizontal bar of yarn between 2 stitches
- with right hand needle pick up that bar of yarn from front to back
- transfer from the right-hand needle to the left needle by lifting yarn from back to front onto the left needle
- knit the loop made by knitting in a normal way through the front of that loop
- it will be a tight squeeze as you’re making a stitch from very little yarn
You will notice that in the first part of the method you are transferring the horizontal bar of yarn lifted from between the 2 stitches from the right needle to the left one then knitting it. You could miss out the first step, and just lift the bar of yarn using the left needle first going in through the back and then knitting it through the front of the loop. Some people find it easier to move from the right to the left first. Try both ways to see what is easier for you to do.
How to do the M1L Method
- knit to the place where you need to add a stitch
- Look for the horizontal bar of yarn between 2 stitches
- take the right needle to lift the horizontal bar of yarn going from front to the back
- transfer that bar of yarn from the right needle to the left by going from the front to the back
- now knit the loop you have through the back of the loop
Again you could miss out on the first step and pick up the strand of yarn using the left needle and going from front to back then knit it through the back of the loop.
So there you have the 2 ways of doing the M1 method in knitting. These stitches are often used in making things like mittens and gloves.
For more tutorials on how to do more knitting techniques visit the Learn to Knit section.
