Increasing is another important function which you will need to be able to perform when making many knitted articles. This will be indicated in instructions as M1 (Make One) or Inc (Increase). Here are some of the different ways of doing it.The easiest way of all is to make a yarn over - if knitting, take the yarn forward between the needles and knit the next stitch as usual. This will form a decorative hole which can be very attractive in a line of increases. If purling, take the yarn round the needle in the same direction as you do when purling a stitch and then continue as normal.

One way to increase is to look at the work on the needles. Between the stitches below the loops on the needles is a little bar. Pick up this bar onto the left hand stitch, just as you would pick up an ordinary stitch loop, and knit into it. Simply knitting into the bar as usual can cause an unwanted hole to form in the knitting; you can tighten it up a little by knitting into the back loop of the stitch instead of the front loop. This will twist it and close up the increase hole.

If you want your increase to be almost invisible, you can slip the tip of the right hand needle through the back of the stitch underneath the loop on the left hand needle. Then slip this stitch back onto the left hand needle and knit into it and the original stitch loop that was the next stitch.

Another increase that I love is the loop increase much favoured by Elizabeth Zimmermann. This particular increase is great for every other row increases at the edge of the knitting, as it does not form a tight edge, nor does it leave you with rows that don't match when you come to sew up. To do this one, form a loop as shown and slip it onto the right hand needle tip. Then carefully draw it up to match the tension of the other stitches. Twisting the loop in the opposite direction will form a mirror image stitch, useful in paired increases for sleeves and similar items.

To round off, here are another two relatively invisible increases. In the first one, you will be instructed in the pattern to knit into the front and back loop of the next stitch. To do this, knit the next stitch as normal but don't take it off the left hand needle. Instead, slip the tip of the right hand needle into the back of this stitch and knit. Then slip the whole stitch off the needle. Another one you may come across is often used when you have yarn overs in the previous row. You will be told to knit and purl into the next stitch. To do this, simply knit the next stitch as usual but again don't let it slip off the left hand needle. Now bring the yarn forward for purling and purl into the same stitch. Now you can let the stitch slip off the needle.