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How to increase evenly across a row
Every knitter has hit this line. “Increase evenly” means spreading the new stitches out so your fabric grows smoothly, with no bunching in one spot. The pattern almost never tells you where each one goes, so here’s how the calculator figures it out.
- Count the gaps. Worked flat, the increases sit between stitches but not at the very edges, so there is one more section of plain stitches than there are increases. In the round, the sections and increases match.
- Divide the plain stitches between the gaps. 48 stitches with 6 increases worked flat gives 7 sections. The calculator keeps the two edge sections half-size so the shaping sits away from your seams.
- Write the repeat. For 48 stitches:
k4, M1, *k8, M1; repeat from * 5 times, k4. That makes 54 stitches.
When the numbers don’t divide neatly
Most of the time some sections are one stitch longer than others. The calculator spreads the longer sections through the row instead of piling them at the end, and the stitch map shows exactly where each shaping stitch lands.
Decreasing evenly
A decrease such as k2tog or sc2tog uses two stitches and leaves one. The plain stitches left over are spread the same way. The most you can decrease in one row is half your stitches.
Abbreviations
| Abbreviation | Meaning |
|---|---|
k4 | Knit 4 stitches |
M1 | Make one: lift the strand between two stitches and knit into the back of it |
kfb | Knit into the front and back of the same stitch |
k2tog | Knit two stitches together |
sc2tog | Single crochet two together (US). UK: dc2tog |
Questions
Should increases go at the start of a flat row?
Usually not. Increases on the edge stitch make seaming and picking up stitches harder. That’s why the calculator leaves a few plain stitches at each end.
Does this work for crochet in the round, like a hat crown?
Yes. Choose Crochet and In the round. For 30 stitches and 6 increases you get “*sc in next 4 sts, 2 sc in next st; repeat from * 6 times”, which makes 36 stitches.
My pattern says “increase 10 evenly” but I only have 8 stitches. Now what?
With M1 increases that can’t fit in one flat row. Work the increases over two rows, or use a method that adds two stitches at once. The calculator tells you when the numbers won’t fit.
Can I use this for picking up stitches or placing buttonholes?
Yes. To space 6 buttonholes along a band of 80 stitches, enter 80 stitches and 6 decreases worked flat, then work a buttonhole wherever the result says k2tog.