Seen “M1” in a pattern and wondering what it means?

You’re knitting along happily, following your pattern row by row, and then you hit it — M1. Just two letters sitting there in the middle of the instructions, and suddenly you have no idea what to do.

Don’t worry — this is one of the most common moments of confusion for beginner and intermediate knitters alike! The good news is that M1 is actually a beautifully simple technique once you see it in action. And once you learn it, a huge range of patterns that previously seemed out of reach suddenly become doable.

Let’s break it all the way down!

What Does M1 Mean in Knitting?

M1 stands for Make One — and it’s exactly what it sounds like. You are literally making one new stitch that didn’t exist before, out of thin air (well, out of the bar of yarn between your stitches!).

M1 is an increase stitch — a technique that adds stitches to your needle, making your fabric wider or your project bigger. It’s one of the most commonly used increases in all of knitting, and it appears in patterns for every skill level.

You may see it written several ways in patterns:

inc 1 — increase one (some older patterns use this instead)

M1 — Make One (generic, usually means M1L by default)

M1L — Make One Left (the stitch leans left)

M1R — Make One Right (the stitch leans right)

M1P — Make One Purlwise (same concept but purled instead of knitted)

Why Do Patterns Use M1 Increases?

The M1 increase is used whenever a pattern needs to add stitches in a way that looks neat and nearly invisible. It’s one of the cleanest increases available — much less visible than a yarn over increase, which leaves a deliberate hole.

You’ll see M1 used for:

Shaping sleeves — sleeve patterns add stitches gradually using M1 increases to create the taper from cuff to underarm. A typical sleeve might say “M1L, knit to last stitch, M1R” every 6th round for a perfectly symmetrical increase.

Raglan sweaters — raglans use M1L and M1R pairs at each of the four raglan lines to shape the yoke increases. This is one of the most popular places you’ll encounter M1!

Shawl shaping — shawls often use M1 increases along the spine or edges to grow outward from a small cast on into a large triangular shape.

Hat shaping — some hat patterns worked from the crown down use M1 increases to grow outward from a small number of stitches.

Sock gussets — sock gussets use M1 increases to widen the foot before the heel turn.

Adding stitches evenly — when a pattern needs to add multiple stitches evenly across a row (like transitioning from ribbing to stockinette in a sweater), M1 increases are placed at regular intervals.

What Is the Horizontal Strand?

The M1 increase is worked into something called the horizontal strand — also sometimes called the bar or ladder between stitches.

Look at the space between any two stitches on your needle. You’ll see a small horizontal strand of yarn running between them — it connects the bottom of one stitch to the bottom of the next. This strand is always there, running along below the working stitches, but most knitters never notice it until they learn M1!

That strand is what you’ll pick up and knit to create your new stitch. Because it comes from between existing stitches rather than from the working yarn, the increase is nearly invisible in the finished fabric — no hole, no bump, just a clean extra stitch.

Step-by-Step: How to Make One (M1L)

This tutorial shows the standard M1 increase, which leans to the left (M1L). This is the most common version and what most patterns mean when they just say “M1.”

Step 1: Find the horizontal strand

Look between your two needles — specifically at the space between the last stitch you knitted and the next stitch waiting on the left needle.

You’ll see a strand of yarn running horizontally between your two active stitches. This small strand is your target — the raw material for your new stitch! It looks like a small bar or rung of a ladder connecting the two stitches at their base.

Step 2: Insert Your Left Needle From Front to Back

Insert the tip of your left needle under that horizontal strand, picking it up from front to back.

The strand should now be sitting on your left needle as a loop, with the left leg of the loop in front of the needle and the right leg behind it.

Step 3: Lift the Strand Upward

Use your left needle to gently lift that horizontal strand upward so it sits clearly on the needle as a loop. Don’t pull it too far — just enough that it’s sitting securely on the needle and easy to work into.

The strand will feel tight and resistant — that’s normal! It’s not a loose stitch, it’s a strand that was never meant to be worked, so it has very little give. Work slowly and steadily.

Step 4: Move it onto your left needle

The strand should now be fully on your left needle as a new loop, sitting right between your last worked stitch and the next waiting stitch.

This loop is your new stitch-in-progress — it exists on the needle but hasn’t been knitted yet. Take a moment to check that it looks like a proper loop sitting on the needle before moving to the next step.

Step 5: Check the Stitch Position

Look at the new loop on your left needle. It should look like a regular stitch — a loop with two legs, one in front of the needle and one behind.

Specifically for M1L, the right leg should be in front of the needle. This is the correct orientation and means your increase will lean left when completed.

If the left leg is in front instead, the stitch is twisted the wrong way and will create M1R instead of M1L. Flip it around if needed before continuing.

Step 6: Insert Your Right Needle Through the Back Loop

Insert your right needle through the back loop of this new stitch — from left to right, entering from behind the needle.

This is the TBL (through the back loop) move! Knitting through the back loop twists the stitch as it’s formed, which closes any small hole that would otherwise appear at the increase point. Without this twist, M1 increases can leave a small visible hole in the fabric.

If you need a refresher on working through the back loop, check out the Knit TBL tutorial here!

Step 7: Knit the Stitch

With your right needle inserted through the back loop, knit the stitch just like a regular knit stitch — wrap the yarn, pull through, and slide the loop off the left needle.

This will feel tighter than a normal knit stitch because the strand has very little slack. Keep your tension relaxed and take it slowly. The stitch will come through — just be gentle and persistent!

Step 8: You made a New Stitch!

You’ve completed an M1 increase! Look at your needle — you now have one more stitch than you started with. The new stitch sits neatly between the stitches on either side, with almost no visible sign that an increase happened there.

That’s the beauty of M1 — it’s one of the most invisible increases in knitting. In a finished project you really have to look hard to spot where the M1 increases are!

Why Knit Through the Back Loop?

You might be wondering — why go through the back loop specifically? Why not just knit the new stitch normally through the front?

Here’s the reason: when you pick up a horizontal strand and knit it, the resulting stitch has a tendency to leave a small hole in the fabric — similar to a yarn over. Knitting through the back loop twists the stitch slightly as it’s formed, which cinches the base closed and eliminates that hole.

The result is a clean, closed increase with no gap. That’s the whole point of working through the back loop here — it’s not about the direction of the stitch, it’s about closing the potential hole!

How to Work M1R (Make One Right)

M1R is the mirror image of M1L — it leans to the right instead of the left. The only difference is how you pick up the horizontal strand.

For M1R:

1. Find the same horizontal strand between your stitches
2. Insert your left needle under the strand from back to front (opposite of M1L!)
3. The loop now sits on your left needle with the left leg in front of the needle
4. Insert your right needle through the front loop (not the back loop) and knit normally

The result is a stitch that leans to the right — the mirror image of M1L.

When do you use M1L vs M1R? Your pattern will specify! Most often they’re used in pairs — M1L before a center stitch and M1R after it, or M1R at the beginning of a section and M1L at the end — to create perfectly symmetrical, balanced increases on both sides of your work. For example: “K to marker, M1L, sl m, k1, sl m, M1R, k to end.”

When a pattern just says “M1” without specifying L or R, use M1L as the default.

M1 vs Other Increase Methods

The M1 increase is just one of several ways to add stitches in knitting. Here’s how it compares:

M1 vs Yarn Over (YO): A yarn over creates a deliberate hole — it’s used in lace patterns where the hole is part of the design. M1 creates a nearly invisible increase with no hole. Use M1 when you want clean shaping; use YO when lace holes are the point.

M1 vs KFB (Knit Front and Back): KFB is a simpler increase that’s worked directly into an existing stitch by knitting into both the front and back loops. It creates a small bump on the right side of the fabric. M1 is more invisible than KFB and is preferred for clean shaping. KFB is easier for beginners; M1 looks more professional in finished projects.

M1 vs lifted increase (LLI/RLI): Lifted increases are worked by lifting the loop of the stitch below onto the needle and knitting it. They’re very similar to M1 in appearance and are sometimes preferred for their even cleaner result. If your pattern specifies one, use what’s called for!

Troubleshooting Common M1 Problems

I can’t find the horizontal strand. Try spreading your stitches slightly apart on the needle to make the strand more visible. The strand is always there — it’s just easier to see when the stitches on either side are stretched a little.

The new stitch feels impossibly tight. The horizontal strand has very little give compared to a regular stitch — this is normal! Go slowly and use steady pressure rather than forcing it. It gets easier with practice.

There’s a small hole at my M1 increase. You either forgot to knit through the back loop, or the stitch was picked up in the wrong orientation. For M1L always pick up front to back and knit through the back loop. This closes the hole completely.

My M1 looks like a bump on the right side. This usually means the stitch was twisted in the wrong direction, or worked through the front loop when it should have been the back loop. The result looks similar to a KFB bump. Review Steps 5 and 6 to make sure the stitch orientation is correct before knitting.

I’m not sure if I did M1L or M1R. Look at the base of the new stitch from the right side of your work. M1L leans to the left; M1R leans to the right. If it’s leaning the wrong direction, you picked up the strand from the wrong direction. No need to panic — for most casual projects it barely shows!

Frequently Asked Questions

Does M1 always mean M1L? When a pattern says just “M1” without specifying L or R, it generally means M1L (Make One Left) by default. However, always read the pattern’s abbreviation key — some designers define M1 differently. When in doubt, M1L is the safe default.

Can I substitute KFB for M1? Technically yes — both add one stitch. But they look different! KFB leaves a small visible bump, while M1 is nearly invisible. For patterns where the increase placement is decorative or visible (like raglan lines), use what the pattern calls for. For hidden increases (inside a sleeve seam or under a hat brim) either works fine.

What does M1P mean? M1P stands for Make One Purlwise — the same technique as M1, but instead of knitting the new stitch through the back loop, you purl it through the back loop. It’s used when the increase falls on a purl row or in a section of purl stitches. The pickup motion is the same; only the finishing knit vs. purl changes.

Why does my pattern use M1L and M1R together? This creates symmetrical paired increases that lean toward each other (or away from each other) on either side of a center point. Raglans, yoke shaping, and shawl spines often use paired M1L and M1R to create a clean, mirror-image increase line that frames the shaping beautifully.

My pattern says “M1, work to end” — where exactly do I place the M1? The increase is placed wherever the pattern says it in relation to the other stitches. “M1, work to end” means work the M1 first, then continue to the end of the row. “Work to last 2 sts, M1, k2” means work until 2 stitches remain, then M1, then knit those last 2 stitches. The horizontal strand you pick up is always the one between your last worked stitch and the next waiting stitch at that exact moment.

Will M1 increases show in my finished project? Barely! When worked correctly through the back loop, M1 increases are one of the most invisible in all of knitting. In a blocked finished project, even an expert knitter has to look carefully to find them. That’s what makes M1 the go-to increase for professional-looking shaping!

Learning increases is a BIG milestone in knitting — because once you understand how to add stitches, you can start shaping and creating so many more projects. Garments, accessories, socks, shawls — they all use increases to get their shape. You’ve just unlocked a whole new level!

~Angie

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