Make 1 Raised (LLI/RLI)
Photo tutorial for the raised/lifted Increase
LLI/RLI
My everyday and go-to increase is the Make 1 that is worked into the bar between stitches.
But… depending on the yarn and the stitch pattern, sometimes another increase works better and/or is more invisible. You simply have to try what works best with your yarn and pattern.
The raised (or lifted) increase — an increase that is worked into a stitch on a previous row/round — is often a good bet.
I found that it makes a much smoother top for the ZiggurHat I’m knitting right now. This hat starts with a provisional cast on with increases introduced almost right away.
With my normal go-to increase:
Rather bumpy. You can see the bumpy centre line of the crown.
With the raised increase:
Nice and smoooooth!
1. This is the stitch to raise.
2. Insert Right Needle from behind.
3. Place the stitch on Left Needle with right leg of stitch toward you.
(The ‘normal’ next stitch that was sitting above is overlapped a little.)
4. Knit the raised stitch.
The stitch on the Left Needle is still the ‘normal’ next stitch.
5. Here the ‘normal’ stitch has been knitted. You have increased 1 stitch.
Not very difficult, right!
And almost invisible. If you look closely you can see both a right-leaning and a left-leaning stitch in this fabric.
The left leaning increase is made two stitches below the last knitted stitch.
1. Raise this stitch …
2. Insert Left Needle from behind so that left leg of stitch faces front.
3. Knit into the back leg of this stitch. You have increased 1. Good!
The almost invisible increases circled.
Right-leaning on the left.
Left-leaning on the right.
Yarn in photos: Wollmeise Merino DK, Wasabi (green), Jeton (brown)
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18 Comments
How do you do a winding provisional cast on?
You can learn how in my photo tutorial. /å.
Thank you! This is the best tutorial I have seen on right and left lifted increases. I have been struggling with them cause it’s always so hard to see where to lift the stitch. Great easy to “read” pictures and explained concisely!
That pleases me. Thank you!
I agree, I have struggled with these increases, your pictures are clear, thank you.
Asa, since you have been so kind to share your techniques with us, I would like to share my Lifted Increase technique with you, as a kind of Thank You.
My trick does not stretch the stitch below and make it as OBVIOUS as the nose on Jimmy Durante’s face. Instead, the increased stitches mysteriously appear from nowhere.
RLI – On the stitch to be increased from, slip right needle into the stitch as if to purl, tip the needle point down and into the stitch below as if to knit, bring the needle and picked-up stitch to the back of the work, knit the stitch, then knit the original stitch.
LLI – On the stitch to be increases from, knit the stitch, with the left needle enter the BACK of the second stitch below, bring the needle and picked-up stitch to the back of the work and knit the stitch.
I am half Swedish and half Danish. That is why I sign as…
MJ, the SKEINdinavian
I love this additional option, thanks for posting!
Hi Asa, thank you so much for all your great tips! Do you have a way to do the lifted increases on a wrong side?
thanks in advance for your thoughts!
Sachne
Hello Sachne! Thank you!
I’d work them the same way as for rights side, but purling the lifted leg/stitch instead.
best one ever thanks
Do you mind if I link to this tutorial from one of my patterns?
Be my guest! 🙂
Thank you for asking and yes, please do.
(If this reply is strangely timed or late, I have to blame a nonfunctioning spam filter and dates that have strangely disappeared from all comments). Cheerio! Åsa
May I link to your tutorial from one of my patterns?
Most certainly! Thanks for asking! And which pattern?! (Curious!)
Thank you for the nice clear photo tutorial.
These have become my preferred increase in stocking stitch, because they don’t leave a hole. (I like kfb for textured knitting because it lets you create a purl stitch, which can be handy to fit into the stitch pattern.)
One thing that is tricky about them is that it is hard to see which row they are on. I keep a row count on scrap paper to solve this, but you could also swatch, note the row number, and then see where you should count from.
One person above asked about the purl versions. You can find instructions on the Knotions Magazine website: https://knotions.com/how-to-knit-lifted-increases/
Hi Sarah!
I’m so glad you find them useful.
Like you, I use different increases for different purposes – and swatched all last night to find a satisfactory solution for a project with stacked increases. KBF, KBS, KBFS, BL1…
Thanks for the link, too!
Hi,
Thanks for this tutorial. I’m supposed to use this for a sweater I am making. The first one is on row 2, so there really aren’t two rows for the LLI. Any suggestions? Basically, it seems like I would be using the cast on row for the LLI.
Thanks
I’m not sure exactly what you mean. Are you saying that you need to increase on the row that follows immediately after the cast on – Row 1? If so, I would probably use another increase (M1L or FL1).