# [Choose increase direction](https://threadcabin.com/explore/152/choose-increase-direction)

> Choose the increase by lean, visibility and whether a hole is intended. For lifted-bar increases, mount and work the bar as specified to control the twist.

- Canonical page: https://threadcabin.com/explore/152/choose-increase-direction
- Language: en
- Published: 2026-09-25T17:26:33.4992712+00:00
- Updated: 2026-09-25T17:26:40.5086735+00:00
- Craft: Knitting
- Primary image: [Illustration: Two small knitted panels shaped with evenly distributed directional increases, with the slanting lines clearly visible in the fabric.](https://threadcabin.com/images/explore/focused/shaping.jpg)

Choose the increase by lean, visibility and whether a hole is intended. For lifted-bar increases, mount and work the bar as specified to control the twist.

## Before you start

Use smooth, light yarn and a small sample that matches the lesson’s flat or circular construction. Mark the right side and record the starting stitch count. Follow the pattern’s own stitch key.

## How to do it

1. For a common closed M1L, lift the bar between stitches onto the left needle from front to back, then knit its back loop. For M1R, lift from back to front and knit its front loop. Each turns the lifted bar into one twisted, closed increase.
2. Try one of each on a 12-stitch sample: 14 stitches should remain. A yarn-over instead lays yarn over the needle without using that bar, leaving a deliberate hole. Follow the pattern when it names another increase or uses a different stitch mount.

## Try this example

Place mirrored increases on either side of a marked center stitch. Compare a closed increase with a yarn-over on a spare row so the intended eyelet is not mistaken for an error.

## Check your result

- Count live stitches, trace one column and inspect both faces. Compare the relaxed edge with the middle of the sample before repeating the operation on a project.
- Stitch names and mounts vary between knitting styles. Follow the required fabric structure and pattern key rather than assuming every front loop is the correct entry point.

## Sources

- [www.purlsoho.com: make one right m1r make one left m1l](https://www.purlsoho.com/create/make-one-right-m1r-make-one-left-m1l/)
- [www.garnstudio.com: lessons.php](https://www.garnstudio.com/lessons.php?show=knitting&cid=19)
- [journals.aps.org: PhysRevX.8.021075](https://journals.aps.org/prx/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevX.8.021075)

[Browse editable craft templates](/crafts?craft=knitting)

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## Sources and provenance

- [Reading knitting charts: rows, rounds, symbols, and repeats](https://threadcabin.com/explore/17/reading-knitting-charts-rows-rounds-symbols-and-repeats)
- [Understand knit and purl formation](https://threadcabin.com/explore/137/understand-knit-and-purl-formation)
- [Recognize stitch orientation and twists](https://threadcabin.com/explore/138/recognize-stitch-orientation-and-twists)
- [Distribute shaping across stitches and rows](https://threadcabin.com/explore/151/distribute-shaping-across-stitches-and-rows)
- [Why stockinette curls and balanced structures behave differently](https://threadcabin.com/explore/10/why-stockinette-curls-and-balanced-structures-behave-differently)