# [Balance lace increases and decreases](https://threadcabin.com/explore/157/balance-lace-increases-and-decreases)

> Calculate each row’s net stitch change. Yarn-overs add stitches; decreases remove the number specified by their construction, which may exceed one.

- Canonical page: https://threadcabin.com/explore/157/balance-lace-increases-and-decreases
- Language: en
- Published: 2026-09-25T17:26:33.5374045+00:00
- Updated: 2026-09-25T17:26:40.5293113+00:00
- Craft: Knitting
- Primary image: [Illustration: An airy knitted lace swatch with balanced eyelets and diagonal decreases, a complete central motif and neat partial motifs at its shaped edges.](https://threadcabin.com/images/explore/focused/lace-structure.jpg)

Calculate each row’s net stitch change. Yarn-overs add stitches; decreases remove the number specified by their construction, which may exceed one.

## 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.

## Try this example

Two yarn-overs balanced by one double decrease produce no net change. Mark incomplete edge repeats separately so an omitted decrease does not widen the panel.

## 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.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)

[Report a correction](/corrections).

## 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)
- [Preserve lace repeats at edges](https://threadcabin.com/explore/158/preserve-lace-repeats-at-edges)
- [Choose increase direction](https://threadcabin.com/explore/152/choose-increase-direction)
- [Why stockinette curls and balanced structures behave differently](https://threadcabin.com/explore/10/why-stockinette-curls-and-balanced-structures-behave-differently)