What a yarn over is supposed to look like
In lace knitting, a yarn over (yo) creates an intentional hole paired with a decrease. The hole should be open and visible but consistent in size with the other yarn overs in the row. When you look at a swatch of lace, the holes should form a regular, even pattern — each one roughly the same size as its neighbours.
A yarn over that's too loose looks out of place: noticeably larger than the others, creating an ugly, stretched-looking gap rather than a neat hole. Sometimes the stitch adjacent to the loose yo gets pulled out of shape as well, making the problem area look even messier.
Cause 1: Generally loose tension
If all or most of your yarn overs are larger than they should be, the issue is overall tension rather than a single mistake. Lace knitters often knit loosely, which is partly intentional — blocking opens up the lacework — but if your tension is dramatically looser than the pattern's gauge, the finished fabric will be floppy and the holes oversized.
The fix for this is to swatch at a smaller needle size until the gauge matches. If you're mid-project and discovering this problem, consider whether the finished size will still be acceptable. Sometimes a slightly larger, looser lace shawl is fine. If you're making fitted garments or the size matters, restart with smaller needles.
You can also tighten up individual yarn overs by pulling the adjacent stitches gently after working each one — the yarn distributes between stitches, and tugging a neighbour can take up a bit of slack.
Cause 2: Accidental double yarn over
This is the most common single-stitch culprit: you wrapped the yarn around the needle twice instead of once, creating two loops where there should be one. A double yarn over produces a very large hole — often twice the size of a normal yo — and may look like two stitches sitting on the needle where you expected one.
How it happens: you bring the yarn forward for the yo, begin the motion for the next stitch, and the yarn wraps again by accident. It's easy to do when you're knitting quickly or your hands are tired.
Fixing a double yo on the same row
If you catch it immediately — within the same row — drop the extra loop from the needle. You'll have one loop remaining where there should be one loop. Continue as if nothing happened.
Fixing a double yo discovered on the next row
When you work the row above a double yo, you'll encounter two loops on the needle. The pattern likely calls for working one stitch into this yo. Work the first loop as instructed, then drop the second loop from the needle without knitting it. The excess yarn will redistribute into the surrounding stitches. This creates a slightly looser stitch but is far less noticeable than the original oversized hole.
When the double yo is intentional
Note: some lace patterns call for a deliberate double yarn over (written "yo twice" or "yo2"). In this case the next row instructs you to work one stitch into the first loop and either drop or purl the second loop, creating a larger, more elongated hole. This is a design element, not a mistake. Check your pattern instructions carefully before "fixing" something intentional.
Cause 3: The yarn was thrown too loosely
In some knitting styles (particularly Continental style), the yarn over can be worked more loosely than in others because the yarn comes from the left hand rather than being thrown from the right. If you're working in a style where the yo tends to run large, you can compensate by working each yo with a slightly shorter yarn wrap — keep the tension in your left hand (or the throw from your right) firm as you go over the needle.
Can blocking fix a loose yarn over?
Blocking redistributes the yarn within the fabric and can smooth out minor size variations between yarn overs. If one yo is slightly larger than its neighbours, wet blocking and pinning may bring it into better conformity with the rest. This works best on natural fibres (wool, alpaca, silk blends).
Blocking cannot fix a structural mistake — a double yo that you've knitted on rows above will still show as a visibly larger hole even after blocking. The hole may become more even at the edges, but the extra yarn is still there.
Pulling adjacent stitches to redistribute yarn
On a completed piece, if a single yo is slightly too large and blocking hasn't resolved it, you can use a tapestry needle to gently redistribute yarn from the oversized yo into the adjacent stitches. Insert the tapestry needle into the yo loop and the adjacent stitch, gently pull the excess yarn toward the neighbour, and continue nudging it around the surrounding stitches until it disappears into the fabric. This is a finishing technique — it's fiddly but it works for small discrepancies in woven or knitted fabric.
Prevention habits for lace knitters
- Count your stitches at the end of every lace row and compare to the expected count. Catching a double yo (or a missing yo) one row later is much easier than finding it after several rows.
- Use a row counter or paper chart to track where you are in the pattern repeat. The most common time to accidentally make a double yo is when you lose your place and re-work a step you've already done.
- Work at a consistent speed — rushing leads to sloppy yarn overs.
- Keep your swatch visible while working. Looking at the correct fabric regularly helps you recognise when something looks wrong.