What Does YO Mean in Knitting?
YO stands for yarn over — one of the simplest stitches in knitting, and one of the most powerful. A yarn over creates a new stitch and, simultaneously, a small deliberate hole in the fabric. In lace knitting, those holes are the pattern. In stockinette, an unexpected hole is a mistake. Understanding how yarn overs work — and how to do them correctly in every stitch context — will make you a significantly more confident knitter.
What a Yarn Over Does
A yarn over increases your stitch count by one. Unlike other increases (like M1 or KFB), a yarn over doesn't go through an existing stitch — it simply wraps the working yarn over the right needle between two other stitches. That wrap becomes a new stitch on the next row.
Because there's no stitch below the yarn over (just a wrap of yarn), it leaves a hole. This is not a mistake in lace — it's the entire point. The yarn over is almost always paired with a decrease (k2tog or SSK) somewhere on the same row to keep the stitch count neutral. The decrease removes one stitch; the yarn over adds one. The result is the same number of stitches with a decorative hole.
How to Work a Yarn Over in Every Context
The actual motion of a yarn over is always the same — bring the working yarn over the right needle — but where the yarn starts and ends changes based on what stitches are on either side of it.
Between Two Knit Stitches (Most Common)
After completing a knit stitch, the yarn is at the back of the work. To work a YO: bring the yarn from back to front, under the right needle, so it's hanging in front. Then knit the next stitch as normal — as you insert the needle into the next stitch and bring the yarn to the back for the wrap, the loop in front becomes the yarn over. One new stitch created.
Between a Knit and a Purl Stitch
After a knit stitch, yarn is at back. For a YO before a purl: bring yarn to front under the needle (same as above), then continue bringing it over the top of the needle to the back, then back to the front again for the purl position. The loop over the top is the yarn over; the yarn in front is ready for the purl stitch. This is a larger motion than the knit-to-knit yarn over.
Between Two Purl Stitches
After a purl stitch, yarn is already in front. For a YO between two purls: bring the yarn over the right needle from front to back, then back to front again under the needle, ready for the next purl. The loop over the needle is the yarn over.
Between a Purl and a Knit Stitch
After a purl stitch, yarn is in front. For a YO before a knit: bring the yarn over the right needle from front to back. The loop over the needle is the yarn over; the yarn is now at the back, ready for the knit stitch. This is the simplest of the four cases.
Working the Yarn Over on the Next Row
When you reach a yarn over on the following row, it will sit on the needle as a loop. Work it as you would any other stitch — knit it or purl it depending on the pattern. It may feel loose and wobbly on the needle. That's normal. When you knit or purl through it, it will tighten up and the hole below will form cleanly.
One pitfall: some knitters accidentally work a yarn over through the back loop on the next row, which closes the hole and twists the stitch. Lace patterns almost always want yarn overs worked through the front loop — just knit or purl as normal and let the hole exist.
Yarn Overs in Lace vs Accidental Yarn Overs
In lace patterns, yarn overs are deliberate. Every YO in a lace chart or written pattern is placed intentionally, and removing one will collapse the pattern symmetry. If you drop a yarn over or forget one, you'll notice the pattern breaking down — either a hole is missing, or your stitch count has dropped by one.
In stockinette knitting, a hole is always a mistake. The most common cause is an accidental yarn over — the yarn ended up wrapped over the needle between two stitches without you intending it. This often happens when:
- You bring the yarn to the front before a knit stitch instead of keeping it in back
- You set your work down and pick it up with the yarn on the wrong side
- You lose your place in a ribbing pattern and work a stitch incorrectly, causing the yarn to loop over the needle
If you see an unexpected hole in stockinette, look one or two rows back — that's usually where the accidental yarn over occurred. If you catch it before the next row, you can simply drop the yarn over off the needle. If it's been worked, you'll need to drop the stitch and ladder back down to fix it, or treat it as a design element and add a matching one on the other side.
Counting Yarn Overs in Your Stitch Count
Yarn overs count as stitches. If your pattern says "k3, yo, k3 — 7 sts," the yo is the seventh stitch. A common beginner error is to skip counting yarn overs in the stitch count, resulting in a steadily increasing stitch count and a widening piece of fabric.
At the end of every pattern row or round, count your stitches and compare to the expected number. If you have one extra, you've probably worked an accidental yarn over. If you have one fewer, you may have skipped an intentional one.
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