So where do you put the yarn?!? I thought since the stitch before is a k1 you just keep the yarn in the back but that way it just turns into a tangled mess. It might just be because it’s a setup row but I’m going insane trying to make it work.
2nd question, should designers who put YOs in setup rows be swatted? (Only slightly kidding) 
1 Like
It’s going to feel awkward, but do your normal YO move, then bring your yarn to the front again. Then purl. You need to end up with a YO on your right needle that will count as a stitch. It feels like you’re going around too many times, but you’re not!
I’m describing this as a right hand thrower, but the principle will be the same, even if you’re a left hand yarn carrying continental picker.
6 Likes
It is the same basic move for a yarn over whether the yo is preceded by a knit or purl stitch. The yarn goes from the bottom of the right needle in front of the needle to the top of the needle and then down the back. If it is purl yo purl or knit yo knit, the yarn makes a full 360 wrap around the needle. If it is knit yo purl, the wrap is a bit more than 360 and with purl yo knit it is a bit less than 360.
If you point your needle at your face after your yarn over, the yarn should be wrapped in a counter clockwise direction. If it is wrapped in a clockwise direction, you have made a reverse yarn over which you rarely want to do (some patterns specify this stitch in order to have smaller holes in the lace).
I’m a continental knitter (picker) and as pdxknitterati stated, it is the same no matter which style you knit.
6 Likes
Got it! I’m going to attack it again this afternoon as yesterday it was making me so grumpy. I think I might have always made yarnovers the wrong way which is perhaps the crux of the issue! Jamie that’s was a super good description for me. Really helped me to visualize what was meant to happen.
Thanks!
3 Likes
This is a good video tutorial from Purl Soho for doing yarn overs before and after knits and purls:
4 Likes
Oh this is also great!
So I was overthinking it, not using super correct form, on a setup row, and my needles are SO dull. I’ll correct that asap with an ESK order.
Thanks you guys! This was living proof that, no matter how long you knit, simple things can hang you up!
2 Likes
My technique for creating a YO between a knit and purl stitch differs -
I bring the yarn over the needle from back to front which:
- more closely mimics the length of the YO from knit to knit and knit to purl. (Yay)
- causes the YO to lay in reverse (uh-oh)
If you choose this method you must be mindful of #2 and work into the back of the YO on the return row or following round, to keep it open.
This technique balances the size of the YO’s, which is what I would prefer in my fabric.
6 Likes
Glad it helped.
A year or so ago I was knitting a shawl and needed to pm the designer about a pattern error. She had written yarn over in a spot where only a reverse yarn over would work (otherwise you would lose a stitch on the following row). She wrote back that “who knew there was more than one way to do a yarn over?” Funny thing was, elsewhere in the same pattern she had you do a regular yarn over, and a reverse yarn over would not have worked there.
This type of confusion is apparently not rare.
1 Like