How to increase double stockinette stitch

A step-by-step tutorial showing you my favorite increase for double knitting that’s neat and easy.

There’s a lovely knitting stitch pattern called Double Stockinette stitch. It’s fully reversible and doesn’t curl. Despite being a form of double knitting, you only need one skein. However, a lot of people are unsure how to increase it and this tutorial is all about it.

Once you understand that all stitches come in pairs and you simply have to place your increases between two knit stitch columns, it couldn’t be easier. The trick is to squeeze in the increase on the backside in between two purl stitches. It’s really that simple. Here’s what I mean:

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Instructions: How to increase in double stockinette stitch

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Double stockinette stitch is a form of double knitting. Thus all increases come in pairs and you have to place one on the front and one the back side of your project. Here's a super simple right-leaning increase using KLL.

Active Time 2 minutes

Total Time 2 minutes

Materials

• Any yarn works. I am using the Schachenmayr Catania Grande in this tutorial

Tools

• Any knitting needle works. I am using the Addi Olive wood needles here

Instructions

1. Knit to the position where you want to place the increase You'll place it after a knit stitch.
   
2. Insert your left needle into the left loop of the stitch two rows below the one on your right needle.
   
3. Lift that loop back to the left needle.
   
4. Knit the lifted loop through the back loop.
   
   
5. Place a stitch marker.
   
6. Continue knitting across in pattern until you hit the stitch marker on the back side in the next row.
   
7. Remove the stitch marker and slip the next stitch purlwise with yarn held in front.
   
8. Insert your left needle into the stitch two rows below the first knit stitch on your right needle (so the 2nd stitch).
   
9. Lift this loop back to the left knitting needle.
   
10. And knit it through the back loop.
    
11. Continue knitting across in pattern.
    

Notes

You can use the exact same principle and knit a left-leaning increase using KRL - Knit right loop.

In this case, you lift the right loop of the next knit stitch one row below back to the left needle.

And then you knit that extra loop through the front loop.

Then you place a stitch marker, and continue in pattern. When you hit the stitch marker again, you remove it, slip one purlwise with yarn in front and you knit another KRL.

Increasing with M1L and M1R

The little tutorial above shows you how to increase double stockinette stitch using lifted increases. I do feel they are both neat and easy to knit. However, maybe your project requires a different increase or you find those a bit too difficult or cumbersome. Well, here’s the good news: You can also increase using M1l & M1R.

Step 1: Identify the strand between two adjacent knit stitches. If you look closely, you can see how it skips across the purl stitch. Basically, this strand is a result of slipping all purl stitches with yarn held in front.

Step 2: Lift that strand back to the knitting needle from behind.

Step 3: Knit it through the back loop (and place a stitch marker).

Step 4: Continue in pattern until you hit the stitch marker, remove the marker, slip 1 stitch purlwise with yarn in front.

Step 5: Lift the strand between the two adjacent knit columns back to the knitting needle from behind.

Step 6: Knit another M1L through the strand connecting the adjacent knit stitches.

Other increases

Once you understand the general principle behind this technique, you can basically use any other knitting increase on this planet. It really boils down to squeezing in the increase on the back side in between those two purl stitches. You don’t need a cable needle, you don’t need to shuffle around stitches, etc.

I know, it seems to be super complicated and daunting if you don’t know the trick. In the end, I believe it’s just a simple twist to standard increasing and you have to do it twice.

Anyway, that’s how I increase double stockinette stitch. Comment below if you have any questions.