yo — Yarn over (Abbreviation)

yo stands for "yarn over" — wrapping the working yarn around the needle without working a stitch, creating a new stitch out of thin air. Unlike most increases, which pull extra fabric from an existing stitch, a yarn over adds a genuinely new loop with nothing behind it, which is exactly why it leaves a visible, deliberate hole in the fabric.

Why the hole is the point, not a flaw

Every other common increase (kfb, M1) is designed to be as invisible as possible. Yarn over does the opposite on purpose: the small eyelet hole it creates is the entire basis of lace knitting, decorative buttonholes, and any other pattern deliberately using open, airy structure as a design element rather than trying to hide it.

How the wrap direction changes by context

A yarn over's exact wrapping motion depends on what stitch comes immediately before and after it — between two knit stitches, the yarn simply wraps over the top of the needle from front to back; between a knit and a purl, or a purl and a knit, the wrap direction adjusts so the resulting loop sits correctly oriented on the needle. Getting this direction wrong doesn't ruin the hole itself, but it can twist the resulting stitch in a way that looks subtly different from a correctly wrapped one.

Yarn overs are always paired with a decrease

Because a yarn over adds a stitch with nothing removed, lace patterns almost always pair every yarn over with a corresponding decrease elsewhere in the row, keeping the total stitch count stable while the decrease's position (relative to the yarn over) shapes the lace motif. A yarn over used without a matching decrease is a genuine increase, adding real width — the pattern's intent determines which is meant.

Related abbreviations

• k2tog / ssk — the decreases most commonly paired with yo in lace patterns to keep stitch count constant
• m1 — a different kind of increase that doesn't leave a hole, used where invisible shaping (not lace texture) is the goal

FAQ

Does a yarn over count as a full stitch on the following row? Yes — a yarn over is worked as its own stitch (knit or purled, per the pattern) on the row after it's made, and it counts fully toward your stitch total from that point forward.

Can a yarn over be dropped or "unraveled" like a mistake, or does it hold securely once worked? It holds securely once a subsequent row has worked into it — but on the row it's created, before anything is worked into it, a yarn over is genuinely loose and can slip off the needle more easily than an ordinary stitch, so handle freshly made yarn overs with a bit of extra care.