increasing question

[alchemyfyr]

Hi. I am making my fourth sweater (three baby and one adult) and have used two ways to increase on sleeves. I have made one with the bar between two stitches and also knitted into the front and back of the same stitch. I usually make the increase on the second stitch in. Should I do it this way or on the first/last stitch of the rows? Which way do you recommend - bar or knit front/back? Thanks!
Kristy

[Rorshach]

personally, I like the bar raise, only because knitting into the front and back tends to leave a bump, for lack of a better term, in the stitches, though it could be used as a decorative stitch. Anyway, I like the bar raise because it is practically invisible.

[knitqueen]

I tend to do the bar increase rather than kfb just because I like how it looks a bit better. It is a good idea to do increases one stitch in from the edge so that you leave the edge stitch for seaming.

[alchemyfyr]

thank you for your input. I noticed when I do the bar increase that there is a hole where I pulled the bar up. Is there a way so that there is no hole? Maybe I'm doing it wrong? When I do it that way I insert the left needle tip under the bar and lift up so that the left side of the loop is now in back and the right side is in front and then knit into it knitwise. How do you normally do it?
Thank you!
Kristy

[suzeeq]

That's how you lift it, but when you knit it, knit through the back loop which twists it and makes the hole less noticeable.

sue