Me again - Holes where there shouldn't be holes

[niffer]

I'm having a bad knitting night but I'm determined to finish this!

I've just done the ribbing cuff of my baby sweater, after the 9 rows of ribbing there was an increase row that was basically Rib 5, M1, Rib 5, M1.

I've knit the row after this now, and upon inspection have discovered small holes where the M1's were.

I used the M1 where you pick up the stitch from the row before - but I didn't think that was supposed to leave a hole.

Have I done something wrong?

[Jenelle]

Did you knit into the back of the M1? If you don't, it will leave a whole.

[niffer]

No - I followed the directions exactly as on the video though - I'll try that on the next sleeve, I'm not unraveling it as its too tiny to get a needle back in and the whole thing is so small that it probably won't be noticed by the recipient.

So when I put the needle under the thread on the row before, I knit into the back of that as a new stitch - is that right?

Thanks

[Ingrid]

When you lift the bar between the stitches, from front to back, there is a little loop on the needle in the back. That's what you knit into.

[niffer]

Hmmmm - I've tried it that way and although it gives a smaller hole, it still gives a hole, also I've had to do it on a couple of Purl Rows and that was so unbelievably faffy and difficult I was tearing my hair out

Is there an increase that is guaranteed not to leave a hole? Can I just cast on an extra stitch in the middle of the row?

[Ingrid]

If you cast on a stitch in the middle of a row, you'll have a hole because that stitch won't be attached to anything.

Kfb doesn't leave much of a hole, but does leave a little bar across the second stitch.

M1's, especially on thin yarn are a pain. For a purl M1, I lift the yarn from back to front and purl into the little loop in front. I find that if I can't get it in, I will put my needle into the back and then bring the needle up over the left needle under the yarn if that makes any sense.

[niffer]

Thanks guys - I s'pose when I get better at this the holes won't be so bad anyway - and in this piece they are so tiny that I'll not worry. Most of them are near the seams too, so the mess I make of that will cover up any holes

[suzeeq]

The KRL, and KLL where you knit into the loop of the stitch below on the previous row is the only one that doesn't leave something of a hole.
http://www.knittinghelp.com/knitting...s/increase.php

sue