How do I increase elsewhere on a row?
It’s simple to add extra stitches in rows…
When you’re working straight fabrics, you need to work one stitch into each stitch on the row below. When working increases, you need to work more than one stitch (usually two stitches) into one of the stitches on the row below – this increases the stitch count. We’ve already seen how to do this at the start of the row, but you can add extra stitches anywhere along the row using the following method. This example is worked in treble fabric, but the same applies to all stitches. Step 1 Choose the place on your fabric where you want extra stitches and mark the nearest stitch with a stitch marker. Work ‘straight’ (one stitch into each stitch) along the row until you reach the stitch marker. Step 2 Now work two stitches (2tr in our example) into the marked stitch and remove the marker. This is a simple increase – where you would normally only have one treble, you now have two trebles. Continue the row ‘straight’ (one stitch into each stitch) to the end – your stitch count should have increased by one. On the next row, you can work one stitch into each stitch or as instructed in your pattern.
Step 3 In double crochet fabric, the increase method is the same – work two dc stitches into one of the stitches below to increase the stitch count by one.
Step 4 Sometimes you need a larger increase, such as three stitches into the same stitch on the row below. This will increase your stitch count by two and create a more obvious flaring shape in the fabric. This shows you how adding extra stitches in a particular place increases the size of the fabric in that area, especially if the increase is large, or more increases are layered on top in subsequent rows. So be careful where you place your extra stitches…
Step 5 With this treble fabric, we worked Rows 1-2 straight. Then we placed one extra stitch at both ends of the row on Rows 3-5, which flares the fabric out at the sides only. Step 6 With this treble fabric, we worked Rows 1-2 straight. This time, we made two increases at the centre of the row on Rows 3-5 (two stitches into one stitch, then another two stitches into one stitch) – this flares the fabric out at the centre only.