M1 in knitting means to make 1 stitch, which is a method of increasing the number of stitches on the needle. This is used for shaping in knitting.
Instructions
- Knit to where you want to increase
2. Pull your two needles apart a bit. You should be able to see a little strand connecting the two stitches one row below.
3. Lift that strand back to your left needle coming in from the front.
4. Insert your right needle into the loop you just lifted coming in from the front.
5. Wrap the working yarn around the needle counter-clockwise
6. And pull the yarn through.
7. Drop the resulting stitch off the left needle. There is your m1.
Notes
This is the most simple form of this increase. It will result in a visible eyelet or hole as you knit across.
Typically, when patterns want you to “make one” they actually refer to M1R or M1L. These are a bit more complicated to perform. Click here see how to M1R or M1L are made. However, especially when it comes to older patterns, the instructions are precisely what you need to perform and it is important to note that M1 and M1L are actually two distinct (but related) stitches!