How to use the knitting increase decrease spacing calculator
- Choose increase or decrease.
- Enter the stitches now on your needle, and how many stitches to add or remove.
- Read the row as repeats, such as knit 8, increase 1, repeated 8 times.
- Work the row left to right from the first stitch, and check the stitch count after the row.
Formula
increases: plain stitches before each increase = spread of (stitches) over (number of increases)
decreases: plain stitches = stitches - 2 x decreases, spread over the decreases
stitches after the row = stitches + increases, or stitches - decreases
When the plain stitches do not divide evenly, the groups are two neighboring sizes, such as 6 and 7, placed as evenly as whole stitches allow.
Eight increases across 64 stitches
64 stitches with 8 increases give 64 / 8 = 8 plain stitches per increase. Work (knit 8, increase 1) 8 times for 72 stitches.
For 8 increases across 50 stitches, the gaps are 6, 6, 6, 7, 6, 6, 6, 7 plain stitches, which add to 50, and the row ends with 58 stitches. For 8 decreases across 64 stitches, each decrease uses 2 stitches, leaving 48 plain stitches, so work (knit 6, knit 2 together) 8 times to finish with 56 stitches.
Why decreases are different
An increase adds a stitch without using one up, so all the stitches on the needle are worked as plain stitches between increases. A knit two together uses two stitches to make one, so every decrease takes two stitches out of the pool of plain stitches. That is why the page takes 2 x the decreases away before it spreads the rest.
You can shift the pattern so the shaping sits where your pattern asks, for example by starting with half of a group. Mirror the row if you want the shaping balanced from the center.
Choosing the stitch
Increase style and decrease style are up to your pattern, such as a lifted increase or a slanted decrease. The page names the generic step so you can swap in your own. See the Knitting Gauge Calculator for stitch counts from a swatch, the Yarn Yardage Calculator for yarn, and the Crochet Chain Calculator for crochet starts.
Assumptions and limits
- Increases are made between stitches and add one stitch each.
- Decreases are made with two stitches worked together.
- The shaping is spread across the entire row. Edge stitches are not set aside.
- You can add at most one stitch for every stitch you have, and remove at most half of them, in one row.
Frequently asked questions
How do I evenly space increases in knitting?
Divide the stitches by the number of increases. If it divides evenly, work that many plain stitches before each increase. If not, use two neighboring group sizes. This page works out the exact order.
How do I evenly space decreases in knitting?
Take away two stitches for each decrease, divide what is left by the number of decreases, and work that many plain stitches before each knit two together.
What if the numbers do not divide evenly?
Some groups get one more plain stitch than others. The page lists the groups in order so the extra stitches are spread out instead of bunched.
Can I add more stitches than I have?
Not in one row. You can add at most one stitch for every stitch you have, so spread a bigger increase over more than one row.