Make 1 Purl Right and Make 1 Purl Left Increases Step by Step

“Make one” is arguably the most popular increase in knitting. And there is a good reason for that – this way to increase stitches is simple and easy-to-remember. It doesn’t create a hole and works well in most situations.

Usually, there increases are made on the knit side of the work, but sometimes we need to make an increase that adds a purl stitch, not a knit one. It happens when we make increases in every row, or when the fabric is worked in a reverse stockinette stitch.

Even though the slant of the increase is hardly visible on the purl side of the fabric, it matters when the increases are building increasing lines on the knit side of the project.

That’s why there are two ways to “make 1 purl” – make 1 purl right and make 1 purl left. The name is determined by the slant of a strand that is formed underneath the newly-formed stitch.

In both cases, the new stitch is purled from a strand between two stitches.

Let’s see how it works step by step.

If you make paired increases to shape a raglan line, a V-neck of a top-down sweater or add the mirrored increasing lines to any other part of your project, work the “make 1 purl right” increase at the right side of the fabric, and “make 1 purl left” at the left side.

The increasing lines won’t be very prominent on the purl side of the work, but they will look lovely on the knit side of the project.

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