How to knit and remember M1L and M1R stitches

Have you spent time in Facebook knitting groups? I love combing through there and helping knitters whenever I can and learning new stuff. One question that seems to keep coming up is how to knit a M1L (make one left) stitch without getting holes. This one knitter watched lots of videos. She was positive she was doing it right. Yet she couldn’t understand why there were still holes in her knitting.

This got me thinking about the little tips and truisms I use to remember how to do the (M1) make one stitches correctly. I wrote her a reply with the tips. Then I thought you might like to read these knitting tips and truisms too.

The M1 stitches create an invisible increase in knitting. The abbreviation M1 is often used in patterns interchangeably with M1L. So, if the pattern doesn’t specifically state M1L, you can knit a M1L or a M1R, whichever you prefer. I think it would be helpful to have a quick refresher on how to knit these stitches before learning the tips.

How to knit the M1L

Insert left needle, from front to back, under the strand of yarn which runs between next stitch on left needle and last stitch on right needle; knit this stitch through back loop; (1 stitch increased).

If you would rather watch my Knitting Quickie Video featuring the M1L, here it is. There is no talking in this video, just soothing music. So sound is not needed, but having it on or off is up to you.

How to knit the M1R

Insert left needle, from back to front, under the strand of yarn which runs between next stitch on left needle and last stitch on right needle; knit this stitch through the front loop; (1 stitch increased).

Again, if you would rather watch my Knitting Quickie Video this time featuring the M1R, here it is. There is no talking in this video, just soothing music. So sound is not needed, but having it on or off is up to you.

Tips for Avoiding the Holes

Although the instructions are simple enough, we knitters still end up with holes in our knitting. It’s also very easy to forget which stitch is which when knitting them. These tips and truisms will help you to avoid those holes and be able to tell them apart.

Notice that many of the tips below are the same for both stitches while some only vary slightly. It could just be me playing Captain Obvious, but I’ve bolded the most important part of some tips to further aid you.

5 Tips for knitting M1L

1. The M1 or M1L stitch leans to the left.
2. The M1L is a twisted stitch. The bottom legs must be crossed. This is what prevents the holes when you knit it.
3. Knitting the M1L is fiddly. If it seems too easy to get your needle under the leg to knit it, then chances are you knitting into the wrong leg; or the yarn was not lifted correctly onto the left needle.
4. When you lift the yarn onto the left needle, notice which ” leg” or side is shorter – front or back. For the M1L, you will ALWAYS be knitting into the shorter leg in the back.
5. Insert your right needle into this back leg (it’s behind the left needle tip) the same way you would for a ktbl stitch, resulting in a twisted stitch.

5 Tips for knitting M1R

1. The M1R stitch leans to the right.
2. The M1R is also twisted stitch. The bottom legs must be crossed. This is what prevents the holes when you knit it.
3. Knitting the M1R is also fiddly. If it seems too easy to get your needle under the leg to knit it, then chances are you knitting into the wrong leg; or the yarn was not lifted correctly onto the left needle.
4. When you lift the yarn onto the left needle, notice which ” leg” or side is shorter – front or back. For the M1R, you will ALWAYS be knitting into the shorter leg in the front.
5. Insert your right needle into this front leg (it’s in front of the left needle tip) the same way you would for a knit stitch. Because of the way the yarn is positioned on the needle, it will get twisted as you knit into it.

How to Remember the difference between M1L and M1R

A common issue here is remembering which stitch is which. However, I do have a way for you two easily remember them and how to work each one. The memory phrases below are based on educational studies that say if you want the best grades or in our case stitches, sit in the front row of the class.

Knitting mnemonic to knit M1L:

Don’t get Left Behind. If we break it down, left tells it’s a left leaning stitch – the M1L. Behind reminds you knit the leg that’s behind the needle.

Knitting mnemonic to knit M1R:

Sit Right in Front. In this one, right is for right leaning, and front reminds you to knit the leg on the front of the needle.

One Knitting Mnemonic for M1L & M1R

If you put these memory phrases for M1L and M1R together you get something that helps you distinguish one from the other while reminding you how to knit them. We’ve now combined them into this tidy mnemonic:

Don’t get left behind, sit right in front.

The individual phrases are still interpreted the exact same way as above. We’ve simply put them in an order that makes logical sense, (left goes on the left, right goes on the right), while helping us remember the difference between the those stitches. Notice that the M1L phrase is on the Left and the M1R is on the Right side. More of my Captain Obvious persona at work here, but it really helps to point this out. To be honest, I couldn’t remember the individual mnemonics correctly until I put them together into the tidy knitting phrase: Don’t get left behind, sit right in front.

Is it the end of the world if you knit a M1R instead of a M1L or vice versa? Not really. Both are knit stitches and both are (nearly) invisible. In garter stitch, I can’t tell them apart without tugging hard on the knitting to see the stitches. Hopefully the 6 tips for knitting the M1L and M1R along with the mnemonics will help you with your knitting.

Do you have a knitting mnemonic to share? Share it with everyone in the comments below.