How to Position Yarn Overs on Consecutive Right- and Wrong-Side Rows

A wrong-side row can contain new yarn overs as well as stitches worked into earlier yarn overs. It is not automatically a plain purl row. The Knitting Guild Association describes lace with yarn overs and decreases on every row, demonstrating that consecutive-row patterning is an established construction. Follow the actual wrong-side instructions rather than inserting an unrequested plain row. Yarn Overs in Creating Lace by Debbie West

Keep two separate questions in view: Which loop do I work next? and Where does the instruction ask me to make a new loop? An existing yarn over is already on the left needle. A new yarn over is formed with the working yarn on the right needle. Treating these as separate actions makes sequences such as p1, yo, p2 much easier to follow.

For the standard yarn over used here, the essential movement is from the front of the work over the right needle to the back. The preceding stitch determines the starting position; the following stitch determines where the yarn must finish. These four combinations follow the Guild’s illustrated instructions. Creating the Yarn Over

Stitch before → stitch after	Yarn movement for one standard yarn over
Knit → knit	Bring yarn forward between the needles, then over the right needle to the back. Knit the next stitch.
Purl → purl	Take yarn from the front over the right needle to the back, then bring it forward between the needles. Purl the next stitch.
Knit → purl	Bring yarn forward between the needles, over the right needle to the back, then forward between the needles again. Purl the next stitch.
Purl → knit	Take yarn from the front over the right needle to the back. Knit the next stitch.

Read the table as yarn preparation followed by the next separately instructed stitch. For example, in k3, yo, k2, knit three existing stitches, make the wrap, then knit two existing stitches. Do not insert an additional knit stitch as part of the yarn-over instruction.

When you reach a standard yarn-over loop on the next row, knit or purl it normally when the pattern calls for an ordinary stitch. Working into that loop stabilizes the eyelet. If a decrease includes the loop, follow that decrease instead. Ysolda’s tutorial demonstrates working a previous yarn over and explains how its treatment affects the opening. Learn to Knit: Yarn Over

For a straightforward open eyelet, avoid twisting a normally mounted yarn over unintentionally. Working through its back loop twists it and reduces the opening. A reverse yarn over has a different mount, so instructions for working it can differ; check any special technique notes before applying the standard method. Ysolda’s explanation of closed and reversed yarn overs

A useful working habit is to pause just before each yo: identify the next existing loop, make the new wrap, then resume the written instructions with that same existing loop still waiting on the left needle. This separates placement from stitch consumption.

The following illustrative exercise isolates placement. It deliberately increases from eight to twelve stitches and is not a constant-width lace repeat. Use spare smooth yarn and suitable needles. Abbreviations are k for knit, p for purl, and yo for yarn over; a number means work that many stitches.

1. Cast on 8 stitches.
2. Work one setup row: p8. Turn and designate the next row as the right side.
3. Row 1, right side: k3, yo, k2, yo, k3. 10 stitches.
4. Row 2, wrong side: p3, yo, p4, yo, p3. 12 stitches.
5. Row 3, right side: k12.
6. Row 4, wrong side: p12.
7. Bind off all 12 stitches on the following row.

On Row 1, the two yarn overs divide the original stitches into groups of three, two, and three. After turning, the ten loops are encountered in this order: three ordinary stitches, an old yarn over, two ordinary stitches, another old yarn over, and three ordinary stitches. This symmetrical arrangement makes the return-row positions easy to track.

On Row 2, purl the first three stitches and make a new yarn over. The next loop on the left needle is the first old yarn over: purl it as the first stitch of p4. Purl the two ordinary stitches, then the second old yarn over to complete that group of four. Make the second new yarn over and purl the last three stitches.

The fully expanded Row 2 is therefore: p3, new yo, purl old yo, p2, purl old yo, new yo, p3. Each new wrap sits beside an earlier yarn-over loop, outside the central group. Nothing requires an extra stitch to be knitted or purled into the fabric below to create either new wrap.

Check the arithmetic before continuing: Row 1 starts with eight stitches and adds two; Row 2 works all ten existing loops and adds two more. The expected totals are ten and twelve. This count is specific to the exercise, where no decreases offset the increases.

Use the written repeat as your placement map. Turning reverses the order in which you encounter the fabric’s stitches, so a position counted from the beginning of a right-side row should not automatically be reused from the beginning of a wrong-side row. In an asymmetrical motif, label each row separately rather than relying on the apparent location of the previous hole.

For a practical example of consecutive-row lace, Darn Good Yarn’s Trellis Lace uses a four-stitch repeat with yarn overs and decreases on both rows. Its second row pairs a yarn over with a purl-two-together decrease, keeping the count unchanged. This demonstrates how an active wrong-side row differs from the increasing exercise above. Trellis Lace Stitch Knitting: How-To Video + Written Pattern

Before starting each repeat, identify its beginning, read through its last instruction, and note its expected stitch count. At the end, check both count and sequence. A misplaced yarn over can leave the total correct, so counting alone cannot confirm that the opening is in the intended location.

The path of the yarn between neighboring stitches can affect the size of the opening. Designer Jill Wolcott documents alternative yarn-over movements before a purl stitch to produce smaller or larger openings. Those variations are useful when a pattern specifies them or when testing an adjustment in a swatch. YO yarn over — Jill Wolcott Knits

First confirm that the wrap is present and positioned correctly. Then compare several repeats before changing technique. If you experiment with a reverse wrap, record how you will work it on the return row so the changed mount does not accidentally twist the opening. Ysolda explains the relationship between reverse yarn overs, stitch mounting, and eyelet formation. Learn to Knit: Yarn Over

Use this diagnostic sequence before starting another row:

1. Confirm the row. Read the right-side or wrong-side instructions you actually need.
2. Find the first mismatch. Compare the worked sequence from the row’s beginning or a known repeat boundary.
3. Check each new yarn over. Verify that a wrap was made without consuming an extra existing stitch.
4. Check the old yarn overs. Confirm that each was worked according to the current row’s instructions.
5. Check the decreases. In a constant-count repeat, confirm that the specified decreases were completed.
6. Compare position as well as total. Locate each opening relative to the surrounding stitches before proceeding.

Two yarn overs on successive rows also differ from a double yarn over on one row. A double yarn over involves multiple wraps together and may require alternating knit and purl stitches—or another specified treatment—on the following row. Follow those instructions separately. Ysolda’s multiple-yarn-over tutorial

For your next patterned row, keep the current instructions beside the knitting and distinguish every existing loop from every new wrap. Work the counted swatch until that distinction is clear, then apply the same sequence checking to your lace repeat. Accurate placement becomes easier when each yarn over has an explicit place between the stitches you are working now.

• Yarn Overs in Creating Lace by Debbie West — The Knitting Guild Association
• Learn to Knit: Yarn Over — Ysolda
• YO yarn over — Jill Wolcott Knits
• Trellis Lace Stitch Knitting: How-To Video + Written Pattern — Darn Good Yarn