Invisible Increase

In speaking of increases, a lot of knitting patterns have you do a Make one increase (M1).
Often,
this tends to be the favored increase for almost all the patterns I've worked, up to this point. I love stockinette stitch, and do a lot of sweaters using this simple pattern. Some of the stockinette sweaters I have done in the past call for M1 increases along the side of the sweater to give more fullness in the hip area, and along the underside of the sleeve. This type of increase is a lot more visible and tends to leave a small hole where you made the increase. Making an increase by picking up the right leg of the stitch in the row below, placing that right leg of the stitch on your left needle and then knitting that new stitch from the back, leaves a near visible increase. This is my favorite increase and I usually substitute the M1 increase in the pattern for this more invisible increase. I think some may have called this type of an increase a "lifted increase," because you are lifting the right leg of the stitch below and will be knitting into that lifted stitch. Here I have some photos showing where to put your needle to lift the stitch below, and a swatch that has two increases in it. You should be able to faintly see where the increases are. Had I used a smaller needle to work my swatch, I doubt you would see the increases at all. Work up a swatch and practice this increase I promise you will love it! Once you wash and block, I challenge you to try and find the increase.

So once again here is how you do the increase.

Place the tip of the right needle into the right leg of the stitch directly below the first stitch on the left needle. Lift this right leg and place it on the left needle then knit into the back of the stitch. You have just made one increase that is flat having no leaning, left or right. This is the increase I used in the Comfy Cardigan below.