How to Increase Using a Knit Front & Back (KFB)

The knit front and back increase is a simple increase that looks beautiful in your knitting. In this video, Jen Lucas explains this knitting increase and shows how it looks in both garter stitch and stockinette stitch. As she points out in the video, when the knit front and back increase is worked on a background of garter stitch, it blends nicely into the fabric. When this increase is worked in stockinette stitch, the bar that is created from working the increase is much more visible, though that can be used to create a lovely decorative effect in your project.

Knit Front and Back (KFB)

You will often see the knit front and back increase abbreviated as kfb or k1f&b in your knitting pattern. Always be sure to check out the abbreviations section of your knitting pattern to find this information. To work the knit front and back increase, you’ll knit into the front of the next stitch but leave the original stitch on the lefthand needle. Bring the righthand needle around to the back of the lefthand needle. Insert the right needle into the back of the stitch and knit the stitch again. You’ll then drop the stitch off the left needle. As Jen demonstrates, the new stitch that is created makes a bar to the left of the old stitch. You’ll sometimes see the knit front and back increase also called a bar increase.

Working the knit front and back increase is very simple and is used in a wide variety of projects from baby sweaters to shawls. It’s a great increase to have in your knitting toolbox for your next project.