English abbreviation · Crochet and knitting
What does yo mean in crochet and knitting?
yo means yarn over.
In French: jeté
How to work it
A yarn over, written “yo”, is the movement that puts an extra loop of yarn on the hook. In crochet, you bring the yarn over the hook from back to front, so that the hook catches it. The hook stays where it is; only the yarn moves.
Hold the yarn taut with your left hand and pass it over the hook, from back to front, until it lies across the hook’s throat. Now you have one more loop on the hook than before.
The yarn over then gets used up by the next movement: “pull through two loops” takes it away again. That is why a taller stitch begins with more yarn overs. A double crochet has one, a treble has two, and a single crochet has none at the start.
In knitting, “yo” means something else. The yarn is brought over the right needle to make a new stitch and a small hole, which is the eyelet in lace. In a knitting pattern, count it as a stitch on the next row.
In a pattern
Hdc: yo, insert hook in next st, yo and pull up a loop, yo and pull through all 3 loops.
Take the instruction “Hdc: yo, insert hook in next st, yo and pull up a loop, yo and pull through all 3 loops.” This is not a row but the recipe for one stitch, the half double crochet. “yo” is the first yarn over, before you enter the fabric. “insert hook in next st” puts the hook into the next stitch. “yo and pull up a loop” is a second yarn over, which you then pull back through the stitch. There are now three loops on the hook. “yo and pull through all 3 loops” is a third yarn over, pulled through all three loops at once. One loop is left.
US or UK?
Identical in gesture, but the abbreviation differs. American patterns write “yo”. British patterns very often write “yrh”, for yarn round hook, and sometimes “yoh”. All three ask for the same movement. A British pattern will not need converting for this one, only translating.
Common mistakes
- Wrapping the yarn the wrong way, from front to back. The hook then does not catch the yarn as it should, and the stitch comes out twisted. Always bring the yarn over the hook from back to front, towards you.
- Forgetting the first yarn over in a tall stitch. A double crochet without its yarn over is a single crochet; a treble with only one becomes a double. If the stitches look short, count the yarn overs.
- In knitting, forgetting that a yarn over adds a stitch. The row is then one stitch short on the next row, unless a decrease follows to balance it. Count the stitches after each row of lace.
A tip
When you learn a stitch, say the yarn overs aloud: “yarn over, hook in, yarn over, pull up, yarn over, pull through”. The rhythm sticks, and your eyes can stay on the pattern. After ten stitches you will not need the words any more.
Try it with a row from your pattern
Here is a row that uses it. Replace it with a row from your pattern: every abbreviation the reader knows is underlined, and its meaning shows on hover.
Hdc: yo, insert hook in next st, yo and pull up a loop, yo and pull through all 3 loops.