Simply put, a yarn over (YO stitch) occurs when you wrap the yarn around the right needle without knitting into a stitch. It adds visual interest to your work, improves yarn tension, and is quick to learn. It is also essential for shaping when paired with decreases, easy to repeat, and helps build a clearer understanding of how stitches are formed.
Typically, its purpose is to create a decorative hole in lace knitting, but it can have other uses, such as forming button loops, increases, or even creating multiple eyelets for drawstrings or ribbons.
The YO is just a loop placed on the needle, adding one stitch and becoming part of the fabric structure as the work progresses.
Yarn forward technique
To create a yarn over, bring the working yarn to the front of your work between both knitting needles. Then you will lay the yarn over the right-hand needle. And that's it!
Working the next stitch after a yarn over
On your next row or round, you will follow your knitting pattern's instructions on how to work the yarn over. Depending on the design, this may be a knit stitch, a purl stitch, or another technique.
In some lace patterns, yarn overs are paired with decreases, such as knit two together, to keep the stitch count balanced. The result should be a little hole in your work.