I am unfamiliar the direction “K1fb” that is knit one fb?? front to back?? Please let me know….thanks

This is a great question. K1fb is one of the increases that makes two stitches out of one. Here’s how it works:

1. K1, but do not slip knitted stitch off of the lefthand needle.

2. Swing your righthand needle around and go through the back of the same stitch you just knitted, and knit 1.

3. Slip stitch off lefthand needle.

The k1fb increase “in the wild”:

The advantages of k1fb are that it is very fast, leaves no hole whatsoever, and can be used decoratively, because of the little purl bump it creates. I will sometimes use k1fb increases on top-down raglans so that little columns of purl bumps appear along the sides of my raglan lines. K1fb also does not disrupt the previous row of knitting, like m1l or m1r, where you reach down and knit into a stitch from the previous row. Because of this, it is ideal for seed stitch or garter stitch.

The disadvantages of k1fb are that it can be difficult to execute in slippery yarns and that it is not invisible, when you want your increase to not show. I would not use k1fb, for instance, on waist shaping, where the purl bumps would be very evident.