I'm knitting an aran sweater for my favorite baby niece (okay, my ONLY baby niece), and I've hit a snag in the pattern.

I'm working in moss stitch (AKA seed stitch, I believe), and I'm supposed to increase one stitch at the beginning and end of the row every other row (an increase of two stitches) while keeping to the pattern.

Any suggestions? I thought about doing the following: On my first stitch (knit stitch), purl the stitch and then knit into the back before sliding it to the other needle. At the end of the row, I'd purl the last stitch, and then knit into the back of that stitch before sliding it to the other needle. Is that the best and easiest way to do it?

However you choose to increase, the best place for it is in the last stitch before the end, and with moss or seed stitch it incorporates best when you have an odd number of stitches in the row, and you can add the increase in on a knit stitch at the edge and then purl into it in the next row.

I agree with dances...Increase at the end...think of it akin to increasing in any pattern...generally at the beginning and at the end You just have to remember to keep track where you are..

If you're on a row where the first stitch is going to be a knit, and you have to add a stitch before that, what I'd do is purl and knit into the first stitch--Purl but don't slide it off, put the yarn in back and then knit into the same stitch.

At the end of the row, you do the same thing, but do whatever the last stitch is and then either knit or purl again into that stitch also.

E

The thing I like, that works for me, is this:

Assuming the end stitch is a K, P the end stitch, then pick up the thread between the end stitch and the next stitch, twist it (now it looks like a brast-cancer ribbon), then knit the picked-up-twisted stitch. You get a smooth edge instead of a lumpy one, no hole, no funny-looking anything.