I decided to do a tutorial on yarn overs, since there can (and is) often times a lot of confusion on the topic. When I first began knitting, I was good with the YO - yarn over. But then I started seeing things like yon, yrn, yfwd... I didn't quite understand what I was supposed to do. I thought it was a yarn over, but then again, it seemed different. It must be different, otherwise the pattern would just say YO, right? As a result, I avoided anything that contained these goofy instructions. Somewhere along the way, I figured out that these were all yarn overs, and the only difference was yon, yrn, etc. were there to indicate how the yarn was treated, depending on whether the next stitch was a knit or purl. These days, whenever I see any of these directions, I just make a yarn over and don't even worry if I am going over the needle, around the needle or whatever. I know my working yarn has to be in the front when I purl, and in the back when I knit, and that my yarn will be going over the needle. So I just throw the yarn over my needle, place it in the correct position, and make my next stitch. It really is that simple.
I know a lot of knitters are very passionate about this topic. For me, as I said above, they are all yarn overs, and I don't get too particular what "kind" of yarn over it is. I just do it. I knit to relax, and really don't need to stress over a hole in my knitting.
Here is a printable reference guide on yarn overs, including what to do when you forget to make one and what to do when you make one you don't need. There is also a video which demonstrates everything on the sheet. I hope this helps anyone who may be as confused as I was. Happy Knitting!
