A split is a combination of a knit and a transfer. However, unlike those operations, splitting requires two needles, one on the front bed and one on the back bed. Zero or more loops of yarn held on a needle, which performs a knit. Before the yarn is pulled through, the needle on the opposing bed grabs the loop. If the loops were first held on the front bed, in the new configuration, the new loop is held on the front bed while the previous loops are held on the back bed (splitting from the front bed to the back bed), and vice versa. Splitting is the only operation that lets users retain control of loops after knitting through them.
Splits can be used to perform width increases without leaving holes by extending the tucked loop to the next row and transferring the new loop over.
;!knitout-2
;;Machine: Kniterate
;;Carriers: 1 2 3 4 5 6
;title: Split (raw knitout)
; Split knits through the loops on an needle while transferring them to a separate needle.
x-loop-in + f2 1
x-loop-in + f6 2
x-yarn-in + f2 3
x-yarn-in + f4 4
; splitting pulls a loop through the loops on a needle while moving them to the other bed:
split + f2 b2 3
; splitting on an empty needle just creates a loop on that needle:
split + f4 b4 4
; splitting with no yarns (also called [xfer](/transfer/)) moves loops:
split + f6 b6
x-yarn-out + f2 3
x-yarn-out + f4 4
x-loop-out f2
x-loop-out b2
x-loop-out f4
x-loop-out b6
;!knitout-2
;;Machine: SWGN2
;;Carriers: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
;title: Split (raw knitout)
; Split knits through the loops on an needle while transferring them to a separate needle.
x-loop-in + f2 1
x-loop-in + f6 2
x-yarn-in + f2 3
x-yarn-in + f4 4
; splitting pulls a loop through the loops on a needle while moving them to the other bed:
split + f2 b2 3
; splitting on an empty needle just creates a loop on that needle:
split + f4 b4 4
; splitting with no yarns (also called [xfer](/transfer/)) moves loops:
split + f6 b6
x-yarn-out + f2 3
x-yarn-out + f4 4
x-loop-out f2
x-loop-out b2
x-loop-out f4
x-loop-out b6