Decrease (knitting) - Methods of Single Decreasing (knitting)

Methods of Single Decreasing (knitting)

When more than one stitch is suspended from a stitch, they can hang in different orders. For example, the first stitch could be on top of the second stitch (when seen from the right side) or the reverse, leaning to the left or the right. The order of stitches is important, both for appearance and for the way it pulls the fabric.

• K2tog ("knit two together") -- Work to the two stitches to be decreased, insert the right-hand needle into the first two stitches as if to knit, wrap yarn around needle in normal manner, slip the two stitches off together and drop them. This creates a right-leaning decrease.

• SSK ("slip, slip, knit") -- Work to the two stitches to be decreased, slip two stitches one at a time to the right-hand needle, as if to knit; insert the left-hand needle into the two stitches from front to back, knit the two stitches together and drop them. This creates a left-leaning decrease.

• S1, K1, PSSO ("slip one, knit one, pass slipped stitch over") -- This results in a similar look to the SSK but can appear less tidy. Work to the two stitches to be decreased, slip next stitch to the right-hand needle as if to knit, knit next stitch, pass slipped stitch over knit stitch. Also creates a left-leaning decrease.

• K2tog tbl ("knit two together through the back loops") -- This looks similar to the SSK or S1, K, PSSO, but is faster to work. Work to the two stitches to be decreased, then insert the right hand needle into the backs of the next two stitches (i.e. behind the left-hand needle, such that the two needles are anti-parallel in the stitches). Wrap the yarn normally and slip the two stitches off the left needle. This makes a left-leaning decrease.