Read Knitting Patterns with Decreases

The Dec instruction in a Knitting Pattern

If you read a knitting pattern with Dec in the instructions, how do you know what kind of decrease to do?

The answer can differ based on the type of project you are making.

Occasionally, the pattern designer will tell you what to do. But more often than not, you're on your own.

Here is some information about decreases in knitting, and in particular, a decrease in which two stitches on the old needle become one stitch on the new needle. (Double decreases, where three stitches become one, will not be covered in this article.)

Knitting Decreases Slant

When you examine a decrease carefully, you will see one of two results: either the right stitch covers the left stitch (making a left-leaning decrease), or the left stitch covers the right stitch (making a right-leaning decrease).

So if you are looking for symmetry (say in armhole shaping for a sweater, or in some lace patterns), then you probably want one of each type.

The most commonly used right-leaning Knit decrease is the K2tog (Knit 2 stitches together).

Here are the two most commonly used left-leaning Knit decreases:

• SKP (Slip 1 stitch knitwise, Knit 1 stitch, Pass the slipped stitch over the knitted stitch)
  
• SSK (Slip 1 stitch knitwise, Slip another stitch knitwise (don't do both at the same time), Slip both stitches purlwise back onto the old needle, then knit the two stitches together through the back loops)

Purl-based decreases are uncommon, but they do occur.

The most commonly used left-leaning Purl decrease is the P2tog (Purl 2 stitches together).

There are two commonly used right-leaning Purl decreases:

• P2togtbl (Purl 2 stitches together through back loops).
  
• SSP (Slip 1 stitch knitwise, Slip another stitch knitwise (don't do both at the same time), Slip both stitches purlwise back onto the old needle, then purl the two stitches together through the back loops)
  

Decreases in a Sweater Knitting Pattern

Now we have identified the usual decreases for knitting. Now what?

When you are working the armhole or sleeve cap shaping for a sweater, the pattern writer will just say "Dec 1 stitch at each end of row nnn".

So, as a general rule, do the following:

• On the right side: Knit 1 stitch, SSK or SKP, work in the stitch pattern for the sweater until 3 stitches remain, K2tog, Knit the last stitch.
  
• On the wrong side: Purl 1 stitch, P2tog, work in the stitch pattern for the sweater until 3 stitches remain, SSP or P2togtbl, Purl the last stitch.
  

If you follow that general rule, you will get a nice diagonal line of decreases where the armhole is shaped.



If you do not want that diagonal line (because it might look strange with the characteristics of the main stitch pattern for the sweater), then the following suggestions will actually hide the decreases:

• On the right side: K2tog, work in the stitch pattern for the sweater until 2 stitches remain, SSK or SKP.
  
• On the wrong side: SSP or P2togtbl, work in the stitch pattern for the sweater until 2 stitches remain, P2tog.
  

There are three basic differences between these sets of guidelines:

1. Different types of decreases are worked at opposite ends of the knitted fabric.
   
2. In the first set of instructions, the decreases are worked one stitch from the edge; in the second, they are worked right at the edge.
   
3. In the first set of guidelines, the diagonal slant of the decreases is quite visible; in the second, the decreases are almost invisible.
   

Decreases in Lace Knitting Patterns

On a lace knitting pattern, the pattern designer very likely has incorporated the lean of the decreases into the lace design, so most lace patterns will specifically tell you which decrease to use. Here is an example:

Row 2: K4. * K2tog. YO. K1. YO. SKP. K5. Rep from * until 9 sts rem. K2tog. YO. K1. YO. SKP. K4.

Notice how the K2tog and SKP "frame" the YOs (Yarn-overs). The different lean of the two decreases provides a mirror image to the lace pattern.

For more information

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