How difficult are knit decreases?

K2tog and SSK knit decreases are easy to do! The hardest part of these decreases is remembering which way each one slants.

SSK vs K2TOG: Which Way do They Angle

If you’re having trouble keeping track of which direction each decrease leans, or need a quick reference guide, we’ve included a quick at-a-glance guide at the end of this tutorial!

Join the ChristaCoDesign Newsletter

Never miss a pattern!

The are different ways of decreasing the number of stitches and they result in stitches that lean in different directions. The ssk is a right leaning decrease. It works well when you are working in stockinette stitch and decrease stitches are on the right side.

Since k2tog decreases are opposite to ssk decreases you can create a balanced look, especially with visible decreases on the knit side.

Tips & Tricks

Sharp points matter!

The sharper your needle tips are, the more nimble they are. Sharp points take a lot of frustration out of complex stitches and also makes it less likely to accidentally drop a stitch at the wrong time.

Keep your stitches at the tips of your needles.

Knitting needle tips taper to a point which means you have about a ¼” of needle that you can slide your stitches to for a extra breathing room. While there’s a slight chance you’ll accidentally drop a stitch when you’re working so close to the needle tips, it’s worth gaining a little maneuverability. Try using your pointer fingers to pin stitches to your needles as you insert the other needle and draw yarn through to keep your stitches from slipping off!

How to

Here is the tutorial video 👇👇 (youtube video 853 x 480)

Following is a brief direction with some pictures.

1: Slip the first stitch knitwise: Insert the right needle into the 1st stitch on the left needle as if to knit. DO not knit, but slip the stitch off from the left needle and transfer onto the right needle.

2. Slip the second stitch knitwise. You have two slipped stitches on the right needle.

3. Transfer those 2 slipped stitches back to the left needle. Slipped stitches are now twisted.

4. Knit those two stitches together through back loop.