Link: Knitting
Why decreases behave the way they do (2 rules)
- Rule #1: whichever stitch your needle enters first ends up on top. (K2tog enters st 2 then st 1, so st 2 sits on top -> slants right.)
- Rule #2: the needle must go into the hole (the actual stitch loop), not through the back loop, or you twist the stitch. This is why a left-slanting decrease (SSK) needs the slip-slip-knit dance instead of just reversing the order of K2tog.
Good mental model for why SSK/CDD/SK2P are built the way they are - see also the “Better SSK” note.
Source: Patty Lyon’s Knitting Bag of Tricks, p96-97 “Rule #1 / Rule #2”
One-move SSK (alternative to the multi-step SSK)
See Better SSK.
One-move version:
- Insert right needle into the second stitch on the left needle knitwise (through the front, entering from the right, going behind the first stitch), then also catch the first stitch.
- Knit both together in one motion, front loops, no separate slipping needed.
Same left-slanting result as SSK, done as a single motion instead of two slips + a knit. Worth comparing against the “Current better SSK method” already in the Better SSK note - this book’s version skips the slipping steps entirely.
Source: Patty Lyon’s Knitting Bag of Tricks, p100-101 “One-Move SSK”
Improved SK2P (double decrease, left-leaning)
Standard SK2P: slip 1 knitwise, k2tog, pass slipped stitch over.
The tweak: work the k2tog portion through the back loop instead of the front, which keeps the stitches from twisting/distorting at the decrease point.
Result: a cleaner, less distorted centered double decrease that still leans left.
Source: Patty Lyon’s Knitting Bag of Tricks, p104-105 “Improved SK2P”
Improved CDD (centered double decrease)
Standard CDD: slip 2 together knitwise, k1, pass 2 slipped stitches over.
The tweak: when slipping the 2 stitches together at the start, slip them separately, one at a time, knitwise, rather than both at once - this avoids twisting them and keeps the center stitch sitting cleanly on top.
Source: Patty Lyon’s Knitting Bag of Tricks, p106-107 “Improved CDD”
Central single decrease (decorative, leaning in/out)
A single decrease that keeps a strand centered/vertical (nice for the center of a rib or lace column), worked as a lifted-style decrease rather than a standard k2tog/ssk. Useful for V-neck ribbing or lace spines where you want the decrease to look centered rather than slanted.
Source: Patty Lyon’s Knitting Bag of Tricks, p108-109 “Central Single Decrease”
Twisted YO increases (M1L / M1R / P1L / P1R)
A “Goldilocks” middle ground between a plain YO (leaves a hole) and a lifted M1 (uses more yarn, harder to place):
- For M1L: make a normal YO (yarn front to back), then on the next row work it through the back loop.
- For M1R: make a backward YO (yarn back to front), then on the next row work it through the front loop.
You can make the YO on a RS row and twist it on WS (or vice versa) depending on which row you need the increase to visually land on.
Source: Patty Lyon’s Knitting Bag of Tricks, p120 “The Twisted YO”
KFS (knit front slip) - a disguised lifted increase
Like a KFB, but instead of also knitting into the back loop:
- Knit into the front loop, leaving the stitch on the left needle.
- Pivot the right needle into the remaining loop on the left needle and slip it over to the right needle (don’t knit it - just slip it).
Looks like a doubled stitch; work each loop as its own stitch on the next row. Functionally a lifted increase in disguise - useful when you want an increase without a visible “bar.”
Source: Patty Lyon’s Knitting Bag of Tricks, p124 “KFS: The Camouflage of Increases”
PFS (purl front slip) - handy for paired shaping
Same idea as KFS but on the purl/WS side: purl into the front loop (leave on needle), pivot and slip the remaining loop to the right needle.
Practical use: when you need to increase at both ends of a long RS row (e.g. every 8th row), it’s easy to forget the 2nd increase after working hundreds of stitches. Instead, work a PFS at the start of the row before your shaping row, then a normal M1 (LLI) at the start of the actual shaping row - both increases end up at the start of a row instead of one at each end, so you’re less likely to forget one.
Source: Patty Lyon’s Knitting Bag of Tricks, p128-129 “Purl Front Slip (PFS)”