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Single Knit Decreases by Binka Schwan
Skill Building Winter 2018-2019
by Binka Schwan
This is the ninth article in the Skill Building series, and that is hard for me to believe! Previous articles have focused on stitch anatomy, tension, and cast-on and bind-off edge concerns. Hopefully, you understand the basic concepts already covered and are ready to build upon those skills! Learning how to shape fabric is the next step, and single decreases are the perfect place to start!
This article will address single, untwisted and twisted knit-stitch decreases that are worked on the public side of the fabric. They include the following: Knit 2 Together (k2tog); Slip, Slip, Knit (ssk); Knit, Slip, Pass (ksp); and Slip, Knit, Pass (skp). I am not going to explain how to work the decreases in this article. Arenda Holladay’s blog and YouTube videos are excellent, and I encourage you to look at them even if you know how to work the decreases. Arenda always has extra tips to share as she works through each decrease! I have included the links to videos in the reference section of this article.
In single decreases, two stitches are simply reduced to one stitch. Decreases can be twisted or untwisted and are either right-slanting or left-slanting with the slants visible on the public side of the fabric. The k2tog and the ksp are right-slanting decreases and the ssk and the skp decreases slant to the left, and they can be worked either twisted or untwisted. These decreases can all be used interchangeably in a project. Just make certain you use either all untwisted or all twisted decreases in the same project.
When decreases are used to shape a garment at the armholes, neckline, waist, or sleeve caps, these single decreases are worked along the right and the left edges of the fabric. The decreases used should always be of the same type, i.e., untwisted or twisted; and they should be “mirror images” of each other and placed in the same row. That means that if a left-slanting untwisted decrease is used on one edge of the fabric, it should be paired with a right-slanting untwisted decrease on the opposite end of the fabric. If the decreases follow the shape of the fabric, they are called blended decreases. If the decreases slant opposite to the slope of the fabric, they are called full-fashioned.
Decreases should not be worked in the first or last stitches of the row if seaming or picking up stitches is to be done. There should be at least one selvedge stitch next to the decrease. My personal preference for placement of decreases in garments is to have 2 stitches next to the decrease. The closer the decreases are to the edges, the more unobtrusive they will be in the finished garment. All swatches in this article are worked with 2 stitches next to each decrease. The Master Hand Knitting program requires 3 stitches before or after the decreases, and you can certainly use that placement in your own work if you choose.
Figure 1 shows an example of blended, untwisted decreases, using the ssk at the beginning of the fabric and the k2tog at the opposite end. The fabric is sloping inward, and the slant of the decreases matches the slope of the fabric, with the ssk slanting to the left (inward) and the k2tog slanting to the right (inward). The blended, untwisted ssk and k2tog decrease combination is the most traditional use of mirrored decreases when using decreases for shaping garments.
Figure 2 shows the right-slanting, untwisted ksp at the beginning of the fabric and the left-slanting, untwisted skp at the end of the fabric. Since these decreases slant opposite to the slope of the fabric, they are considered to be full-fashioned. I think you can see that the two types of mirrored decreases shown in these two figures produce very different visual results. Blended decreases blend into the fabric and are virtually invisible. Full-fashioned are noticeable and more decorative.
You never want to use the same decrease on each end of the fabric when shaping. Figure 3 shows an example of the left-slanting ssk decrease used on both the right and left edges. Since the decreases are the same, and they slant in the same direction on both edges, they do not mirror one another and are neither blended, full-fashioned, nor attractive!
One of the challenges in working mirrored decreases is to keep the decreases the same size on both edges of the fabric. The goal is to have the decreases on one edge of the fabric match the decreases on the other edge in size and appearance, but that can sometimes be difficult to do.
Let’s look at the k2tog paired with the ssk. The k2tog decrease is a neat and tidy decrease because the knitter is simply knitting two stitches together and not overly-stretching the stitches as they are being worked. The maneuver is simple. But the ssk involves slipping stitches knitwise, one at a time, from one needle to the other and then knitting them together through the back loops. This extra action can cause stretched stitches because the stitches may have been pulled too much when transferring them from needle to needle. If a stitch is pulled, or the fabric is stretched between the needles when transferring stitches, or the stitches are worked too loosely, extra yarn can accumulate. This causes the ssk decrease to look large and sloppy when compared to the k2tog. The decreases can look mismatched because of this size difference even though they are considered to be “mirrored” decreases.
Figure 4 shows the overly large ssk paired with the tighter k2tog. The result is not as pretty as that shown in Figure 1. Experimenting with the different decreases to see if certain pairs are better matched than others can help you make your project look handmade rather than homemade. There is nothing wrong with using a ksp rather than a k2tog matched with a ssk or a skp if the end result is visually more appealing.
When reviewing decrease swatches for the Master Hand Knitting program, I often tell the knitter to take extra care to “baby” the stitches and keep the needles close together, trying not to stretch the fabric between the needles when working the decreases. And I tell them that another way to “baby” the stitches or minimize stretch is to work decreases on the tips of the needles. Work the entire decrease using the tip of each needle, moving the decreased stitch to the barrel only after the maneuver has been completed. Long, tapered lace needles are perfect for decrease maneuvers that are worked on the tips. This will most likely be one of the ONLY times I will tell you to knit on the needle tips!
Another trick to minimize the stretch of the stitch is to manipulate the top stitch after each decrease has been made to even it out. Using a tapestry needle, gently adjust the enlarged slanted stitch and the surrounding stitches in the same row so that the size of all the stitches in the row become more uniform. By doing this, you can adjust the amount of yarn in these stitches to match each other better. Figure 5 shows an example of this.
Everything that has been said about untwisted, single knit decreases applies to twisted single knit decreases. An untwisted decrease is one where the stitches being worked together match the fabric, with the base (V) of each stitch untwisted. All figures in this article up to this point show untwisted decreases.
A twisted decrease is where the stitches are twisted at the base (V) and do not match the overall fabric. It is not the resulting single stitch that is twisted, but the stitches below the new stitch that are. Twisted stitch decreases are used as a decorative element and can make the shaping “pop” because of the visual effect. Twisted decreases can also be tighter and smaller because they are twisted. In addition, they may have a different gauge than untwisted decreases. Figure 6 shows an example of full-fashioned, twisted ssk and twisted k2tog decreases. Note how the decreased stitches appear tighter and neater because of being twisted. And note that they do not match the surrounding fabric because they are twisted.
Knitters sometimes produce twisted decreases and may not even be aware they have done so. As can be seen in the accompanying technique videos, making untwisted decreases requires that stitches be slipped KNITwise. Slipping a stitch as if to knit will mount the stitch correctly once it is worked or passed. If the stitches are slipped PURLwise or remounted prior to working the stitches, the result will be stitches that are twisted at the base because the mount of the stitch(es) was not maintained. Therefore, the rule of thumb for forming an untwisted decrease is to slip all stitches knitwise. In Arenda Holladay’s twisted decrease video referenced in this article, she shows you how to work each twisted decrease. They are a bit more work than untwisted decreases, but if that is the effect you want, it is worth it. Twisted decreases are most often used in lace knitting.
I hope that this article has provided a good foundation for you for knit-side single decreases! Purl-side and multi-stitch decreases will be addressed in the next article of the Skill Building series. Stay tuned!
Videos supporting techniques in this article
How to work skp and ksp decreases
Bibliography
Editors of Vogue Magazine, Vogue Knitting, the Ultimate Knitting Book. Sixth and Spring Books, 2002.
Hiatt, June Hemmons. The Principles of Knitting. Simon and Schuster, 2012.
Holladay, Arenda. “Decreases – Part 1”. Cast On, Spring 2005, pp. 22-24.
Holladay, Arenda, “Decreases – Part 2”. Cast On, May-July 2005, pp. 16-17.
Schwan, Binka. “Decreases – Part 1 Revisited”. Cast On, Summer 2014, pp. 65-66.
Schwan, Binka. “Decreases – Part 2 Revisited”. Cast On, Aug.-Oct. 2014, pp. 69-70.
Stanley, Montse. Reader’s Digest Knitter’s Handbook, The Reader’s Digest Association, 2001.
Figure Legends
Figure 1: Blended, untwisted decreases.
Figure 2: Full-fashioned, untwisted decreases.
Figure 3: Left-slanting decrease on both sides of fabric.
Figure 4: Overly large ssk paired with k2tog
Figure 5: Using tapestry needle to adjust size of decrease
Figure 6: Full-fashioned, twisted decreases
Pattern Associated with this Article — Easy-Peasy Cabled Fingerless Mitts
Copyright 2018, The Knitting Guild Association, Cast On Winter 2018-2019, All Rights Reserved
