We don’t use double decreases often, but when we do need to make one stitch out of three, we have a choice – an awkward “knit 3 together”, a tricky centered double decrease, or a time-consuming “slip, slip, slip, knit” (SSSK) decrease.
But what if we need to make several double decreases in the same row, and we are not particularly worried about the slant of the stitch that results from each decrease?
I had this dilemma when I was making a gift for my friends’ baby girl. It was a lovely bonnet with a ruffled edging at the front. The ruffles are created by making one stitch out of three, and that means that the whole ruffle-forming row was made up of double decreases, sixty-six of them.
In this situation, it is good to use the easiest and the quickest way to decrease two stitches. After testing all double decrease methods that I could come up with, I discovered that the best option is a simplified variation of the classic SSSK decrease.
Here’s how to make it step by step.
If you are a visual learner, watch every step in the video tutorial:
STEP 1
Insert the tip of the right needle from left to right into the first stitch on the left needle.
Ease the left needle out slipping this stitch knitwise to the right needle.
STEP 2
Insert the tip of the left needle from left to right into the slipped stitch so that the left needle is at the front of the right needle.
Push the tip of the right needle a bit farther so that it enters the next two stitches on the left needle.
STEP 3
Wrap the tip of the right needle with the yarn and pull this wrap through making one stitch out of three.
Because this method is a variation of the left-leaning “slip, slip, slip, knit” decrease, the resulting stitch slants to the left, but this slant is offset by the other two stitches. This forms a more balanced decrease that looks more like a fan than a line with a sharp angle.
This decrease is more neutral and it is perfect in situations when we make ruffles, decrease stitches in the middle of a row and in other cases when we need to make one stitch out of three without forming a distinctive slant.
Another quick and easy way to decrease two stitches is to knit three stitches together through the back loop, but this method produces a twisted stitch that is quite visible in most cases.
SAVE IT FOR LATER:
This and 36 other in-depth tutorials are part of Knitting Collection #7.
