The Right Way to Double Decrease?

Left, right, and center—I love seeing a well-chosen double decrease show up in my knitting projects. As I was heading out on a quick trip, I cast on a Coco’s Wrap by Susanna IC in a yummy sport-weight from Morehouse Farm Merino. The lace motif is simple, but using double-decrease stitches that are centered, left-leaning, and right-leaning makes the pattern work visually—and keeps me engaged.

Find the pattern for Coco’s Wrap in the Farm & Fiber Knits Library.

How it started: Yummy Morehouse Farm Merino 2-Ply Sport. Photos by Kate Larson unless otherwise noted

If you are new to double decreases, they are how we reduce three stitches into one stitch, and you'll most often find them in lace patterns. There are quite a few options, each with its own quirks and bias. Are they interchangeable? No, but at the end of the post, I'll list some advice for breaking the rules.

Chart symbols for decreases show how the stitch will lean—or not. A centered double decrease is worked in the middle of the motif shown.

Centered Double Decrease

If you asked me what is my favorite knitting stitch, it would be the classic centered double decrease. You slip two stitches as if they are one (like you're going to k2tog), knit the next stitch, and then pass the two slipped stitches over the k1. The center stitch of the three worked falls on top, so this decrease creates a beautiful point without leaning left or right. Brilliant.

[PAYWALL]

Right-Leaning Double Decrease

Left- and right-leaning decreases allow us to create bias, and we often use them to create mirrored effects. In general, right-leaning decreases are usually straightforward. Knitting two stitches together (ktog) or knitting three stitches together (k3tog) pull stitches from the left needle onto the right needle, allowing us to easily create a tidy right-leaning stitches as we work across a row.

Right-leaning double decrease: K3tog.

Left-Leaning Double Decrease

Left-leaning decreases—whether single or double—can be especially fussy since we are asking them to lean in the opposite direction to how we work across a row of stitches. (Most of us are moving stitches from left to right, but we are asking these decreases to appear like they are leaning back to the left. Susanna used an sssk (slip 1, slip 1, slip 1, knit all three together) in Coco's Wrap as a left-leaning double decrease. Since all three stitches are slipped as if to knit first, they are resituated on the needle and appear to lean to the left once knitted together. It's a great stitch to know.

Left-leaning decrease: Sssk.

Can I just use the one I prefer?

Maybe. Which double decrease you choose can dramatically impact some knitting patterns. For example, if you are working a lace diamond motif that should come to a crisp point, the pattern will likely need a centered double decrease to look right. Using a k3tog might make the top of the diamond look like it is melting off to the right. But sometimes there are good reasons to reconsider:

1. Garter lace patterns. In traditional Shetland lace, you'll often just find k2tog rather than mirrored ssk and k2tog stitches. This is because the garter ridges that are a hallmark of this tradition obscure the decreases quite a bit, and when knitted at a fine gauge. . . which decrease you choose doesn't really matter. And most knitters find k2tog a super fast and easy stitch.

2. The stitch suggested isn't a good fit for your yarn. If you are working with a low-twist plied yarn, ssk and sssk stitches can sometimes look untwisted. If you are trying to follow the pattern and an sssk just isn't working well, you can look online for alternatives. I would suggest trying a sl, k2tog, psso (slip one as if to knit, knit two twogether, pass the slipped stitch over). This is typically considered a left-leaning decrease, but it is also fairly centered and can look like either depending on the situation. For example, it is the traditional centered double decrease used in Estonian lace.

3. Because you said so. I am a firm believer that you are in charge of your knitting. If you really, really prefer one decrease or another, work a small swatch using that stitch instead of the suggested decreases and see what happens. Sometimes the difference is so minor that it is well worth choosing an enjoyable stitch instead of a struggle.

—Kate

Photo by Gale Zucker

Photo by Gale Zucker

Subscribers can find the pattern for Coco’s Wrap in the Farm & Fiber Knits Library.