Previously, I told you about the SSK decrease. SSK stands for “slip slip knit”, but working the decrease entails a bit more than that, visit the tutorial to learn more about it! However, because you slip 2 stitches with a traditional SSK, you also risk stretching the stitches out a bit. So, smart folks thought of a different way that involves less slipping and therefor less risk of stretched out stitches, and thus a smoother left-leaning decrease.
Below, I’ll show you how to work the improved SSK decrease step by step.
Materials
Yarn: Paintbox Yarns Simply DK, a good value, good quality 100% acrylic yarn, here in the color Marine Blue.
Needles: This is a pair of straights that I picked up at the second-hand store when I started knitting, brand unknown.
Working the SSK decrease step by step
- Work your way across the row until you’ve reached the point where you want to make the decrease.
In this case, I’m using the same swatch as I did for the regular SSK. This time, I’m working the decrease 4 stitches in from the left side of the swatch. Including the edge stitches in garter stitch.
- Insert the needle into the first stitch on the left-hand needle as if to knit…
- … and slip the stitch to the right-hand needle.
With this action, you twist the stitch mount of the stitch. Do you see how it sits differently on the needle when compared with the other stitches?
- Next, slip the stitch back to the left-hand needle, to do so I insert the left-hand needle into the front loop of the slipped stitch…
- …. and put it back on the left-hand needle.
- Now we want to work a k2tog tbl. To do so, insert the right-hand needle through the back loops of the first 2 stitches on the left-hand needle…
- … wrap the yarn around the needle….
- … Pull the yarn through…
- … and slip the stitch of the needle to finish the decrease.
This is how it then looks:
The below picture shows how it looks after 2 more decrease rows have been worked. You can compare the improved SSK decreases with the regular ones on the bottom half of the swatch. To be honest, I don’t see a lot of difference, but I’m sure it’s just my knitting that’s to blame. Try it yourself, your results may very well be better than mine!
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