24927 The Knitters Bible8

GETTING STARTED

| DECREASING STITCHES

The baby's bootccs arc workcd in Stockinctte (stocking) stitch and shaped by using incrcaso and dccrcascs crratively.

Baby bootees knitted m a worsted (DK) mermo yam on $izc 6 (4mmAJK8) needłes. Sec page 147 for panem

Decreasing one stitch

The simplest way to decrease one stitch is to knit or purl two stitches together (k2tog or p2tog). Both of these methods produce the same result on the front (knit side) of the work the decrease slopes to the nght

Decreasing is uscd at thc cnds of rows or within thc knittcd fabric to reducc thc number of stitchcs bcing workcd on. This mcans that you can shapc your knittcd fabric by making it narrowcr.

Knit Perfect

Always read how to work a decrease very carefutty. Some of them have similar abbreyiatioos with on ty a slight diflerence between them.

In pattems the designer may use drfferent abbreviations to those given here. Always check the detailed explanat»on of abbreviations.

▼ KNIT SOMETHING NOW!

K2tog on a k row Knit to where the decrease is to be. insert the nght-hand necdle (as though to knit) through the next two stitches and knit them together as one stitch.

P2tog on a p row Purl to where the decrease is to be. insert the nght-hand needle (as though to purl) through the next two stitches and purl them together as one stitch.

Decorative decreasing one stitch purlwise

Sometimes decreases are decorative. especially m lace knitting where they form part of the pattem.Then you have to be aware of whether the decrease slants nght or left. Each decrease has an opposite and the two of them are called a pair.There is one way to work the decrease that is the pair to p2tog which slopes to the left when seen on the front (knit side) of the work. See page 32 for ways to slip stitches.

Slip one. slip one. purl two together through backs of loops (ssp or p2tog tbl)

1 Slip two stitches knitwise. one at a time. from the left-hand needle to the nght-hand needle (they will be twisted). pass these two stitches back to the left-hand needle in this twisted way

2 Purl these two stitches together through the back loops.

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