How to slip slip knit (SSK) seems a straightforward question. Until I went digging around and found that it can be confusing.
Slip slip knit is a knitting technique to make a left-slanting decrease. It reduces two stitches to one. And it is commonly used for shaping, binding off or creating lace patterns.
You see it frequently abbreviated as SSK in knitting instructions and patterns.
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Why Learn How to Slip Slip Knit?
When I first started knitting, I did not really care which technique I use to do decreases. I learnt to knit 2 together (k2tog) first and it was easy to remember, so I use K2tog for all my decreases. It was alright for a while until I started working on lace projects. The lace patterns did not turn up as nice when I substitute the SSK with K2tog.
I want my lace projects to look good so I know it is time to learn more techniques if I really want my knitting to improve.
When I was researching the slip slip knit (SSK) knitting technique, I discovered that the description and instructions differ slightly among knitters. The only common things that knitters say about SSK are:
- It is a one-stitch decrease
- It produces a left-slanting decrease
- It is the mirror image of knit 2 stitches together (abbreviated as k2tog), which makes a right-slanting decrease.
After this, variations start to pop up. And this is confusing for someone who is trying to do the right thing. After much research, I think I finally figured out what is going on.
How to slip slip knit – original technique
The original SSK knitting instruction is as follows:
- Slip the first stitch as if to knit
- Slip the second stitch as if to knit
- Knit these two stitches together through the back loop
Problem with the original SSK knitting technique
The problem with the original technique is that k2tog always seems neater and tidier than the SSK even though they are supposed to be mirror stitches. Apparently, many knitters feel the same way.
Suzanne Bryan, in the video below, discussed why it is so. According to her, the yarn unravels slightly or untwist slightly when it is slipped from left to right needle knitwise. This creates an “untidy” decrease compared to the K2tog. She then offers a few tips on how to knit tidier Slip Slip Knit.
One of the suggestions is to slip the second stitch purlwise rather than knitwise. So an SSK knitting technique can be written like this:
- Slip the first stitch as if to knit
- Slip the second stitch as if to purl
- Knit these two stitches together through the back loop
Susanne said that if you are going to be slipping the second stitch purlwise, you might as well not slip it. So the instructions would be:
- Slip the first stitch as if to knit
- Slip the first stitch back to the left needle
- Knit two stitches together through the back loop
What do you think? Confusing right?
I have a tight tension, so I think I stick with the original technique.
Is SSK the Same as SKPO?
SKPO stands for Slip Knit Pass Over. Some knitters (including Suzanne Bryan) say that SKPO is the same as SSK and that it produces a neater and slimmer left-slanting decrease.
I have always knit my left-slanting decreases using SKPO, I did not know that the SSK knitting technique is not the same as SKPO until I saw the video by Hands on Knitting Center.
She shows the difference between the two quite clearly. Fast forward to 5.05m where she starts discussing them. The first part of the video is more about demonstrating how to do K2tog and SSK using both the Continental and English styles.
Although both reduces two stitches to one, they do look different.
I am really happy that I found out how to slip slip knit properly.
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Happy knitting!
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