The Prairie Fire Shawl uses this left-leaning decrease (LLD) in place of the traditional ssk. This is a new-to-me knitting technique so I’m sharing this quick tutorial of the process for knitters.
In the pattern abbreviations, the LLD (left-leaning decrease) reads “worked over 2 sts, Insert the right-hand needle as if to knit into first stitch leaving it on the needle, then through the back loop of the second stitch. Pause. Wrap the yarn here to make a new stitch. Then pull the just wrapped stitch back out the same way you went in to form the decreased stitch.”
Video
I took a quick video and pictures of a recent sample to walk you through my process. Here is the link to the video:
Step-by-Step Photos
If you prefer step-by-step photos, here is a look at the process:
Insert the right-hand needle as if to knit into first stitch leaving it on the needle.
Then insert the needle through the back loop of the second stitch. Pause here.
Wrap the yarn here to make the new stitch.
Pull the just wrapped stitch back through the same way you went in.
Wrap the yarn here to make a new stitch. Then pull the just wrapped stitch back out the same way you went in to form the decreased stitch
Finished LLD (left-leaning decrease).
You can see here the slight difference in appearance between this LLD and the traditional ssk.
I always want to give knitters choices in my patterns. So, I made sure to also include the traditional ssk in the pattern abbreviations and a short note telling knitters to feel free to use the left-leaning decrease they like best. Most of the time I use the traditional ssk. For this particular 8-row pattern repeat with the swirls going first one direction and then the other, I did find that I preferred the LLD.
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