How to: decrease knit stitches (k2tog)

To reduce the number of stitches on a knit row, pulling the shaping in to the right, you'll often see 'k2tog' towards the end of pattern row. This means 'knit 2 stitches together' as one.

Count the stitches carefully to make sure you decrease at just the right point in your pattern each time.

There are various ways to decrease the number of stitches to shape your knitting and k2tog is a quick and easy stitch to master – it really is as simple as it sounds. Worked with the yarn at the back, and taking the right-hand needle from front to back from the far side of the furthest stitch, wrapping the yarn as usual to knit these two stitches and off the needle to create a right-leaning stitch. When decreases are made at regular intervals or above each other, they can form an attractive part of the pattern, as in the top of a hat. K2tog may be the only decrease in a pattern and can appear within a row, or it may be used at one side of the fabric, with a left-leaning decrease (such as ssk) being used at the opposite end for more symmetrical shaping. When used at the very beginning of a row, it forms a minimal edge stitch. Knitting two stitches together is also used to bring the end of a shaped piece to a point, and when you k2tog the last two stitches together, fasten off by taking the cut yarn end through the last stitch and pulling carefully to secure it and create a neat finish. If you see the abbreviation k3tog, this means knit three stitches together and is worked in the same way as a k2tog.