Hello experienced knitters,!
I am trying to knit a hat for my daughter from the Guardian Knitting Supplement of 26th July. The following instruction appears:
slip, slip, knit slipped stitches (to increase by one stitch) I do not understand this. I haven’t knitted for 30 years, and m housebound at present with a broken ankle - my daughter is determined to keep me busy. I will be grateful for your advice
Many thanks
7oaksknitter
Are you sure it isn’t a decrease a ssk (slip, slip, knit) is a kind of decrease and decreases are commonly used to shape the top of hats?
Have you looked in the video section on this forum. lots of videos of techniques such as slip, slip, knit. ssk. excellent resource when you are learning new stitches
Well, you are not knitting the 2 slip stitches, so both of them knitted together makes one stitch. Maybe that is what they mean by increases by one stitch.
Welcome to Knitting Help, Oaksknitter. That really does sound like a decrease, I’m working on a sock pattern now that does that every fourth round. Is there a yarnover somewhere to make up for the decrease?
Maybe you should quote a few rows before and after the problem area. Putting it in context may help us figure out what it is supposed to be. Don’t forget to make it clear to us where the direction you gave in your post fits into the sequence of things.
What they’ve told you to do is definitely a DECREASE. But yes, if you can post a few sentences of the pattern, before and after that part, that might help. My guess is that it is just a misprint in the paper. I’d ring or e-mail that dept. of the Guardian and ask them what’s going on.
Is this the pattern you are trying to knit?
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2008/jul/26/20
If it is then you need to slip a stitch, slip another stitch and then knit those two stitches you just slipped together.
This is because you are trying to make the decreases and increases in the pattern slant a specific direction.
Next row: kfb twice, k4, k2tog twice, ssk twice, k4, kfb twice
For example above:
Knit into the front of the first stitch, leave that stitch on the needle then knit into the back of it, and remove it from the needle in the normal way. This creates 2 stitches where there was one.
Repeat this. So now you have 2 more stitches where you didn’t have them before.
Knit 4 single stitches
Knit the next 2 stitches together as one stitch (this removes an extra stitch - one of the two extra you just created earlier in the row)
knit the next 2 stitches together as one stitch (this removes an extra stitch - the second one of the two extra you just created earlier in the row)
Knitting stitches together like this makes them slant in one direction.
Slip the next stitch
Slip the next stitch
Insert the needle into the two slipped stitches and knit them together (see video tutorial on this site for help with this)
This makes the stitches slant in the opposite direction (creating the pointy shape you need). This removes a stitch from your row.
Slip the next stitch
Slip the next stitch
Insert the needle into the two slipped stitches and knit them together (see video tutorial on this site for help with this)
This removes another stitch from your row.
Knit 4 stitches as normal
Knit into the front of the next stitch, leaving it on the needle, then knit into the back of the same stitch taking it off the needle in the normal way - this creates an extra stitch (one of the two you just removed)
Knit into the front of the next stitch, leaving it on the needle, then knit into the back of the same stitch taking it off the needle in the normal way - this creates a second extra stitch - now you have back the two stitches you just removed.
Edit to add: If you join Ravelry there is a group for Guardian Knitters and they will likely be able to help you more. The editor of this supplement is also there as is the designer of the items. She will likely be able to help too!
I don’t think i can give better instructions or advice than have been already given but it is nice to see there are other Gaurdian readers on here!!
I somtimes don’t get it (i have fallen out of the habit of sitting on a saturday morning with the paper) but my dad reads it weekly and when he saw there was a knitting supplement he posted it to me. how sweet.