Vertical darts: order of sts?

How-to Questions
1

Hi,

I’m knitting a top-down sweater and want to do waist shaping. My round starts in the right hand side, working the front, then the back. I know where to place my markers, but I’m confused about left-leaning vs right-leaning decreases and increases.

If I’m knitting top-down, does that mean that a left-leaning decrease becomes a right-leaning decrease due to the fact that my sweater is “growing” upside down from the needles?

And if that’s correct, do I use ssk, k2tog, ssk, k2tog for the decreases, then m1l, m1r, m1l m1r for the increases?

Trying my best to understand knitting because I hate blindly following instructions with no insight or understanding as to what I’m doing. Thanks to everyone for helping me with this goal!

2

For me this is more a matter of personal preference. I like the slant of the increase or decrease to follow the line of the shaping. For the decreases, starting at the right front, I’d use ssk, k2tog on the front and ssk, k2tog on the back. For the increases, again starting at the right front and working across the front, a right leaning inc, left leaning, right leaning, and left leaning. I like the knit left loop and knit right loop for these but use whichever you like best.