Decreasing

Decreasing in double knitting presents a bit of a challenge since the stitches on the needle from each side of the fabric to not lie adjacent to each other. Any decrease will require knitting more than one stitch together to produce one stitch and this is not easily possible if the stitches are not adjacent to each other.

To decrease when double knitting, you must first us a cable needle to "serialize" stitches, placing consecutive stitches from each side of the fabric adjacent to one another. The number of stitches that will be serialized depends on how many stitches will be decreased into one.

Once stitches have been serialized, they can be decreased as in standard knitting, with the most typical decreases being k2tog or ssk.

In order to serialize stitches, follow the steps below:

	Step 1: [Slip 1 stitch purlwise, then slip 1 stitch to the cable needle] repeat based on the number of stitches that will be decreased to one: once for 2, twice for 3 and 3 times for 4. *In this example*: We will be doing a decrease of 2 stitches to 1 on each side of the fabric, so 1 stitch is slipped purlwise and then 1 stitch is slipped to the cable needle.
	Step 2: Slip the next stitch purlwise.
	Step 3: Transfer the stitches from the cable needle to the left hand needle, making sure not to twist them.
	Step 4: Transfer slipped stitches from the right hand needle back to the left hand needle. The stitches to be decreased on the facing side of the fabric will be lined up first on the left hand needle, followed by the stitches on the opposite side of the fabric.
	Step 5: Decrease the stitches on the facing side of the fabric and then the stitches on the opposite side of the fabric as desired. Be aware that you will be working a decrease pair (one decrease for each side of the fabric) and that the decreases in the pair will be mirror images of each other. The pair will include both a left and right-leaning increase as well as a knit and a purl decrease. Review the Position of the Working Yarn tutorial as a reference for yarn positioning when working decrease stitches. *In this example*: We will be doing a decrease of 2 stitches to 1. We will work the facing decrease as a k2tog, and the opposite decrease as ssp.