A Common Pattern Abbreviation
Out of all the knitting abbreviations in the English knitting world, I think k2tog is the one I see the most often. It stands for Knit Two Together. It’s a very useful decrease (subtracts a stitch, making your fabric narrower unless paired with an increase) technique and super easy for beginners to learn. You’ll use it for all sorts of things, from hats, mittens, sweaters, stuffed animals, and even in advanced lace patterns (alongside many other techniques).
Lean to the Right
For quite a while, this was the only decrease that I knew existed. There are others, but if you're new to this, don't worry about it yet. What you need to know is that this is a right-leaning decrease. This has nothing to do with political views (Thank God!) It literally leans to the right.
How to K2tog
Literally all you do is knit 2 stitches at the same time.
Just bring your needle over one more stitch to the left, so that there are 2 between the right needle and the tip of the left needle. When you knit through them, make sure you’re catching both. A common mistake is to just spear through, and one stitch will fall by the wayside. If that happens, you'll lose it and then you'll get a run down below.
So you always want to make sure you're actually going through both of the stitches. If you can't tell from the front, take the time to look at it from the back. If you can see both on the right needle, you’ve got it. Then just knit like normal.
How to use it
Now let's take a look at different ways that the stitch behaves based on where you place it in relation to either the edge or other knit two togethers.
*Note: In all the examples, I’ve worked the decrease stitches on the right side only, meaning every other row.
On the Right Selvedge
When you work k2togs on the right selvedge edge, the stiches slant into it, which makes a relatively smooth transition as the stitches seemingly disappear one by one.
Aligned to the left of a stitch marker
When you work k2togs to the left of a stitch marker, meaning you slip the marker and then knit two together (sm, k2tog), It creates a flat smooth fabric with a continuous column slanting to the left, with the decreases leaning into it.
To the Right of a Stitch Marker
“Knit to 2 stitches before stitch marker, k2tog, sm” This creates a raised column of stitches that slant to the right, with the regular stitches on the right appearing to disappear underneath.
On the Left Selvedge Edge
And then finally, when they’re worked on the last 2 stitches on a right side row, it creates a neat braided finish.
Did you know this one little stitch could do so many different things? And of course they can be used in any combination and amount needed.