SSK

Slip, slip, knit, or SSK, is a left-leaning decrease that removes one stitch from your active stitches. You slip two stitches knitwise one at a time onto the right needle, then insert the left needle through both from left to right and knit them together as one. The result is a single stitch that slants visibly toward the left side of your fabric.

SSK exists as the left-leaning counterpart to knit two together (K2tog), which slants right. Where K2tog lays the working yarn over the stitches being decreased, SSK positions yarn underneath, creating the mirror-image lean. In stockinette stitch, SSK leaves a cleaner line than simply pulling one stitch over another, which is why it appears constantly in sweater patterns and structured garments where decrease lines need to be visible and balanced.

When decrease lines matter

Symmetric decreases define garment shaping. Raglan armholes, set-in sleeves, and tapered waists typically use SSK on the left edge of a decrease line and K2tog on the right edge so both sides of the garment taper visibly. Without this pairing, one edge appears to recede while the other flares, breaking the intended silhouette. In lace patterns, SSK often appears paired with yarn overs and K2tog to create balanced motifs that read correctly at a distance.

The practical friction point is execution. Slipping stitches loosely enough that they sit naturally on the needle, then drawing the new stitch tight enough to close the decrease without distorting the stitch below, requires feel. Tension that is too loose creates an obvious hole at the decrease; tension too tight puckers the surrounding fabric. Experienced knitters adjust their hand position and yarn tension in the moment.

SSK also appears in brioche knitting and other specialty techniques, always meaning the same mechanical action: slip, slip, knit together through the back loops. The abbreviation is standard across English-language patterns and is used identically whether working flat on needles or in the round.