Knit 2 Together (k2tog) Tutorial

Learn how to work the knit 2 together decrease, abbreviated as k2tog. This is one of the easiest and most common decreases in knitting. Working 2 stitches together as one, you can create a decrease that leans to the right.

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Needle and Yarn

For this tutorial, I am using Knit Picks Brava worsted weight yarn, and Knit Picks Prism Options interchangeable needles.

Knit picks sent me both of these to review and to use for the Simply Sweet Raglan Baby Sweater KAL. Enter the giveaway for a chance to win a set of the needles and a case too! See all the details in the main KAL post.

Knit 2 Together (k2tog) Photo Tutorial

Identify the 2 stitches you would like to knit together. Treat them as though they are 1 stitch, made up of 2 strands of yarn.

With the yarn held at the back, insert your needle into both stitches together as though to knit.

Yarn over and pull through as you would for a normal knit stitch. Drop both stitches from the left (non-working) needle.

Knit 2 Together (k2tog) Video Tutorial

Watch This Video on YouTube

A Note for Lefties

I am 100% right handed and absolutely hopeless at knitting left handed. When making this tutorial, I was curious to learn if the left handed k2tog leaned in the same direction. I asked around and researched other tutorials. Here’s what I learned.

If you work your k2tog in the same way as a right handed person, by treating the 2 stitches as one and knitting them as normal, your decrease will lean to the left. However, it seems that knitters do not agree on how the terms should be applied to left handed knitting. Some left handed knitters define k2tog as a right leaning increase and so they do it the same way as a right handed person would do a slip-slip-knit (ssk).

This can all be very confusing, but no matter your definitions, the important thing is which way the stitch leans. Unless otherwise specified in the pattern, if it says k2tog, you can assume the stitch is supposed to lean towards the right. Here’s a great tutorial from Just North of The Bend that explains this in more detail.

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