To decrease every 6th row, work one decrease row, then 5 plain rows, and repeat until the pattern says to stop. The hard part isn't the stitch. It's remembering which row you're on while your mind is on the conversation. The reliable fixes are a written list of decrease rows, a marker that shows where you last decreased, or an alert that tells you when the next one is due.
This guide is for sleeves, waist shaping and anything else that says "decrease every 4th row" or "every 6th row". It sits with the other counting rows guides, and works the same for crochet if you count rounds.
What does "decrease every 6th row" mean?
It means a block of 6 rows: the decrease row, then 5 rows worked plainly. The pyKnit sleeve calculator writes it the same way. Its "every 8th row" is "decrease row, do 7 rows in pattern", so every 6th row is a decrease row followed by 5 rows.
On a sleeve, a decrease row usually removes 2 stitches. As Lion Brand's sleeve post puts it, you decrease twice in each decrease row, once at each edge.
Here is a pattern that says "decrease every 6th row 8 times". If you call the first decrease row row 1, the decrease rows fall like this:
| Decrease | Row it falls on | Plain rows after it |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 5 |
| 2 | 7 | 5 |
| 3 | 13 | 5 |
| 4 | 19 | 5 |
| 5 | 25 | 5 |
| 6 | 31 | 5 |
| 7 | 37 | 5 |
| 8 | 43 | 5 |
Each decrease row is 6 more than the last. Your pattern may start counting from the cast-on row or work a few plain rows first, so shift every number in the table by that amount and check it against your pattern.
How many rows will the shaping take?
Work out the decrease rows first, then the plain rows between them. Divide the stitches you need to remove by the stitches each decrease row removes. In the pyKnit example, a sleeve goes from 59 to 43 stitches. That is 16 stitches, and at 2 per decrease row it is 8 decrease rows.
Then add up the rows. In the same example, 5 blocks of 8 rows plus 3 blocks of 7 rows come to 61 rows, which is the sleeve length. Do the same sum for your own pattern. If the rows you reach do not match the pattern, the count is the first thing to check.
What if the numbers do not divide evenly?
Some patterns mix two gaps, such as a few decreases every 4th row and the rest every 6th. Berroco's raglan post shows the method when you adjust a pattern yourself: divide the rows by the decreases, and the remainder tells you how many decreases use the longer gap.
When decreases fall only on right side rows, Berroco divides only the right side rows, then doubles the result to get the total rows for each gap. With a mixed pattern, write each stretch on its own line, for example "decrease every 4th row 7 times, then every 6th row 3 times". If the pattern also has a stitch repeat running at the same time, see how to count repeats and rows at the same time.
What are easy ways to keep track?
Pick one method and stick with it for the whole piece.
- A written list. Before you start, write the decrease row numbers on a sticky note, as in the table above, and tick each one off as you finish it.
- Count the rows since the last decrease. Look at the work, not only the counter. The edge stitches show the last decrease, and 5 plain rows later you are due.
- Locking stitch markers. A commenter on Berroco's Decreasing Gracefully post uses locking stitch markers and works a decrease at each marker before removing it. On a sleeve you can clip one at the edge of the last decrease row and move it up each time.
- A row counter. A counter on the table tells you the row you are on, and a written list tells you which rows are decrease rows. More ways to save your place are in the guide to keeping track of rows when knitting.
Two sleeves need two lists, or one list with two columns, so the pair match. Tick the second sleeve against the same numbers instead of working from memory, and note any plain rows you added to adjust the length.
Whichever you pick, keep the list with the piece. When you put the sleeve down mid-block, write the row you stopped on.
How does Row & Round remind you?
Set a row alert on the counter. In Row & Round, an alert on a counter can repeat every N rows with a short note, starting from the row you choose. For a sleeve, add a note such as "Decrease row" every 6 rows, and start it from the row of your first decrease.
The alert fires when you arrive on the due row, not after it, so you see the note before you knit that row. A banner shows the note, and your phone gives a double vibration, which you can turn off in Settings. You tap +1 on the row counter once per row, and the row alerts do the remembering. Row & Round is coming soon to iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch.
Bottom line
"Every 6th row" is a decrease row plus 5 plain rows. Write the decrease row numbers down before you cast on the sleeve, check them against the pattern's total, and give yourself one tool, such as a marker or an alert, so you do not have to hold the count in your head.
Questions
- Does the first decrease row count as row 1?
- Check your pattern, because the wording differs. The simplest way is to call the decrease row the first row of each block of 6: the decrease row, then 5 plain rows. Write your own row numbers down before you start so you are not relying on memory.
- Do I decrease on the right side or the wrong side?
- Follow the pattern. Because 6 is an even number, a decrease every 6th row lands on the same side each time, so if your first decrease is on a right side row, they all are.
- How many stitches does one decrease row remove on a sleeve?
- Usually 2, one at each edge. Your pattern says where the decreases sit, for example 2 stitches in from the edge.
- What if I lose count between decreases?
- Check your stitch count against the pattern first. If it is higher than it should be, you are behind on decreases. Work the next decrease row, then keep a written list from there.
