# What Does P2tog Mean in a Knitting Pattern? https://rowandround.app/guides/reading-patterns/what-does-p2tog-mean-in-a-knitting-pattern · Reading patterns; published 2026-11-05, updated 2026-11-05 · Kallos Labs > P2tog means purl two together. You purl two stitches as if they were one, so two stitches become one and your count drops by one. It is the purl-side partner of k2tog. P2tog stands for purl two together. You purl two stitches as if they were one, which turns two stitches into one and brings your stitch count down by one. It is a decrease, and it is the purl-side partner of k2tog (knit two together). When a pattern line says p2tog, it's telling you to shape the fabric at that spot. Below: what the abbreviation means, how to work it, which way it leans, and how to read it inside a longer instruction. ## What does p2tog mean in a knitting pattern? P2tog means purl two together, a single decrease that uses two stitches and leaves one. Wherever it appears, your row or round ends up with one stitch fewer than before. The logic is simple. The Craft Yarn Council puts it this way: [if the stitches would normally be purled, you decrease by purling two together](https://www.craftyarncouncil.com/decrease_k2tog.html). So p2tog is what you reach for when you are on a purl stitch and the pattern wants a decrease there. ## How do you work p2tog? You insert the right needle purlwise through two stitches at once and purl them as one. Here are the steps, which follow the [Tin Can Knits tutorial](https://blog.tincanknits.com/2013/08/17/p2tog/) and the [LoveCrafts guide](https://www.lovecrafts.com/en-us/c/article/how-to-p2tog): 1. Bring the yarn to the front, as you would for any purl stitch. 2. Insert the right needle purlwise through the first two stitches on the left needle. 3. Wrap the yarn around the right needle, as for a regular purl. 4. Pull the loop through both stitches and slide both off the left needle. You now have one loop on the right needle where there were two stitches. Count it once. That's your decrease. The same move works whether you knit flat or in the round. Knitters working back and forth meet p2tog on wrong-side rows, and knitters working in the round meet it inside a round, as in the hat line below. Crocheters have their own way to join two stitches, so if you also crochet, treat p2tog as a knitting term only. If a pattern line also says p2tog-tbl, that is a different decrease, worked through the back loops. This guide covers plain p2tog only. ## Which way does p2tog lean? Lion Brand says p2tog [slants the stitches to the right](https://www.lionbrand.com/pages/how-to-knit-decreasing-knit-purl). That matches its partner: the Craft Yarn Council says k2tog slants to the right, while ssk (slip, slip, knit) slants to the left. If you want to see how the lean changes the look of a piece, our guide to [SSK vs k2tog and which way each decrease leans](https://rowandround.app/guides/knitting/ssk-vs-k2tog) shows the pair side by side. ## What is the difference between p2tog and k2tog? The difference is the side of the work you do it on. P2tog is a purl-side decrease. K2tog is its counterpart on the knit side: Tin Can Knits says p2tog is usually used on the wrong side, and that its opposite on the right side is a k2tog. | Abbreviation | Spelled out | Worked | Stitches | |---|---|---|---| | p2tog | purl two together | Purl side, usually the wrong side | 2 become 1 | | k2tog | knit two together | Knit side | 2 become 1 | If you have not worked the knit version yet, [how to knit two together (k2tog), step by step](https://rowandround.app/guides/knitting/how-to-knit-two-together-k2tog) takes you through it. ## How does p2tog look in a pattern line? It usually sits inside a short instruction with a repeat. Tin Can Knits gives one line from a hat pattern: `[k6, p2tog, p2] around`. Read the brackets first. Everything inside them is one repeat, and "around" means you work that repeat across the whole round. Here that repeat is knit 6, purl two together, purl 2. It starts with 10 stitches and ends with 9, because the p2tog removes one. Work it all the way around and the round comes in by one stitch per repeat. Check your count at the end of the row or round. If the number of stitches does not match what the pattern says you should have, a p2tog is a common place to look: either two stitches were not both caught, or one decrease was missed. Our guide to [asterisks and brackets in a knitting pattern](https://rowandround.app/guides/reading-patterns/asterisks-and-brackets-in-knitting-patterns) covers how repeats are written. ## When does a pattern call for p2tog? A pattern calls for p2tog when it needs to shape the fabric on a purl stitch or a wrong-side row. LoveCrafts says decreases like this are used for creating an angle in your fabric, shaping a heel or shaping a collar, and that you can work one at the beginning or in the middle of a row. So expect to meet it in shaped pieces: sock heels, collars, angled shawls and the tops of hats. It is also one of the first decrease abbreviations you learn to read, along with k2tog and ssk. For more of this vocabulary, browse the [reading patterns guides](https://rowandround.app/guides/reading-patterns). ## Try it Decreases are easy to lose track of mid-row. Row & Round, coming soon to iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch, is built to help you keep your place in a pattern. A [highlighter bar](https://rowandround.app/features/highlighter-bar) sits on the row you are working in your PDF pattern, so when you reach `p2tog` in the line you can see exactly where you are. Tap +1 and the bar moves down to the next row. ## Bottom line P2tog means purl two together: two stitches become one, and your count drops by one. It is the purl-side partner of k2tog, usually worked on the wrong side, and it shows up wherever a pattern shapes the fabric on a purl stitch. Read the brackets around it, then check your stitch count at the end of the row. ## Good to know ### What does p2tog stand for? Purl two together. You purl two stitches as if they were one, so two stitches become one. ### Is p2tog a decrease? Yes. Two stitches go in and one comes out, so your stitch count drops by one each time. ### Which side of the work is p2tog usually worked on? Usually the wrong side. In stockinette the wrong side is the purl side, so that is where a pattern asks you to purl the stitches together. ### What is the right-side twin of p2tog? K2tog, knit two together. Tin Can Knits names it as the right-side counterpart, and LoveCrafts calls it the knitting counterpart. ## Where this comes from - [Tin Can Knits: p2tog, how to purl 2 stitches together](https://blog.tincanknits.com/2013/08/17/p2tog/) - [Lion Brand: How to Knit, Decreasing, Knit/Purl Two Together](https://www.lionbrand.com/pages/how-to-knit-decreasing-knit-purl) - [LoveCrafts: How to purl two together (p2tog)](https://www.lovecrafts.com/en-us/c/article/how-to-p2tog) - [Craft Yarn Council: Knitting two stitches together](https://www.craftyarncouncil.com/decrease_k2tog.html)