SKP stands for slip 1, knit 1, pass the slipped stitch over. It is a single decrease, so it takes one stitch off your needle, and it leans to the left on the knit side of the work.
You will usually meet it in shaping rows, right next to ssk and k2tog, which is why it can look like a typo for one of them. It isn't. It's its own move, and it takes only a few small steps.
What does SKP stand for?
SKP stands for "slip 1 knitwise, knit 1, pass slip stitch over knit stitch." That is the wording the Craft Yarn Council uses in its standard abbreviations list, where it is described as a single left-leaning decrease.
Some patterns write the same thing out in full as sl1, k1, psso. Here "sl" means slip and "psso" means pass slipped stitch over. Tin Can Knits lists skp as an alternate label for sl1-k1-psso, so if you see either one, you are doing the same decrease.
| Abbreviation | Stands for | Stitches removed |
|---|---|---|
| SKP | Slip 1 knitwise, knit 1, pass slipped stitch over | One |
| Sl1, k1, psso | The same decrease, written out | One |
How do you work SKP?
You slip one stitch, knit the next, then lift the slipped stitch over the one you just knitted. Vogue Knitting gives the steps this way:
- Slip one stitch knitwise. That means the right needle goes into the stitch as if to knit it, and the stitch moves across without being worked.
- Knit the next stitch.
- Put the left needle into the slipped stitch.
- Pass the slipped stitch over the knit stitch and off the right needle.
When you finish, you have one stitch where there were two. If your row counts stitches at the end, you should be down by one for every SKP in the row.
Vogue Knitting says this decrease "slants the stitches to the left on the knit side of the work." On a stockinette swatch, that means the decrease sits on a diagonal that rises toward the left. Stack a few of them on every other right-side row and you will see a line that travels in that direction.
Is SKP the same as SSK?
No. Both are single decreases that lean left, and the Craft Yarn Council lists them side by side, but the moves are different.
SSK stands for slip 2 stitches knitwise, then knit these 2 stitches together through the back loops. SKP slips only one stitch, knits the next, and then passes the slipped stitch over. So SSK works the two stitches together in one motion, while SKP works them one after the other.
The finished stitches look much alike. In a comment thread on the Tin Can Knits ssk post, a reply explains that "SSK lies a little bit flatter, because the stitches have been re-oriented when you slip them knitwise." That comment compares ssk to a different decrease, so treat it as a general hint rather than a rule about skp. If you want a closer look at how ssk and k2tog differ, our guide to SSK vs K2tog goes through it slowly.
In practice, work the abbreviation the pattern gives you. A designer who writes SKP has picked a left lean on purpose, and a designer who writes SSK has picked the same lean with a slightly different method.
How does SKP compare with k2tog?
K2tog is the mirror image. The Craft Yarn Council describes k2tog as a single right-leaning decrease, and Vogue Knitting says it "slants to the right on the knit side of the work." SKP slants left.
Both remove one stitch, so patterns often use them as a pair. One leans each way, and the shaping looks even on both sides of a sleeve, a hat crown or a neckline. Studio Knit makes a related point about ssk and k2tog: a pattern will specify one or the other because the work is shaped in a particular direction. The same logic applies to SKP.
Here's a generic row, not taken from any published pattern: "Row 12 (RS): k2, skp, knit to last 4, k2tog, k2." The SKP sits near the start and leans left. The k2tog sits near the end and leans right. If you want the steps for the right-leaning one, see how to knit two together (k2tog).
Which abbreviations look like SKP but are not?
A few neighbours in the abbreviations list share letters with SKP, and mixing them up changes your stitch count. According to the Craft Yarn Council:
- PSSO means pass slipped stitch over. It is a step, not a whole decrease, so it appears inside others such as sl1, k1, psso.
- SK2P is "slip 1 knitwise, knit 2 together, pass slip stitch over knit 2 together," a double left-leaning decrease. It removes two stitches, not one.
- S2KP2 is a centered double decrease: slip 2 stitches as if to knit 2 together, knit 1, pass the 2 slipped stitches over. It also removes two stitches and leans neither way.
If your stitch count is off by one after a decrease row, check whether the pattern said SKP or SK2P. They look alike on the page, and only one of them takes a single stitch off.
What if your pattern does not explain SKP?
Check the abbreviations list or glossary that comes with the pattern. Abbreviations are close to standard, but designers do sometimes define their own, and the glossary is the final word for that pattern. Our guide to reading a knitting pattern covers where to find it and how to read the lines around it.
No glossary? SKP as defined above is the safe reading: slip 1 knitwise, knit 1, pass the slipped stitch over, one stitch removed, leaning left.
Try it
Cast on twelve stitches in any yarn and knit a few rows. On a right-side row, work "k2, skp, knit to the end" and count your stitches: you should have eleven. Look at the left side of the decrease and you will see the diagonal lean left.
When a pattern repeats a decrease row every few rows, Row & Round's row counter helps you keep your place, so you know whether this row is a decrease row. The app is coming soon to iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch.
Bottom line
SKP means slip 1 knitwise, knit 1, pass the slipped stitch over. It removes one stitch and leans left, the mirror of k2tog, and it is a close cousin of ssk rather than the same move. Work whichever one your pattern names, and count your stitches after each decrease row to catch a mix-up early.
Questions
- Is SKP the same as SSK?
- No, but they do the same job. Both are single decreases that lean left. SKP slips one stitch, knits the next and passes the slipped stitch over. SSK slips two stitches knitwise and knits them together through the back loops.
- Is SKP the same as sl1 k1 psso?
- Yes. SKP is the short form of slip 1, knit 1, pass slipped stitch over, which some patterns write out as sl1, k1, psso.
- Which way does SKP lean?
- Left on the knit side of the work. It is the mirror of k2tog, which leans right.
- How many stitches does SKP remove?
- One. If your pattern needs two gone at once, look for SK2P or a centered double decrease instead.
