SSK, K2tog TBL... Same Difference... Right?

This is actually k2tog. SO what?? :P

This is an expanded version of a post I shared on the Plus today.

As someone who is by default a combination knitter, I always though k2tog was knitting two stitches through the back loop but when I learned continental, I found out this was really a SSK.

Oops >__>

I know better now, in any case. Heh heh.

When I do ssk, I knit two together through the back loop. No multiple steps or knitting with the left needle (?!?). It is exactly the same as slipping two stitches knitwise etc... you get the same result in the end: a left leaning decrease. It's way easier than the way English knitters are taught but with less steps and less frustration. I told my English knitting friend this method and she thanks me for it still.

I do have to add that I only knit continental in the round and when I'm doing (say) gusset decreases on a sock, I usually knit the stitches that need to be SSK through the back loop to make them look neater. Why? I tried doing the standard way of SSK and it never looks neat enough to me. I also tried it without knitting the stitches tbl, but it looks only a little neater than the standard SSK.

When knitting flat, I knit tbl by default so my usual SSK is a non-issue for me.

Whew!

Back to my original point: I decided to look up different ways to SSK.

Knitting Help has a few different ways to make a left leaning decrease: http://www.knittinghelp.com/videos/decreases

I learned a new way of doing SSK and realized one of the ways they listed is pretty common in lace patterns and can also be used. They say my way creates a zig-zag, but if you knit the two stitches tbl on the row before (in the round, that is... if knitting flat and you're not a combo knitter, I suggest purling tbl for those stitches...) it doesn't look zig zaggy. Alternatively, you can use slip one, knit one, pass slipped stitch over (sl1, k1, psso)... definitely easy to do and looks way better too! I've noticed it in a lot of lace patterns I've done. Where have you been all my (knitting) life??!?? XD I might start using sl1, k1, psso to replace SSK more often! :D

Hopefully this post will help someone out. In the end, as long as you make a decrease that slants in the direction you want, it really shouldn't matter too much. 

I promise not to tell the Knitting Police on you ;)