Domino Knitting - the double decrease

Domino Knitting IS addictive. As a "stash buster", I'm doing a blanket using this fun technique. My suggestion is to try the sssk double decrease* instead of the slip-k2tog-psso. The overall effect is the same, but at least for me, the sssk decrease gives a smoother, neater diagonal ridge. Does anyone have other variations to share? *knittingdaily.com/glossary/ssk-decrease.aspx (For a double decrease, slip three stitches knitwise, one at a time...)

hi tedandrehunt,

Your post made me curious so I found a video on the subject and I just watched the video on Domino Knitting.  It does look addictive, and I am going to give it a try.  How do you determine how many stitches to cast on using your sssk decrease? 

For the double decrease, nothing changes in the counting of stitches. In each case the three middle stitches are reduced to one stitch, every other row, on the Right Side. I suppose any double decrease should work as long as a nice diagonal is formed. (So far I haven't tried any others.) I learned from Vivien Høxbro's second book. The numbering she teaches sums up to — 1) Cast on an odd number of stitches. (All rows have an odd number of stitches since decreases are done two at a time in the center of every Right Side row.) — 2) The first row worked after casting on is a WS row. Its first stitch is slipped purlwise with the yarn in front. Thereafter, the first stitch is slipped knitwise every row. There is no decrease on WS rows: knit each stitch except the first which is slipped knitwise and the last, which is purled. (Along with the knitted cast on, this gives a convenient edge to pick up stitches for adjacent squares.) — 3) For the right side rows, all but five stitches are knitted. (The first is slipped knitwise, a double decrease reduces the three center stitches to one, and the last stitch is purled: 1 + 3 + 1 = 5 ). Subtracting these five from the total stitches in the row leaves an even number. As in my blanket, for example: Row 1, WS, has 37 stitches. 37 - 5 = 32 — 32 ÷ 2 = 16 stitches for each of the two sides. After the first (slipped) stitch, this is the number of stitches to knit before the double decrease. I then have 16 stitches to go before the last stitch, which is purled. — — So altogether, my first RS decrease row goes: ——1 + 16 + [3] + 16 + 1 . The [3] decreased to 1, so my third row (WS) has 35 sts.——35 - 5 = 30; 30/2 = 15. —— Next row's pattern of counting is 1 + 15 + [3] + 15 + 1 —— WS, work even, then —— 1 + 14 + [3] + 14 + 1 —— WS, work even —— 1 + 13 + [3] + 13 + 1 —— WS, work even —— 1 + 12 + [3] + 12 + 1 and so forth. ——Thinking of it this manner keeps everything straight and gives a convenient way to set your work aside when a square is not yet finished: Stop at the end of a RS row. When you take up your work again you're on a WS row. Work even, counting your stitches as you go. Do the arithmetic to get your count before the decrease in the next RS row. Say you count 23 stitches when you resume. 23 - 5 = 18; 18/2 = 9. The next RS row has 9 stitches before/after the double decrease. —— I hope that wasn't confusing! When I posted this all my carriage returns were dropped so I inserted the em dashes in their place to keep everything from running together. Please let me know if I need to clarify!

:(((( OMG, I'm a bit frightened, I think I'll never be able to do this. I will search it in youtube. hope visualization will be better for my fears :)

Dear teonaaa3, I'm sorry for not responding right away. The KD notice slipped by in my usual flood of email and I found your note just today. Domino knitting is very, very easy and my brief description is a kind of summary of what Vivien Hoxbro demonstrates with pages of illustrated instruction. I didn't intend it as a substitute for her beautiful books, so please don't let my version in arithmetic shorthand scare you away from something that is both easy and fun! I lack the means to view YouTube videos, but I feel sure that seeing the technique demonstated will make all the difference for you. Please let me know if this is the case - I want to delete my post if I'm causing confusion for anyone. That post was a thorough answer to a specific question. The one who asked didn't give any indication it was read (TLDR?), so there's no reason to leave my post there anyway.

TAH,

Hey the same thing happened to me - sort of.  Couldn't remember under what topic this post was.  I did read your very good instructions.  Just have been working hard to finish another project and immediate following it became necessary to squeeze another project in before I try this domino.  I want to be able to concentrate once I start on it.  What is (TLDR)?  I am sure if you leave your post up it will be read by others and they will also appreciate your help, as I do.  Thanks again! 

Hi,

Just a quick comment on the double decrease.  Another variation that is commonly used in lace knitting is a S2K1P2SSO.  In this variation you slip 2 stitches from the left needle to the right needle, knit the next stitch then pass the two stitches from the right needle back over the stitch you just knitted. This variation makes a smooth centered ridge in the piece that you are working.  It's the decrease method I used in a Shetland Lace shawl I recently finished.

Mary

Thanks for this tip, I will try it out. 

Your Welcome