Knit the stitches together on the left side.

Gründl Knitting School

Knit two together through the back loop – Video tutorial for knitting beginners

Knit two together through the back loop – Video tutorial for knitting beginners

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Do you want to decrease the number of stitches in your knitting project? Then you've come to the right place. We'll show you how to knit two stitches together through the back loop.

Why knit two together through the back loop?

If you want to decrease stitches, for example, because you've reached the neckline of your sweater or want to knit a hat that tapers upwards, you will certainly encounter decreases in your pattern. Decreases are usually worked on the purl side, which is often also the wrong side. We'll tell you how to knit two stitches together through the back loop in the next paragraph.

How do I knit two together through the back loop?

Knit on your project until you reach the point where you want to make a decrease. Knitting two stitches together through the back loop basically works the same way as purling one stitch. The only difference is that you insert your needle through two stitches and purl them together simultaneously.

To knit two together through the back loop: Bring the working yarn to the front of your work. Now insert your right needle from right to left through the first and second stitches simultaneously. After wrapping the yarn around the needle, pull the yarn through both stitches. Pay close attention to pulling the yarn through both stitches, otherwise one stitch will fall off. Our Gründl tip: While pulling the yarn through both stitches, we recommend guiding the tip of your right needle directly along the left needle. This gives you stability and control to avoid losing any stitches.

Now you only have one stitch on your right needle, and the two stitches on the left needle can then be slipped off. That's all there is to reducing your knitting project by one stitch.

In the overall stitch pattern, it is almost imperceptible that stitches have been reduced. If you look closely at the front side, you can see that at the point of your decrease, a second knit stitch lies behind the first knit stitch.

Now it's your turn. We wish you a lot of fun decreasing stitches.

Knit your first scarf – in the Gründl Knitting School

You can download the free pattern here and simultaneously order the matching yarn in your preferred colors.