![Working a centered 5 to 1 decrease](https://www.lavisch.com/site/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/240228_Centered-5-to-1-decrease_sq-1024x1024.jpg)
A centered decrease, as shown in this tutorial, reduces 5 stitches down to 1 stitch in a symmetrical way. This decrease results in a strong vertical decrease line that doesn’t slant to either the left or the right. A useful decrease to have in your knitter’s toolkit! Read on to see how it’s worked.
Materials used
![Paintbox Simply DK Tea Rose](https://www.lavisch.com/site/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Paintbox-Simply-DK-Tea-Rose-1024x1024.jpg)
![Knitting needles - straights](https://www.lavisch.com/site/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Knitting-needles_straights-1024x1024.jpg)
Yarn: Paintbox Yarns Simply DK, a good value, good quality 100% acrylic yarn, here in the color 142 Tea Rose.
Knitting needles: This is a pair of straights that I picked up at the second-hand store when I started knitting, brand unknown.
Working the centered 5 to 1 decrease step by step
- To start, work as instructed by your pattern until the point where you want to make the decrease.
- First, insert your right-hand needle into the first 3 stitches on the left-hand needle as if to knit.
- Next, slip these 3 stitches from the left-hand to the right-hand needle.
- Now, insert your right-hand needle into the first 2 stitches on the left-hand needle as if to knit.
- Next, wrap the yarn around the needle …
- … and pull it through to work a k2tog. Slip the resulting stitch to the right-hand needle.
- Next, insert the left-hand needle into the 3 stitches that were slipped earlier, and pass them over the k2tog.
- The result after this last step can be seen below.
After this, continue with your knitting as instructed in the pattern.
The result, when the row has been finished and a purl row has also been worked, is as follows. I think it’s pretty neat!
![Centered 5 to 1 decrease](https://www.lavisch.com/site/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Centered-5-to-1-decrease_09-1024x1024.jpg)
![Patreon logo](https://www.lavisch.com/site/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Patreon_Mark_Coral.jpg)
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