![Working the sl2-k1-p2sso centered double decrease](https://www.lavisch.com/site/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/200226_Working-the-sl2-k1-p2sso-centered-double-decrease_sq-1024x1024.jpg)
A centered (or central) double decrease as shown in this tutorial, reduces 3 stitches down to 1 stitch in a symmetrical way. The sl2-k1-p2sso abbreviation is short for “slip two sts, k1 st, pass the 2 slipped sts over the knitted st”. You may however also encounter CDD or S2KP as abbreviations for this decrease.
It results in a strong vertical decrease line that doesn’t slant to either the left or the right. It’s a decrease that’s often used in lace patterns, and for example at the base of a v-neck opening in a sweater. A very useful decrease to have in your knitter’s toolkit!
Read on to see how it’s worked.
Materials
Yarn: * Paintbox Yarns Simply DK, a good value, good quality 100% acrylic yarn, here in the color 128 Lime Green.
Needles: * KnitPro Zing Fixed Circular Needles. In this tutorial, I used the 4 mm (US 6) size with a cable length of 80 cm (32 inches).
Working a sl2-k1-p2sso step by step
1. First, work your way across the row until you’ve reached the point where you want to make the decrease. In this case, I want to work the double decrease over the 3 stitches in the middle of the swatch.
![Step 1 of working a sl2-k1-p2sso](https://www.lavisch.com/site/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Work-a-sl2-k1-p2sso-decrease_1-1024x1024.jpg)
2. To start, slip the next two stitches knitwise and together from the left knitting needle to the right knitting needle. Basically as if to knit those two stitches together.
![Step 2 of working a sl2-k1-p2sso](https://www.lavisch.com/site/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Work-a-sl2-k1-p2sso-decrease_2-1024x1024.jpg)
3. The below picture shows how it looks after slipping these two stitches to the right-hand needle.
![How it looks after sl2](https://www.lavisch.com/site/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Work-a-sl2-k1-p2sso-decrease_3-1024x1024.jpg)
4. To knit the next stitch on the left-hand knitting needle, first, insert the right-hand needle knitwise into the front loop of the stitch.
![](https://www.lavisch.com/site/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Work-a-sl2-k1-p2sso-decrease_4-1024x1024.jpg)
5. Wrap the yarn around the needle…
![](https://www.lavisch.com/site/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Work-a-sl2-k1-p2sso-decrease_5-1024x1024.jpg)
6. … and pull it through the stitch.
![](https://www.lavisch.com/site/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Work-a-sl2-k1-p2sso-decrease_6-1024x1024.jpg)
7. To finish the knit stitch, slide the original stitch off the left-hand needle.
![](https://www.lavisch.com/site/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Work-a-sl2-k1-p2sso-decrease_7-1024x1024.jpg)
8. Now for the third and last part of this decrease, insert the left-hand needle into the two slipped stitches …
![](https://www.lavisch.com/site/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Work-a-sl2-k1-p2sso-decrease_8-1024x1024.jpg)
9. … and pull them over the single knitted stitch and off the right-hand needle to complete the decrease.
![The finished sl2-k1-p2sso decrease!](https://www.lavisch.com/site/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Work-a-sl2-k1-p2sso-decrease_9-1024x1024.jpg)
The below picture shows how it looks after 2 more decrease rows have been worked. Please note that the bottom half of the swatch pictured shows the kfb increases I showed you in a previous tutorial.
![Result of the sl2-k1-p2sso centered double decrease](https://www.lavisch.com/site/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Work-a-sl2-k1-p2sso-decrease_10-1024x1024.jpg)
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