Glossary / Purl two together
p2togPurl two together
A right-leaning decrease worked on the purl side, the mirror of k2tog.
How to work it
With the yarn in front, insert the right needle purlwise through the next two stitches at once, wrap the yarn, and purl them together as though they were a single stitch. One stitch disappears from your count. Seen from the knit side it leans to the right exactly like k2tog, which is why patterns use p2tog to place a right-leaning decrease on a wrong-side row.
Common confusions
What does p2tog mean?
In knitting patterns, p2tog means Purl two together. A right-leaning decrease worked on the purl side, the mirror of k2tog.
Does p2tog lean left or right?
Right, when you look at the knit side of the fabric. That trips people up because on the purl side, while you are making it, the lean is hard to see at all. Think of p2tog as the wrong-side way to produce the same slant as k2tog.
What is the difference between p2tog and ssp?
They are a mirrored pair, the purl-side equivalents of k2tog and ssk. p2tog leans right on the knit side; ssp leans left. Patterns that shape both edges of a piece use one at each edge so the decreases mirror each other.
In other languages
| Language | Term | Abbreviation |
|---|---|---|
| English | Purl two together | p2tog |
| Español | Dos puntos juntos del revés | no standard code |
| Deutsch | Zwei Maschen links zusammen | 2 li zus |
| Français | Deux mailles ensemble à l’envers | no standard code |
| Italiano | Due maglie insieme a rovescio | no standard code |
| 日本語 | 裏目の左上2目一度 | no standard code |
Related stitches
Keep your place while you work this stitch. Worsted counts your rows and rounds and remembers your spot in the pattern, for crochet and knitting.
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