Knitting 101: How To Slip A Stitch - Knitfarious

Today, I’ll talk about how to slip a stitch in knitting and the different ways to slip a stitch.

Slip stitch knitting is an easy knitting technique that’s used to create interesting stitch textures in slip stitch patterns and colorful mosaic knitting patterns.

In this knitting tutorial, I’ll break down how slip stitch knitting works and how to slip a stitch. I’ll talk about the different ways to slip a stitch and show you how to do each. Finally, I’ll share a few knitting patterns to try for yourself.

Let’s start by talking about the different knitting techniques you’ll learn here today.

Table of Contents

• Slip Stitch Knitting Techniques
  • How to Slip a Stitch Purlwise (Sl1p)
  • How to Slip a Stitch Knitwise (Sl1k)
• Slipping Stitches With Yarn in Back (Wyib)
  • How to Slip a Stitch Purlwise with Yarn in Back (Sl1p wyib)
  • How to Slip Stitch Knitwise with Yarn in Back (Sl1k wyib)
• Slipping Stitches With Yarn in Front (Wyif)
  • How to Slip Stitch Purlwise with Yarn in Front (Sl1p wyif)
  • How to Slip a Stitch Knitwise with Yarn in Front (Sl1k wyif)
• Yarn Back and Yarn Forward
• Slip Stitch Knitting Abbreviations
• Slip Stitch Knitting FAQs
  • What Does a Slip Stitch Mean in Knitting?
  • Why Do You Slip a Stitch in Knitting?
  • What Does a Slip Stitch Look Like?
  • How Do You Know Which Way to Slip a Stitch?
  • How to Slip Stitch after Cast On?
  • How Do You Knit After Multiple Slip Stitches?
  • What If I’m Purling and the Pattern Tells Me to Sl1p wyib?
  • How Do I Slip a Stitch if I’m Knitting in the Round?
• Related Posts

Slip Stitch Knitting Techniques

For slip stitch knitting, you just need to know three things. First, how to knit and how to purl. Second, you’ll need to know how to slip, or move a stitch (or stitches) from your left to your right needle without working it/them. Third, you’ll need to know where to move or keep your working yarn. That’s it.

Now, let’s look at the different ways to do it, beginning with how to slip a stitch purlwise.

How to Slip a Stitch Purlwise (Sl1p)

The most common way to slip a stitch is to slip a stitch purlwise, which is abbreviated as Sl1p. This is how you do it.

To slip a stitch purlwise, insert the right needle through the stitch on the left needle (as if to purl), and transfer it onto the right needle without working it. You can see this step more clearly in the image below.

A correctly slipped Sl1P keeps the right leg in front of the needle, in its normal position. Slipping a stitch purlwise doesn’t affect the orientation of the stitch. In other words, a sl1p is how you’d slip a stitch without twisting your stitches.

The technique is the same in both knitting in the round (circular knitting) and knitting back and forth (flat knitting). Be sure to read your knitting pattern thoroughly. If your knitting pattern tells you to slip a stitch (sl st) but doesn’t specify how to do it, you’d slip purlwise (sl1p).

The Electric Love Mosaic Cowl pattern uses this particular technique (sl1p). You can learn more about the knit cowl hereand mosaic knitting here. The links to the knitting pattern are below.

Get the knitting pattern and yarn here:

Get the Electric Love Mosaic Cowl pattern in my shop or on Ravelry.Try Manos del Uruguay Alegria yarn or Wayback Yarns Classic SW for this knitting project.

How to Slip a Stitch Knitwise (Sl1k)

When slipping a stitch knitwise (sl1k), you are changing the orientation of the stitch. Here you’re twisting the stitches, which is different from the purlwise (sl1p) knitting technique. Let me show you how to slip a stitch knitwise.

To sl1k, insert the right knitting needle into the first stitch from front to back as if to knit. You can see this clearly in the image below. Then, remove the left hand needle and slip this stitch to the right hand needle without knitting it.

Slipping the stitch this way leaves you with a twisted stitch. With the sl1k, the left leg of the stitch is twisted and is now in front. This is also how you work the SSK knitting decrease.

Now we’re going to one-up this knitting technique and add in working yarn placement as a feature or as an element to your knitting project.

First we’ll discuss working with yarn in back (wyib) and later, knitting with yarn in front (wyif). Finally, we’ll discuss and clarify the terms “yarn back” (yb) and “yarn forward” (yf or yfwd) in relation to this subject. Let’s begin.

Slipping Stitches With Yarn in Back (Wyib)

When the knitting pattern says “with yarn in back” (wyib), it’s pretty literal. The pattern is telling you that the extra yarn between slipped stitches will be carried in back of the stitch on the wrong side (ws) of the fabric. The pattern is telling you that you’ll carry the extra yarn between each slipped stitch (or stitches) in back of your knitting. Sometimes this extra yarn is hidden, and sometimes it adds a feature to the knitting pattern.

Let’s jump into tutorials for slipping stitches purlwise with yarn in back and knitwise with yarn in back (wyib).

How to Slip a Stitch Purlwise with Yarn in Back (Sl1p wyib)

When you’re given thisknitting instruction: “slip 1 stitch purlwise with yarn in back” (sl1p wyib), here’s how you’d do it.

To sl1p wyib, first take note of where the working yarn is. If you’ve been purling and the yarn is in front, move the yarn to the back as if to knit the next stitch. Next, slip the stitch as if to purl. Then you’d continue the knitting pattern as instructed, moving your working yarn front or back as needed.

As you can see in the image below, the working yarn is at the back of the work. Here I’m knitting stockinette in the round and I’m showing the right side (rs) of the work. However, you can also slip stitches while knitting flat (knitting back and forth) on either side of the work.

This knitting technique often creates a unique pattern stitch or decorative element to your knitting project by leaving a running strand of yarn or an elongated stitch.

This knit hat, shown below, is a great example of an elongated stitch created by slipped stitches. You can find more free hat knitting patterns here.

Get this free pattern and yarn for this project here:

Explore this knitting technique with the June Hat pattern.Try Universal Yarn Deluxe Worsted yarn for this knitting pattern.

Note: You may also see this knitting abbreviation written as slip 1 with yarn back (sl1 wyb), though this is not the standard as accepted by the Craft Yarn Council (CYC). If you’re writing and designing your own patterns, this difference matters.

We all know how easy it is to create your own version of knitting shorthand or even knitting slang, but for the sake of consistency, I’ll stick to the standard “wyib”.

How to Slip Stitch Knitwise with Yarn in Back (Sl1k wyib)

When your knitting pattern states: “slip 1 stitch knitwise with yarn in back” (sl1k wyib), here’s how you’d do it.

To slip a stitch knitwise with yarn in back (sl1k wyib), make sure the working yarn is in back as if you were to knit the next stitch. If your last stitch was a purl stitch, move the yarn to the back as if to knit. If your last stitch was a knit stitch, keep it in the same position.

Next, insert your right needle into the front leg of the next stitch as if to knit (as shown in the image below), like you would an SSK, and slip the next stitch to your right needle without working it. Then continue on with your knitting pattern.

Again, you may see a pattern written using “wyb” instead of “wyib”. The meaning of “wyb” is the same as “with yarn in back”. I only mention it to eliminate any confusion.

Next up, I’ll teach you how to slip stitches with yarn in front.

Slipping Stitches With Yarn in Front (Wyif)

When it comes to knitting patterns with instructions indicating “with yarn in front” (wyif), this means the yarn between slipped stitches is carried in front. In this case, the floats are in front of the stitch where they are intentionally visible. Let’s break this down.

Let’s break this down.

How to Slip Stitch Purlwise with Yarn in Front (Sl1p wyif)

To slip a stitch purlwise with yarn in front (sl1p wyif), first check where the working yarn is. To sl1p wyif, the yarn should be in the front purl position. If it’s not, move it to the correct position.

In the image below, you can see the yarn is in front of the stitch and I’m ready to slip a stitch purlwise with my right knitting needle.

Then, slip the next stitch as if to purl onto your right knitting needle, and continue with your knitting pattern.

You can practice this knitting technique with the Brighter Days Hat pattern shown above. The link to this knitted hat pattern is just below.

Get this free hat pattern here:

Brighter Days Hat pattern.

How to Slip a Stitch Knitwise with Yarn in Front (Sl1k wyif)

To slip a stitch knitwise with yarn in front (sl1p wyif), the working yarn is, you guessed it, in front. The difference here, compared to slipping purlwise, is that you’ll insert your right needle into the stitch as if you were going to knit it. You can see this clearly in the image below.

Slip the stitch onto your right needle without working it and remove the left needle. Continue knitting as per your pattern instructions.

The Emerald Song Headband, shown below, uses this particular knitting technique. You can learn more about the pattern here or get the free pattern using the link below. Try it for yourself.

Want this free headband knitting pattern?

Get the Emerald Song Headband pattern in my shop or on Ravelry.

Yarn Back and Yarn Forward

Sometimes in written knitting patterns you’ll see “with yarn in back” written as “yarn back”(yb). The same goes for “yarn forward” (yf or yfwd), which could mean “with yarn in front”. It all depends on the written instructions of the knitting pattern, what the stitches are supposed to do, and what kind of stitch texture it intends to create.

NOTE: You may see these knitting abbreviations used differently with different knitters, designers, and in different regions (the U.S., UK, etc.). Not everyone follows the CYC’s knitting standards, and that’s okay so long as the knitting pattern has a clear explanation about the abbreviations used.

Before we move on to knitting abbreviations, I want to make one thing clear. A yarn forward (yfwd or yf) is not the same as creating a yarn over (yo). The former is about yarn placement, the latter involves a knitting increase. These are two separate actions entirely.

Slip Stitch Knitting Abbreviations

Throughout this blog post on how to slip a stitch, I’ve covered several knitting abbreviations that you’ll find written in knitting patterns. To summarize, here they are:

sl	slip
sl1k	slip one (1) knitwise
sl1p	slip one (1) purlwise
sl st	slip stitch
wyib	with yarn in back
wyif	with yarn in front
yb	yarn back
yf or yfwd	yarn forward

I’ve also created a handy infographic for you to pin, share and save.

Slip Stitch Knitting FAQs

Here are some of the most frequently asked questions about slip stitch knitting.

What Does a Slip Stitch Mean in Knitting?

When your knitting patterns asks you to slip a stitch in knitting, it means you will not knit it or purl it. Instead, you will just slide it from one needle to another without working it all while using one of the above methods.

Why Do You Slip a Stitch in Knitting?

There are several instances why you’d slip a stitch in a knitting pattern. For some patterns, the purpose of a slip stitch is to create decorative elements. In other patterns, the purpose is just part of the order of a technique.

Here are some reasons why you’d use slip stitches in your knitting:

• Some knitting decreases require slipped stitches like the Slip-slip-knit (SSK), PSSO, Center Double Decrease (CDD) and Twisted CDDs, like in the Aedeline Shawl (shown above).
• To add edge stitches, like in this Eenie Meenie baby blanket pattern.

Get this pattern and yarn for this blanket here:

Get the Eenie Meenie Baby Blanket pattern in my shop or on Ravelry. Use Hobby Lobby I Love This Cotton, Village Yarns Craft Cotton for this blanket pattern.

• Knitting short rows, like the wrap and turn (W&T), uses slipped stitches.
• Mosaic knitting like in this Electric Love Mosaic cowl pattern and the Lazy River Cowl.
• Some sock heel flaps use a slip stitch pattern, like the Partridge Heel in this pattern.

Love these socks? Get the pattern and yarn here:

Get the Day Off Socks pattern here from The Sweater Collective.Try Manos del Uruguay Alegria yarn or Drops Fabel yarn for this free sock knitting pattern.

What Does a Slip Stitch Look Like?

Here’s two examples of what a slipped stitch looks like. The first is from my Slip Stitch Knitting Patterns post which shows the Clean Lines Scarf. It features a mix of garter stitch and slipped stitches. Here, the slipped stitches are what make it look like ribbing in the fabric.

This image below shows what a slipped stitch looks like in an early draft of my Lazy River Mosaic Cowl. This knitted gauge swatch is knit in a worsted weight yarn and uses solid colors. Here you can easily see the slipped stitches and what they look like.

How Do You Know Which Way to Slip a Stitch?

This is the most commonly asked question when it comes to slipping stitches. The answer is an easy one: Unless your knitting pattern tells you to slip a stitch knitwise, you’ll ALWAYS slip a stitch purlwise.

How to Slip Stitch after Cast On?

Some patterns ask for you to slip the first stitch as part of the edge stitch knitting design element. The Heavy Metal Shawl is one (free below) example, the Eenie Meenie Baby Blanket pattern is another.

Get this free pattern and yarn for this project here:

Get the Heavy Metal Shawl pattern here.Try Scheepjes Whirl yarn or Lion Brand Mandala yarn.

If your pattern tells you to slip a stitch after your cast on, first read the pattern carefully. The pattern instructions should indicate whether you slip 1 wyif or slip 1 wyib.

Now, truth be told, it’s awkward to slip a stitch into the first stitch but it can be done. What you’ll have to keep in mind is that the stitch will want to come undone so you’ll need to hold onto the yarn tail in addition to the yarn. This will keep tension on the stitch.

Once you get past slipping the first stitch and knit or purl the second, cinch up the yarn to hold it in place.

How Do You Knit After Multiple Slip Stitches?

After you’ve slipped a stitch or multiple stitches, you’ll continue to knit (or purl) as usual. However, you’ll have to keep one thing in mind as you continue: knitting tension.

After slipping multiple stitches, you’ll need to stretch the yarn out a bit before working the next stitches. This will keep your knitting from puckering and will also maintain the slipped stitch design.

Take, for example, these Fidget Socks where multiple slip stitches create its design. Here’s where a slightly looser tension between slipped stitches keeps the design more pronounced and allows for a proper fit.

Get this free pattern and yarn here:

Get the Fidget Sock pattern here.Try Knit Picks Stroll yarn or Patons Kroy Socks yarn.

What If I’m Purling and the Pattern Tells Me to Sl1p wyib?

If you’re purling your stitches and the pattern instructs you to sl1p wyib, you’d move the yarn to the back, slip one stitch, then move the yarn back to the front to continue purling.

How Do I Slip a Stitch if I’m Knitting in the Round?

Whether you’re knitting flat (back and forth) like in these baby blanket patterns, or knitting in the round like in this hat pattern, the directions for a slip stitch are the same. Just read your knitting pattern carefully for instructions.

That wraps up our discussion on how to do a slip a stitch in knitting. I hope you feel more confident about this knitting technique and the different knitting abbreviations.

I hope you found a little knitting inspiration as well. If you need more, just be sure to check out my knitting patterns page for more ideas.

Did you find this information useful? I’d love to hear about it! Please leave me a comment below.

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• How to Read Yarn Band Labels
• Free Knitted Shawl Patterns for All Year Round