Slip One (Sl 1) Knitting Tutorial | How to Slip 1
Slip one in knitting is when you slip one stitch from the left-hand needle to the right-hand needle without working it.
Sl 1 = slip one
The needle you are slipping the stitch on to is the right needle since we hold it in the right hand.
When you slip 1 in knitting you will insert the right knitting needle purl wise. This is the standard way. Your pattern will tell you how to slip one more specifically if it is different.
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So your needle goes into the stitch to be slipped, from right to left, as if to purl. But don’t work the stitch, just scoop it off the left needle and over to the right hand needle. Then finish the knit row.
You have slipped one stitch. It’s really a simple technique to use on your edge stitches.
Slip 1 is a common way to start many stitch patterns. The edges can be messy in many stitch patterns. When you slip the first stitch of every row it creates neat edges.
Slipped stitches lengthen and get pulled up to the next row. When you combine it with a knit in the last stitch in a row it makes this edge.
Sl 1 is used in a variety of other ways to create knit patterns as well.
Knitting Abbreviations + Terms
There are different ways to hold your needles and your yarn when making slip stitches. Here are the abbreviations related to slip stitch knitting.
Knit-wise means to have the needle tips point in the same direction which is how we hold them to make a knit stitch.
Purl-wise means to have the needle tips point at one another which is how we hold them to make a purl stitch.
Sl 1 slip one stitch purl wise with the working yarn in the back. This is the basic slip one technique we cover in this blog post.
Sl1K WYIB is to slip one knit wise with the yarn held in the back of your work.
Sl1K WYIF means to slip one knit wise with the yarn held in the front.
Sl1P WYIB (= SL 1) also means to slip one purl wise with the yarn held in the back of your work it is just more specific.
Sl1P WYIF means to slip one purl wise with yarn held in the front of your work.
WYIB is an abbreviation for “with yarn in back.”
WYIF means “with yarn in front.”
You can play with these combinations on your different knit fabrics to find the best way for you.
Stitches
Garter is when you work knit stitches on both the right side of the work and the wrong side.
Stockinette Stitch is when you knit the right side rows and purl every wrong side row.
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Easy Beginner Knitting Patterns
The Giana Cowl is an easy, one skein knit cowl pattern.
If chunky knits are your style you might like the Umbria Shawl a simple triangle shawl knitting pattern.
Try this Strawberry Jam Neck Wrap knitting pattern from Fiber Flux.
Needles
I’m using my Clover Takumi* US 8/5mm knitting needles here. These make really great beginner knitting needles.
The bamboo wood helps the stitches stay put and not slip off so easily. Which is good when you’re just learning!
Scroll down for the slip 1 tutorial!
How to Slip One (Sl 1) Knitting Tutorial
Learn the simple steps to slip 1 in knitting with this easy tutorial.
Materials
- Your work in progress on the needles. You can use any weight yarn for this technique.
Tools
- Knitting needles for your project. Or needles to match your yarn weight.
Instructions
- If you just want to practice with a garter stitch swatch then you can cast on any number of stitches.
- Insert the working needle (the one you knit and move the stitches to) in the first stitch of the row. You will insert it purl wise, meaning from the right to the left. Go in the front right leg of the stitch to be slipped.
- Slide the stitch on to the needle. You have now slipped one onto the right needle.
- Knit the next stitch and continue across.
- Knit the last stitch as normal and turn your work.
- Sl 1, knit all.
- Continue repeating for length.
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