PSSO (Pass Slipped Stitch Over)
PSSO means lifting a previously slipped stitch over a newly knitted stitch and off the needle, often combined with a slip stitch to form a decrease.
Explanation
PSSO (pass slipped stitch over) is often part of the decrease combination 'sl1, k1, psso': you slip a stitch without knitting it, knit the next stitch, and then lift the slipped stitch over the newly knitted one and off the needle. This produces a left-leaning decrease quite similar to SSK, and is common in lace and eyelet patterns where the pattern specifically calls for this combination to achieve a particular visual effect.
Also known as: Pass Slipped Stitch Over
How to pass the stitch over
Slip a stitch without knitting it, knit the next stitch, then lift the slipped stitch over the knitted one and off the needle — exactly as in an ordinary bind-off. One stitch disappears.
PSSO rarely appears alone. It is almost always the final step in a compound instruction such as "sl1, k1, psso" or "sl1, k2tog, psso".
Combined with other decreases
The combination sl1-k2tog-psso (often written sk2p) removes two stitches and produces a strongly left-leaning double decrease, widely used in hat crowns and shawl patterns. Do not confuse it with the centered double decrease (CDD), where you slip two stitches together, knit one, and pass both over — only CDD gives a line with no lean.
Order is critical: work the decrease before passing over, or the other way round, and you get a different lean from the one the pattern assumes.
Common mistakes
- Passing the wrong stitch over because the instruction was read too quickly.
- Knitting the slipped stitch instead of slipping it.
Keywords
- psso
- pass slipped stitch over
- decrease
Frequently asked questions
What does "sl1, k1, psso" mean?
Slip one stitch, knit the next, and pass the slipped stitch over. That gives a left-leaning decrease, in practice almost identical to SSK.
How does psso differ from binding off?
The motion is the same. The difference is that a bind-off repeats it across the whole row, while psso is one step within a single decrease.