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Decreasing in a lacy pattern

by Ann
(UK)

Good morning, hope you can answer my question. I’m knitting a cardigan with a lace pattern right across the row which reads, k1, yf, k1, *slip1, k2 tog, psso,k1 yf k1, yf k1. Repeat from * to last 5 stitches, slip1 knit2 tog, psso, knit1, yf, knit1. I now have to decrease at either end of the row, the beginning is easy because the knit1 yf knit1 is used up by the decrease which takes me straight to the main pattern. The last 5 stitches are really throwing me as it doesn’t seem to correspond with the beginning of the row. Am i overthinking this or am i doing something wrong? I would be sooooooo grateful for any help with this. T I A

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Feb 05, 2026
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by: Ratchadawan

Good morning! You are definitely not overthinking this, and you aren’t doing anything wrong.

The reason the last 5 stitches feel confusing is that this stitch pattern is asymmetrical.

The Beginning (k1, yf, k1) is a net increase (it turns 2 stitches into 3).

The End (slip1, k2tog, psso, k1, yf, k1) is a net decrease (it turns 5 stitches into 4).

Normally, these two ends balance each other out to keep your stitch count steady. But now that you need to decrease for shaping, you have to manually adjust that math.

The Fix for the Last 5 Stitches:
To decrease 1 stitch at the end of the row, you simply need to omit the yarn forward (yf) in that final section.

Work the last 5 stitches like this:slip1, k2tog, psso, k2

Why this works:
Normally, that section produces 4 stitches. By dropping the yf, you only produce 3 stitches. This successfully decreases your row count by 1 at that edge while keeping the visual line of the pattern (the psso spine) intact.

Happy knitting, you've got this!

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