In some patterns you may be required to purl 2 stitches together. This may be for a variety of reasons. Sometimes you may need to decrease every row and if you are doing a piece of flat knitting you will need to purl 2 stitches together in order to decrease. Other patterns such as lace may also require you to purl 2 stitches together in order to form the pattern in a particular way. In addition, if you are working a decrease in rib, for example in a V neckline or a rib raglan sweater, you will also need to be able to decrease by purling 2 together.

The stitch abbreviation for purl 2 stitches together is P2 tog and in future we will use this terminology for this stitch.

Study my article How to make a Purl Stitch. Purling 2 stitches together is almost as easy. Simply slide the tip of the needle through the first two stitches on the left hand needle, instead of the first stitch.

Whether using K2 tog or P2 tog, you may find on occasion that the stitches are rather tight and won't slip into the tip of the needle easily. If this happens I find that slipping the stitches onto the narrowing part of the left hand needle at the tip gives just enough room for you to slide the tip of the right hand needle through the two stitches. It can also help when working a pattern which includes a lot of decreases, if you use sharp pointed knitting needles rather than the blunter ones.

You may notice when working decreases every row in stocking stitch that the purl decreases slant in the opposite direction on the knit side from the knit decreases. This is because the newly made stitch always slants towards the right hand needle, whether it is knitted or purled. We will soon cover some ways of making the decreases match so that you can get a smooth line which looks much more attractive.

If you would like to learn more about knitting techniques, you might like to consider purchasing a good techniques book. I would recommend either Vogue Knitting: The Ultimate Knitting Book or Knitter's Handbook : A Comprehensive Guide to the Principles and Techniques of Handknitting. Either book would be a valuable addition to any knitter's bookshelf and both are available from Amazon.com.