Uploaded January 2011 | Updated September 2026, 1 hour ago

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knitfreedom.com/sl-1 How to do a sl-1 or slip stitch in knitting

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What is slipping a stitch and why the heck should you do it?

1) To make a neat-looking edge on Stockinette stitch
2) To avoid loose edges on Garter or Stockinette stitch if you are a beginner
3) To aid in seaming or picking up and knitting
4) To create beautiful color and texture patterns

1. I slip the first stitch of every row often in my knitting videos, and I get a lot of comments asking why I do it. People also wonder if there is a certain way to do it correctly. Well, wonder no longer!

I think that a slipped stitch leaves a much cleaner edge on Stockinette-stitch fabric.

It's also much easier to pick up and knit into edge stitches that have been slipped, because you can easily see which two loops to go under.

Mattress stitch is also simple to perform when sewing up two pieces of a sweater whose side stitches have been slipped.

Lastly, beginners tend to have loose (and just plain funky) side stitches as they get the hang of tensioning the yarn and creating the basic stitches.

However, I don't recommend slipping the first stitch of every row on Garter stitch — after photographing a swatch with one edge slipped and one not slipped, I think I prefer the not-slipped edge. Visit knitfreedom.com/intermediate/slip-stitch-knitting-sl-1 to see photos and decide for yourself.

How and When to Slip a Stitch

So how and when do you do this move? Well, do it any time your pattern calls for you to Sl 1 (="slip one stitch"), or any time you want a custom edge!

Slipping the first stitch of every row is easy: pass the first stitch from the left needle tip to the right needle tip without knitting or purling it. Just point your needle-tips towards each other and move that stitch over! This is also called slipping a stitch purl-wise.

If you want, you can slip the stitch purl-wise when you are going to purl the row, and knit-wise when you are going to knit the row. Or you can do like me, and always slip your stitches purl-wise, no matter what. You'll never see the difference! All you need to do is be consistent.

Patterns Using Slipped Stitches

Knowing how to do a slip-stitch is important for some patterns, which use slipped-stitches to create texture-and-color effects.

The popular Koigu Linen-Stitch Scarf (left), uses slipped stitches to turn three unrelated colors of Koigu KPPPM into a symphony of blended stitches.

Any mosaic pattern such as the Family of Funky Stockings uses slipped stitches to create color designs while only knitting with one color per row.

The eye-of-the-partridge heel is a fun pattern that uses slipped stitches to add texture and durability to any heel. You can substitute this pattern for any other in your heel flap.

Why not give it a try?

Row 1 (RS): *Sl 1, K1* rep from * across, ending with K1.

Row 2 and all even rows: Sl 1st st, purl across rest of row.

Row 3: Sl 2, *(K1, Sl 1), rep from * across, ending with K2.

So go slip some stitches, already!

youtube.com/watch?&v=csPNxxPw84I