4 stitches
Note: This post is not entirely correct. In fact there are 4 types of twisted stitches, not just 2, because you can either twist a stitch to the right or the left before purling or knitting it. I've written an errata to this post that explains it in more detail.
There are only 4 stitches you can knit: (1) knit, (2) purl, (3) knit through the back loop and (4) purl through the back loop. Stitches worked through the back loop are twisted.
These correspond to the 4 ways you can place a needle: from the back or front and from the left or right. From back to front you purl, from front to back you knit, more precisely: (1) from the front and left, you make a knit stitch, (2) from the back and right you make a purl stitch, (3) from the front and right, a knit through the back loop, (3) from the back and left, a purl through the back loop.
You may think that you can also wrap the yarn around the needle in two different directions, but doing that actually does not affect the stitch you are working on, it will affect the stitch that will stay on the needle and will be worked on in the next row. However, it will not create a new type of stitch, as I explain in the next paragraph.
As I've mentioned above, stitches knitted or purled through the back loop are twisted. There are two more ways to twist a stitch: (1) slip it knitwise and then knit or purl the same stitch through the front loop, (2) twist the yarn around the needle in the opposite direction in the previous row. These 3 ways of twisting a stitch are equivalent, they create exactly the same result.
So what happens if, for example, you slip one stitch knitwise and then work it through the back loop? Well, it is pretty simple, you first twist it and then untwist it, so you obtain a standard stitch. The same happens if you've wrapped the yarn around the needle in the opposite direction while working the previous row and then either work through the back loop or slip the stitch knitwise before working it through the front loop. No matter what you do, you always get one of the 4 stitches I've mentioned above.
This is actually helpful, because if you find knitting through the back loop is difficult, you can slip the stitch knitwise and then work it through the front loop instead, or vice-versa.
So what happens if, for example, you slip two stitches knitwise and then knit them through the back loop (this is called the ssk, slip-slip-knit, stitch)? You have just knitted two together. Yep, that is it. This is just a different way to do a k2tog stitch. However... There is a small but important difference between the k2tog and the ssk. When you look at these two stitches from the purl side, they're identical, but from the knit side, oh wonder!... One slants to the right and the other to the left. In the first case the little V on top of the other is the left stitch, in the second it is the right stitch. This is because you've entered the needle from a different direction. To be more precise, in the k2tog the first stitch to enter the needle is the left stitch, in the ssk it is the right stitch.
There is another way of doing the k2tog and ssk stitches, that gives the same exact result. For the k2tog, the recipe is knit 1st stitch, slip 2nd stitch knitwise, return the 2 stitches to the left needle, pass the 2nd stitch over the 1st, return the 1st to the right needle (I know what you're thinking, too much work, right?). For the ssk stitch, the recipe is simpler and more commonly used, you'll find it abbreviated as SKP (slip, knit, pass-over) or sl1, k1, psso in many patterns. The recipe in this case is slip 1st stitch knitwise, knit 2nd and pass the 1st stitch over the 2nd. Remember this is exactly the same as a ssk, so you can use the one you prefer at all times (although Barbara G. Walker argues that the ssk method makes a more tidy looking stitch).
You can work increases on the purl side too. Simply replace the k's with
p's: p2tog and ssp (but the slips remain knitwise!). Note that when purling you're working in the
opposite direction than when knitting. Therefore, k2tog is equivalent to
ssp, and ssk to p2tog.
I've "borrowed" some pictures from nionoi.pt to show the result. They include both Portuguese and English (in parenthesis) abbreviations, which might be a bit confusing, but they're still the best I've found.
However, if you're knitting reverse stockinette, i.e. your right side is the purl side, you'll find that the slanting is nearly invisible from the purl side. This means you can choose whichever decrease stitch you prefer and use only that one. In other words, always use k2tog and p2tog, which are definitely the easiest. Just take a look at the pictures and decide for yourself if its worth doing ssk's or ssp's at all.
So knitting can get a little bit more complicated than just 4 stitches... And I haven't even started with double decreases or mentioned increases. I'll leave that for later... or maybe never. This information is readily available in the links I gave in previous posts.
There are only 4 stitches you can knit: (1) knit, (2) purl, (3) knit through the back loop and (4) purl through the back loop. Stitches worked through the back loop are twisted.
These correspond to the 4 ways you can place a needle: from the back or front and from the left or right. From back to front you purl, from front to back you knit, more precisely: (1) from the front and left, you make a knit stitch, (2) from the back and right you make a purl stitch, (3) from the front and right, a knit through the back loop, (3) from the back and left, a purl through the back loop.
You may think that you can also wrap the yarn around the needle in two different directions, but doing that actually does not affect the stitch you are working on, it will affect the stitch that will stay on the needle and will be worked on in the next row. However, it will not create a new type of stitch, as I explain in the next paragraph.
As I've mentioned above, stitches knitted or purled through the back loop are twisted. There are two more ways to twist a stitch: (1) slip it knitwise and then knit or purl the same stitch through the front loop, (2) twist the yarn around the needle in the opposite direction in the previous row. These 3 ways of twisting a stitch are equivalent, they create exactly the same result.
So what happens if, for example, you slip one stitch knitwise and then work it through the back loop? Well, it is pretty simple, you first twist it and then untwist it, so you obtain a standard stitch. The same happens if you've wrapped the yarn around the needle in the opposite direction while working the previous row and then either work through the back loop or slip the stitch knitwise before working it through the front loop. No matter what you do, you always get one of the 4 stitches I've mentioned above.
This is actually helpful, because if you find knitting through the back loop is difficult, you can slip the stitch knitwise and then work it through the front loop instead, or vice-versa.
So what happens if, for example, you slip two stitches knitwise and then knit them through the back loop (this is called the ssk, slip-slip-knit, stitch)? You have just knitted two together. Yep, that is it. This is just a different way to do a k2tog stitch. However... There is a small but important difference between the k2tog and the ssk. When you look at these two stitches from the purl side, they're identical, but from the knit side, oh wonder!... One slants to the right and the other to the left. In the first case the little V on top of the other is the left stitch, in the second it is the right stitch. This is because you've entered the needle from a different direction. To be more precise, in the k2tog the first stitch to enter the needle is the left stitch, in the ssk it is the right stitch.
There is another way of doing the k2tog and ssk stitches, that gives the same exact result. For the k2tog, the recipe is knit 1st stitch, slip 2nd stitch knitwise, return the 2 stitches to the left needle, pass the 2nd stitch over the 1st, return the 1st to the right needle (I know what you're thinking, too much work, right?). For the ssk stitch, the recipe is simpler and more commonly used, you'll find it abbreviated as SKP (slip, knit, pass-over) or sl1, k1, psso in many patterns. The recipe in this case is slip 1st stitch knitwise, knit 2nd and pass the 1st stitch over the 2nd. Remember this is exactly the same as a ssk, so you can use the one you prefer at all times (although Barbara G. Walker argues that the ssk method makes a more tidy looking stitch).
I've "borrowed" some pictures from nionoi.pt to show the result. They include both Portuguese and English (in parenthesis) abbreviations, which might be a bit confusing, but they're still the best I've found.
However, if you're knitting reverse stockinette, i.e. your right side is the purl side, you'll find that the slanting is nearly invisible from the purl side. This means you can choose whichever decrease stitch you prefer and use only that one. In other words, always use k2tog and p2tog, which are definitely the easiest. Just take a look at the pictures and decide for yourself if its worth doing ssk's or ssp's at all.
So knitting can get a little bit more complicated than just 4 stitches... And I haven't even started with double decreases or mentioned increases. I'll leave that for later... or maybe never. This information is readily available in the links I gave in previous posts.
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