How to Slip Stitches
The Simple Moving of a Stitch From One Needle to the Other
Slip stitches (sl st) are, in my opinion, the easiest things to do in knitting.
Basically, slipping a stitch means to pass the stitch from one needle to the other without working it.
They are commonly required for various knitting techniques, so it's a great idea for beginners to learn about them as early as possible.
The main two types of slip stitches you will see in a pattern are as follows:
Sl st p-wise = Slip a stitch purlwise
Sl st k-wise = Slip a stitch knitwise
The resulting stitches are slightly different; a stitch slipped purlwise remains untwisted, whilst a stitch slipped knitwise becomes twisted.
If the pattern only says 'slip stitch' or 'sl st' and doesn't specifiy whether it should be purlwise or knitwise, then take this advice from the good ol' Vogue book of knitting:
"If the instructions don't specifiy which way to slip the stitch, slip it purlwise except when decreasing; in this case, slip it knitwise on the knit rows and purlwise on the purl rows."
If you know how to knit and purl, slipping stitches is a piece of cake because it's quicker and just involves the first step of doing a knit or purl stitch.
As you see in the video, I also go through a few other simple variations of the slip stitch. Here is the full content list:
Slipping knitwise: 0:35
Slipping purlwise: 1:30
Slipping knitwise with yarn in front (sl st k-wise wyif): 2:00
Slipping purlwise with yarn in back (sl st p-wise wyib): 2:30
Slipping knitwise through the back of the loop (sl st k-wise tbl): 2:53
Slipping purlwise through the back of the loop (sl st p-wise tbl): 3:14
Thanks for watching!