Most decreases for two stitches are written as k2tog – knit the next two stitches together to form one stitch, this generally causes the decreased stitches to slope to the right. This is fine in most cases, but sometimes, such as on socks, decreases need to slope in opposite directions. When the stitches are required to slope to the left you may come across the abbreviation k2togtbl this simply means you knit the two stitches together through the back of the loops (tbl) as shown above. In miniature this is often easier to work than the more common ssk (slip, slip, knit) or sl 1, k 1, psso (slip one, knit one, pass slipped stitch over) found on human sized patterns.
In miniature knitting you may find working k3tog or p3tog difficult, especially if you are a tight knitter. Sometimes you can work these stitches by wiggling the needles into the stitches to loosen them, but this may tighten other stitches in the row. A simpler way of working a k3tog is to slip the first of the 3 sts, then knit the next 2 sts together and finally pass the slipped stitch over the stitch just knitted (written – sl 1, k2tog, psso in patterns)
The sequence of working the sl 1, k2tog, psso is shown below:
NOTE: If you need to work p3tog, then you can substitute sl 1, p2tog, psso if it is easier.