The CDDP (Central Double Decrease, Purl) is often the WS alternative to the CDD. It’s a way to decrease your stitches by 2, in (yet another) centered way.

It’s a bit more challenging to work than a CDD and we’ll show you the steps here.

How to Knit a CDDP

In words, you work a sl2 tog purlwise, p1, psso.

But here it is with pictures.

Step 1: Work up until the stitch

This next part requires a bit of calisthenics. I promise it’ll be worth it in the end though.

Step 2a: Take your RN and twist it so you’re working the next 2 stitches together on the LN BUT FROM THE BACK.

In order to do this, I turned my RN so that it also pointed toward the right. This part won’t feel right, and you’ll be thinking that you must be doing something wrong. Just stay with me though. We’re halfway there.

Step 2b: Put those 2 stitches together on the RN. The stitches will be ordered differently now. All you did was to slip those 2 stitches to the RN. You didn’t work them, so that’s why the working yarn is coming from the right.

Again – totally weird, but we’re almost there.

Step 3: Purl the next stitch on the LN. Note that the working yarn has stranded across the 2 stitches that you slipped. But don’t worry – we’re going to take care of that next.

Step 4: Pass the 2 stitches over that you moved in 2b. Once that’s done, I also snug the working yarn a bit more with a tug. I don’t make it crazy-super-tight, but I get rid of any slack.

You’re done! You’ve now decreased the stitch count by 2.

Here’s what it looks like on the RS. I’ve worked CDDs (RS) and CDDPs (WS).