The Knitting Fiend

A 5 to 1 pillar decrease is worked to close off the top of the two little circles or “scrolls” in Celtic Flourish. The method used is a simple extension of the common 3-1 pillar decrease — called simply the “pillar decrease”. Both the 3-1 pillar decrease and the 5-1 pillar decrease are very simple to work following text directions literally. Naturally, I have pictures just in case you just don’t believe the text!

The 5-1 pillar decrease, illustrated.

Work up to the 5 stitches involved in the decrease. Above and to the left, I used the point of a pair of scissors to indicate the pillar stitch. There are two to the right and two to the left of this stitch. Slip the next three stitches to the right needle tip; see illustration above and to the right; once again, the tip of the scizzors points to the pillar stitch. (When working the Celtic scroll, this is worked wrong side facing. So, the pillar stitch appears as a knit and the stitches on either side as purls.)

You will now pass the stitch to the right of the pillar stitch over the pillar stitch. Insert tip of left needle in the second stitch on the right hand needle tip; see below left. Lift and pass this stitch over the pillar stitch on the left needle tip; see below right. Drop the stitch you passed over. You have now decreased 1 stitch. You need to decrease 4 more.

Next, slip the pillar stitch to the left needle tip as shown further below left; you will now pass the stitch to the left of the pillar stitch over the pillar stitch. Insert the right needle tip into the second stitch on the left needle tip; see figure above and to the right. Lift the stitch, pass it over the pillar stitch on the right needle tip. Drop the stitch you passed over. You have now completed the more common 3-1 pillar stitch decrease which is often used when knitting lace.

To create a 5-1 pillar decrease, you pass the pillar stitch back to the right needle. Pass the stitch to the right of the pillar stitch over the pillar stitch. Then, pass the pillar stitch back to the left needle again, pass the first stitch on the left of the pillar stitch over the pillar stitch. You’ve now passed 4 stitches over the central stitch, so only 1 of the five remain on the needles.

The pillar stitch is on the left needle, and has not been knitted or purled into. Generally, instructions call for you to knit into the pillar stitch, and this is the case with Celtic flourish. So, I knit, and proceeded to work across the row.

Done. And fairly simple.