Decrease Distribution Calculator

How this works

Each k2tog turns two stitches into one, so it "uses up" 2 stitches of your row. With that accounted for, the remaining stitches are knit plain and spread as evenly as possible between the decreases. When the numbers don't divide cleanly, the extra plain stitches are added to the earliest segments — so a worked row like [K4, k2tog] 10 times, [K3, k2tog] 8 times still adds up to exactly your stitch count. Doing this by hand is where most "evenly across the row" instructions go wrong.

Why the segments aren't all the same size

Patterns rarely divide perfectly. If you have 100 stitches and 18 decreases, you can't make every segment identical — 100 isn't a tidy multiple. Instead of leaving you with an awkward leftover at the end of the row, the calculator front-loads the extra plain stitches onto the first few segments. The result reads as at most two repeat groups, and the math closes exactly: every stitch is accounted for.

Reading the instruction

Brackets mark a repeat: [K3, k2tog] 20 times means knit 3, k2tog, and do that whole sequence 20 times. A bare k2tog with no K prefix means there are no plain stitches in that segment — work the decrease on its own.

Tips for even decreases

• Count the stitches currently on your needle — not your original cast-on.
• Each k2tog needs at least 2 stitches, so you can't place more than half your count.
• Working in the round? The same instruction applies — just repeat to the end. For the rapid stacked decreases that close a hat, use the hat crown decrease calculator instead.
• Use a row counter or stitch markers if the segment count is high; it's easy to lose your place. If you're spacing decreases across rows too, the row count calculator tells you how many rows you're working with.