What is 3 to 1 decrease in knitting?

Question

I am knitting a triangle prayer shawl and came across this abrev. and do not know how to do it. 3 to 1 decrease

Answer 1

I don't know for sure, and I can't find anything about it online, but my guess would be this is another term for a double decrease - make three stitches into one....

Answer 2

I don't know for sure either, but it could mean that you decrease by three stitches for every row or that the number of stitches decreases by a third at each row.  One will give you a sharper decrease than the other.  Which one makes more sense to you?

Answer 3

This is a double decrease.  It is generally done by slipping one stitch as if to purl, knitting the next two stitches together, and then passing the slipped stitch over the resulting stitch.  You take three stitches down to one.  Other means of doing this is to knit or purl 3 together, but these means give a directional slant to the finished stitch, where the first results in a non-directional stitch that, when looked at closely, resembles a triangle.