I’m still quite new at knitting, but this vintage slip pattern seemed faster to knit in the round, as it is mostly a stockinette tube.
Except… I am now at the very top where the slip ends with 19 pattern rows. An example of a WS row is: K2,*Sl1, K1 repeat from * to end. So that would become *P1, Sl1 repeat across row ending with P2, right? But I’m confused about the slip stitches, do I slip them knit wise or purl wise?
Thanks!
Hi and welcome to KH!
Yes, that’s the way to convert the pattern. Slip the stitches purlwise.
If the k2 at the beginning of the original pattern row is for the seam stitch, you can k2 together somewhere to eliminate a stitch since you won’t need to seam this hat. You can then P1, Sl1 around.
Can you post a link to the pattern or give us a pattern name?
Thanks for your reply!
The pattern is “Winter Woollies” in the book “A Stitch in Time”, and it is a pattern for a slip or long vest. I don’t think the pattern is available online.
Only some WS rows are decorative pattern rows, all RS rows are knit rows. On the upside there are only 7 decorative rows in total, so not that much to convert.
As for the seem stitches, it’s a little confusing because two rows start/end with K2, one with P2, one with P3, one with P1 and two with K1. I’m not completely sure how that works as far as k2tog’ing the seem stitches?
Also, I’m getting a little lost on the more complicated decorative rows, i.e. this row:
Row 5 (WS): P2, *K1, (Sl1,K1) 5 times, P5, K2, P2, K1, Sl1, K2, Sl1, K1, P2, K2, P5, K1, (Sl1, K1) 5 times, P4, repeat from * once, ending with P2 instead of P4. ==> (total of 100 st)
Converted: K2, *(P1, Sl1) 5 times, P1, K5, P2, K2, P1, Sl1, P2, Sl1, P1, K2, P2, K5, (P1, Sl1) 5 times, P1, K4, repeat from * four times, the last time ending with K2 instead of K4. ==> (total of 200 sts - phew! Is that right?)
Wow I’m a lot more confused than I thought I would be!
Wait, it’s probably more clear if I just type out this part of the pattern!
Row 1 (WS): K2,*Sl1, K1 repeat from * to end.
Row 2 and all even rows: K
Row 3: P
Row 5: P2, *K1, (Sl1,K1) 5 times, P5, K2, P2, K1, Sl1, K2, Sl1, K1, P2, K2, P5, K1, (Sl1, K1) 5 times, P4, repeat from * once, ending with P2 instead of P4.
Row 7: P3, *K1, (Sl1,K1) 5 times, P9, K1, P2, K1, P9, k!, (Sl1, K1) 5 times, P6, repeat from * once, ending with P3 instead of P6.
Row 9: K1, *P3, K1, (Sl1, K1) 8 times, P3, K2, P3, K1, (Sl1, K1) 8 times, P3, K2, repeat from * once, ending with K1 instead of K2.
Row 11: P1, *K1, P9, K1, (Sl1,K1) 5 times, P6, K1, (Sl1, K1) 5 times, P9, K1, P2, repeat from * once, ending with P1 instead of P2.
Row 13: K1, *Sl1, K1, P2, K2, P5, K1, (Sl1, K1) 5 times, P4, K1, (Sl1, K1) 5 time, P5, K2, P2, K1, Sl1, K2, repeat from * once, ending with K1 instead of K2.
Row 15: P
Row 17: K2,*Sl1, K1 repeat from * to end.
Cast off.
Did you get all your questions answered, or are you still confused?
Let us know how it goes!
Basically you want to change knit sts for purl sts and vice versa. Also, reverse the order of sts along the odd number (WS) rows just as you did for row 1.
You might try out this pattern once you’ve written it down on some scrap yarn with maybe 2 repeats of the sts between the asterisks just to check and make sure it looks right.
As salmonmac mentioned, important to reverse the order of the stitches. You may chart or graph the stitches to get a better idea of how the pattern looks. When working in the round, you read all the rows from right to left. In straight knitting, RS is right to left and WS is left to right. Good luck with your conversion.
Thank you so much, everyone!
I think I was really just psyching myself out, once I started knitting the piece, everything seemed to make more sense…
Although I couldn’t really tell if the pattern was coming out alright until the work came off the needles, the detail pictures in the book weren’t very clear, so I guess charting it out would have helped me visualize it.
I ended up doing P1,Sl1 all the way around for the initial and final decorative rows, leaving the other rows as written in the pattern, so no k2tog. The design turned out to be a ‘V’ in the middle emanating small, sort of leafy bits. I made one mistake and accidentally left out one knit row towards the beginning, I was pretty much done when I realized it, and you can’t really tell, so I decided to just let it be.
Again, thanks!
… now I just have to learn how to make i cord, so I can put some straps on this thing! Luckily it seems to be fairly easy, and there are tons of i cord tutorials out there 
Wow, sounds like an adventure! Glad it worked out. Yes I-cord is easy to do. There’s a video here that’s very clear.
I made one mistake and accidentally left out one knit row towards the beginning, I was pretty much done when I realized it, and you can’t really tell, so I decided to just let it be.
You’ll find that happens a lot with ‘mistakes’. They’re hardly ever visible.