can anybody help me with a pattern?

hi! ive only been knitting for about a month and usually need time to understand patterns but this one pattern for baby booties has completely stumped me. im sure its probably just because i havent encountered anything like it in a pattern before, but if anyone could help with an explanation it would be greatly appreciated!

ill paste the pattern here (omitted what i have already completed before this section)

(25 stitches on needle) Beg with a P row, work in rev st st as follows: Work 4 rows, ending with a ws row.
Shape instep:
next row (rs) P17 and turn.
next row K9 and turn.
Work 10 rows more on these 9 sts only for instep.
Break yarn.
With rs facing, rejoin yarn at base of instep and pick up and knit 8 sts up first side of instep, K across 9 instep sts, pick up and knit 8 sts down other side of instep and turn.
next row (ws) P25 and turn.

i have included the part after break yarn for context, but im really stuck on it going from 25 stitches -> 17 stitches -> 9 stitches with no apparent decreases? can anybody help me out with an explanation?

thank you everybody in advance! :smiling_face_with_three_hearts:

Hi, you’ll be doing short rows, not decreasing. For this next rs row: p17 and turn the work so the wrong side is facing you,
Next ws row: knit 9 sts (back across some of the sts you just purled) and turn the work again so the right side is facing you.
Work 10 rows across just these 9 sts.
I hope this helps to explain the process, wishing you luck

thank you for your reply!
im still a bit confused about what i do with the other stitches excluded from the row (if that makes sense), do i just slip them onto a seperate needle and pick them back up later?

No, just ignore them for now. You get back to them later on and it will all start to make sense then :grinning:

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Hi
You can just leave those stitches on your needle even though you are not working them just yet. At the turn imagine you have finished the row and turn your work around as notknittingtheknots said, and when you work back you will be able to count your stitches that you are working and will also be able to see where you turned for these short rows. The unworked stitches are safe but if you feel unhappy with them on your needle then you can slip them onto a holder if you have one (like a big safety pin) or slip them onto scrap yarn (use a big sewing or tapestry needle to get them onto the yarn) but join the 2 ends of your scrap yarn together with a knot so the stitches can’t fall off. You might struggle a little if you slip them to a knitting needle as the needle will likely get in your way as you are working due to the size of it and you’d need a stopper on the needle to stop them falling off.
Easiest way is probably to leave them where they are.

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thank you so much for your help, i was able to visualise it better and get through it much easier than i expected to :smile:

i am, however, stuck again at a later part in the pattern:

(ws) P25 and turn.
K25 and turn.
Rep last 2 rows once more, and then first of these 2 rows again, ending with a ws row.
These last 5 rows form the st st section for “pleat” around top of instep.
next row (rs) K tog first st with corresponding st of first “pleat” row, (K tog next st with corresponding st of first “pleat” row) 24 times – “pleat” completed, then P to end of row. 41 sts.

i managed to figure out the pleated section using a tutorial online (at least i hope, i very well could have gone wrong somewhere) but i cannot figure out where the 41 stitches come from? after ktog 24 times i finished the row, so theres nothing left to purl either. can anybody offer any guidance?

thank you for your patience :sweat_smile:

Welcome to KH!
What is the name of your pattern?

It seems that you’re forming the ridge or pleat at the top of the instep similar to these Debbie Bliss booties.
https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/-34-booties-with-blanket-stitch-detail
If that’s it, your knitting a tuck or fold like this:

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“41 stitches” seems to be a stitch count – i.e. the pattern is telling you that you should have 41 stitches on your project after finishing the previous section.

It’s a way for you to check as you go that you have the right number of stitches.

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Hi, without the pattern to read this is just a guess, but it appears you have made a ststitch section over the last few rows using those middle 25sts which you now have to secure into a pleat by knitting together from the first row of the stst section and the current row on your needles ,1 stitch at a time on the right side of the row.
There should be 8 sts before the center 25 sts you have been working over and 8 sts after them making a total of 41 sts.
This is only a guess as I don’t have access to your pattern, but I hope it helps you.

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sorry for not linking the pattern before, here it is. let me know if the link isnt working. its a set but the part i am stuck on is in the booties pattern.

i could be missing something but as far as i can tell there isnt any indication of where the extra stitches come from to turn 25 into 41 — if im correct, the row which im knitting together with the current row was 25 stitches, the current row is also 25 stitches, so im unsure where to go from there?

You start with 25sts after the decrease that follows the ribbing. Then you work some rows and then shape the instep. Purl across 17sts, turn and k9sts. That leaves 8sts on either side of the instep which aren’t worked (8 before the instep + 9 instep + 8 after the instep). Just let those 8 sts on each side hang out until you get to them later.
Once you’ve knit the instep or top of the foot you pick up 8 new sts on each side of the instep ( 8sts + 9sts + 8sts).

When you add in the 8 unworked sts on either side of the instep which have been hanging out waiting it totals 41sts.
(8sts before the instep + 25 instep + 8 after the instep = 41sts).

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Okay, it’s clear now that you skipped a step after the instep short rows. Easily done and easy to redo.Salmonmac has explained perfectly what steps you need to take to remedy the problem and to be able to continue with the correct stitch count🙂
It all seems difficult now, but I promise you’ll fly through the second bootee and you only really learn something new by making mistakes yes!!
Deep breath and soldier on, you’ve got this!

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thank you all so much, your help has been amazing :pleading_face: silly mistakes like these can be frustrating but im glad there are people here to help me out! ill redo what i messed up and hopefully finish, thank you all again :smile:

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