Can someone explain this in beginner's terms?

How-to Questions
1

Well, being home from college and having nothing to do, I caught the knitting bug about a week or two ago!
So I’m trying to knit this hat (similar to ones sold in urban outfitters), but I cannot seem to figure out the increases.

This is the pattern from http://theyarniad.blogspot.com/2008/02/res-completa-chunky-knit-hat-for.html

  • CO 84 sts
  • Join for working in the round
  • Work 3 rounds of 2x2 ribbing
  • Over next 2 rounds, increase 2 stitches for each 4 cast on
  • Continue in 2x2 ribbing for desired length (I think this one’s about 4.5" from CO to beginning of decreases)
  • k2, p2tog to end
  • k2, p1 to end
  • Repeat last round twice more
  • k2tog, p1 to end
  • Repeat last round once more
  • work in pattern (knit the knits, purl the purls) for 6 stitches, k2tog to end
  • work in pattern for 5 stitches, k2tog to end
  • work in pattern for 4 stitches, k2tog to end
  • work in pattern for 3 stitches, k2tog to end
  • work in pattern for 2 stitches, k2tog to end
  • work in pattern for 1 stitch, k2tog to end
  • k2tog to end
  • break yarn, thread through live stitches, pull tightly to close

everything makes sense to me [B]except when I try this part:

  • Over next 2 rounds, increase 2 stitches for each 4 cast on[/B]

somehow, I mess up, and my hat looks like a bunch of bumps.
Please help! I want to finish this before I go back to school, or I’ll never finish it!

Thanks so much!

Sarah

2

Okay your CO is 84 sts, and you do k2 p2. So in each k2, p2 rib you’ll inc 2 sts. But you still keep the k2 p2 rib. This sounds like it would something you want to try on scrap yarn first - CO about 24 sts and see how you can do the incs. Though it might look like this…

vv – vv – vv
v-v- v-v- v-v- v-v- v-v- then the next inc round
vv–vv–vv–vv–vv–

Not very good, but just practice with it. Use m1 instead of kfb, that might help.

3

So do I make 2 right after the other? For example,
it looks like this:

vv–vv–vv
vv–vv–vv

and i’ll use X as the symbol for my new stitches … do I do this:

vv–XXvv–XX

or
vv–XvX-vv

I just don’t know if I’m supposed to space out the two stitches or do them at the same time…?

Or, will the rib just be moving over for two rows…?
Sorry if I’m misunderstanding!!

4

Hmmm, maybe either would work. You have to do them over 2 rows to get the right number of sts, so that should get everything back in the right order. And yes, that rib will look off for a couple rows.

5

Excuse me, but what does vv – vv – vv mean?

6

I used v to represent a knit stitch, and a - for a purl stitch.

7

arg! For some reason, I just cannot understand when I get to knitting the increases. I just keep getting holes and random purl stitches.
Maybe this is the question I should be asking: when I’m increasing in the pattern, does that mean the new stitches should take place of the purl stitches in the pattern if i’m supposed to be purling or vice versa, or should the new stitches just be new stitches and I just continue the pattern from before I made the new stitch? :noway: