Can you help me with this pattern?

How-to Questions
1

Please help!

I am very new to knitting, but I found this pattern and would like to make this hat for my teenaged daughter who has trichotillomania.

I have not worked with patterns before and I am having difficulty figuring this out.

The complete pattern can be seen here:

http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEfall04/PATThallowig.html

but I am just trying to get through one part at a time.

[color=blue]STITCH PATTERNS
[Knitty’s list of standard abbreviations can be found here]

2 X 2 rib
Row 1 [RS]: K3, [p2, k2] to last st, k1.
Row 2 [WS]: P3, [k2, p2] to last st, p1.

GAUGE
28 sts/22 rows = 4 inches in 2x2 rib (unstretched)

DIRECTIONS
Wig
Using straight needles or one set of circulars, cast on 96 sts.
Work in 2 x 2 rib until the piece is as long as the distance between the bottom of your chin, and your eyebrow (about 6.5"), ending with a WS row.
NOTE: The extra stitches along the edge of the work will balance the width of the first and last ribs. Later on, when the bangs are added, these stitches will become parts of purl ribs.
If more length in the main body of the wig is desired, work more rows at this point.
Next row [RS]: work as before, but slip the first and last stitch.

Bangs
With RS facing and using backward loop cast on, loosely CO 32 sts. The backward loop cast on allows for plenty of stretch.
Div sts onto DPNs or circulars and join to work in the round with the RS of the wig facing out, being careful not to twist stitches. The first stitch will be a p; follow rib pattern after that.
Work in 2x2 rib for 10 rows.
NOTE: The extra stitches that were at the beginning and end of the work up to this point become parts of purl ribs where the bangs join - see diagram A below for example
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So here is what I get from this–

First I cast on 96 stitches.
Then I knit 3 stitches.
Then purl 2, knit 2 until I reach the last stitch which will be a knit stitch.
On the next row, I purl 3 to start, then knit 2, purl 2 until the last stitch which will be a purl.
I continue on in this pattern until I reach the desire length, making sure that the last row is the one that starts and ends with a purl stitch.
[color=red]On the next row I slip 1 stitch, then knit 2, purl 3 until I reach the last stitch which I slip—right?
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I think I understand so far, but then I get completely confused
:??
Am I casting on to the end of the piece I just made? I think so.

Then “join to work in the round”.

I haven’t worked in the round before. Is there anything I need to be aware of, or will this become obvious when I get there?

That’s it for now, but I am sure I will be back when I get further into this project.

2

looking over what you wrote, it seems like things are making sense to you- you’ve got it right except that on the row when you start to slip a stitch at the beginning and end of the row it 's still a 2x2 rib so you’d slip1, k2, p2, k2, p2 until last stitch, sl. 1 st. - maybe that was just a typo when you wrote it.

and yes, you’re casting on to the work you just finished. the most important thing about working in the round is to make sure your stitches are not twisted before you join your work.

good luck!

3

Hopefully my knitting skills will be more consistent than my typing skills!!

4

And I almost forgot----THANKS!!!

5

Okay, so far so good. I am ready to transfer to the circular needles, but I am having a hard time visualizing this.

[color=blue]From the pattern:
[/color]

NOTE: The extra stitches along the edge of the work will balance the width of the first and last ribs. Later on, when the bangs are added, these stitches will become parts of purl ribs.
If more length in the main body of the wig is desired, work more rows at this point.
Next row [RS]: work as before, but slip the first and last stitch.

Bangs
With RS facing and using backward loop cast on, loosely CO 32 sts. The backward loop cast on allows for plenty of stretch.
Div sts onto DPNs or circulars and join to work in the round with the RS of the wig facing out, being careful not to twist stitches. The first stitch will be a p; follow rib pattern after that.
Work in 2x2 rib for 10 rows.
NOTE: The extra stitches that were at the beginning and end of the work up to this point become parts of purl ribs where the bangs join - see diagram A below for example.

[color=red]Okay, this is how I read this:
[/color]
I plan to transfer to the circulars before casting on the new stitches since I am pretty much at the limit of my straight needles. Is there any reason that this will be a problem?

Next, RS facing out should be automatic since the last row I knitted was a RS row, right?

Now the diagram shows that I am purling to a knit stitch – the one that I slipped on the last row-- is that right? (I am getting confused by this…the last row was a RS, so the last 3 stitches were PPK, so when I turn it over, it’s KKP, but I slipped the last one so its a P from the beginning of the WS row before, making it a K when I turn it over?) My brain hurts!

… So I start the first row on the circulars with P2 K2, and continue the rib pattern for 10 rows.

I think this makes sense, but I am SOOOOOO new at this. Sometimes the obvious escapes me!

Thanks for helping!!!

6

if you’ve just finished working a RS row, you’d turn it to work the WS - but just make sure the RS is facing you when you go to cast on the stitches.

ps. sorry it took me a while to write back - i was up in the northwoods of wisconsin for the last week

good luck!