Cast on 41, knit 39? 7-day afghans, 1985

#1

I’m trying to make Primrose Cables in the above book, but the directions baffle me. Cable panel says cast on 41 stitches, it’s a 3 row pattern, and only row 2 makes sense. Row 3 is the best, YO, K7, K2 tog, K30. And what do I do with the rest of the stitches left in the row??? Also, all rows start with a yarn over, but sometimes it works out to be one of the K7 and sometimes it doesn’t. I know this book was rereleased in 2005, Does anyone have it, and if so is it corrected? And/or does this actually make sense to someone more experienced than I am? Thanks much. Mollyknits

#2

You have 41 stitches cast on, right?

Row 3 is yo, k7, k2tog, k30 and that would use 39 stitches. :??

Did rows 1 and 2 bring you down from 41? Or is there an edge stitch at each end that they mention but don’t include in the directions?

#3

Ingrid, thanks for replying. Here are the rows:

Cast on 41 sts.
Row1: YO, K7, K2tog, K3, sl 4 to cable needle,
K4, Kcable4, K3, sl 4 to cable needle,
K4, Kcable4, K11

Row2: YO, K7,K2tog, k2, P8, K3, P8, K11

Row3: YO, K7, K2tog, K30

When I do row 1, I only have 10 K left at end, not 11
Row 2 seems to work out.
You know about row 3.
And I don’t see any edge instructions except the YO.
“A YO loop begins every row:for ease in counting loops and assembling panels.”

This is an afghan, so size should, in theory, remain constant.
All thoughts appreciated! Thanks
Mollyknit

#4

Row 2 takes 41 st I think… are you one of those poor people who have been told that a YO is a loop and then knitting a stitch? YO is just the loop, it makes one stitch out of nothing.
Small changes in stitch count especially in lacy patterns could happen even in an afghan, but it looks to me like there is another mistake: the cable column in stocking looks like it is offset in odd and even rows by one stitch = BAD!

Maybe try to work it out like this? You have 3 k stitches in the middle (every row k, so garter stitch - a stripe in the middle). On either side of that, you have an 8-stitch strip in stocking stitch (k those 8 stitches on odd rows, p them on even rows). That stocking stripe is cabled every few rows.
On either side of that, you have 11 more stitches of garter. (These garter strips have an eyelet done at the start of each row, but each time, you are just making one stitch with the yo at the start of the 11 stitches, and you decrease one stitch at the end of the 11-stitch garter, so it always stays the same number - 11.)

I think row 3 should be YO, k7, k2tog., k to end (so knit 32) and row 1 should be YO, k7, k2tog., KNIT TWO, etc.
Repeat rows 2 and 3, except every now and then (likely row 1, row 9, and every 8th row after that - row 17, row 25 - is that what it says?) when you cable in the 8-stitch strips of stocking stitch with a 4x4 cable.

So each row looks like this
gggggggggggSSSSSSSSgggSSSSSSSSggggggggggg

The gs are garter stitch (knit every row, except for the fact that one of the knits is actually a k2tog and compensated for by creating a yo, but just pretend it’s all garter). The Ss are just stocking stitch (except every few rows, the stitches are knit out of order to cross them and make a cable).
Placing markers in between might help. So:
ggggggggggg M SSSSSSSS M ggg M SSSSSSSS M ggggggggggg
(M is a marker)

At the end of every row, there should always be 11 stitches on the outside of your markers, 8 stitches in the next segment in, and 3 in the middle.

Does this make sense?

#5

Row 1 actually works out to 41 sts with the k3, unless you’re talking about the cable offset.

#6

I can’t get row 1 to be 41 unless it’s k2 instead of 3. My stitch counts:

Row1: YOCOLOR=“Blue”[/COLOR], K7 COLOR=“Blue”[/COLOR], K2tog[COLOR=“Blue”] (9sts)[/COLOR], K3 COLOR=“Blue”[/COLOR], sl 4 to cable needle,
K4 COLOR=“Blue”[/COLOR], Kcable4 COLOR=“Blue”[/COLOR], K3 COLOR=“Blue”[/COLOR], sl 4 to cable needle,
K4[COLOR=“Blue”] (27sts)[/COLOR], Kcable4 COLOR=“Blue”[/COLOR] , K11 COLOR=“Blue”[/COLOR]

#7

Okay, this is a strange pattern. I tried out the first 3 rows except I didn’t cable. On the first row I ended up with k10 instead of k11, and and on the third row, just knit to the end of the row, which would be k32.

#8

Hi, I’m not sure what you mean by the “cable offset” This is my first attempt at cable - wouldn’t you know! - Thanks so much

#9

To everyone -
Thanks so much for your thoughtful and detailed responses. I’m enjoying having some company in my confusion!

To Redwitch-
I do understand the theory of what you are saying.
I do have the YO right, just a loop over, so that part is OK
I think you are saying that in Row 1, it is K2 instead of K3 before slipping the cable stitches. Is that correct? That would get rid of the offset? And the cable repeat is row 1, 11, etc.

I’ll try a sample and let you know Mollyknit:knitting:

#10

Every ten rows sounds within the normal range for an 8-stitch cable. Yes I think it should be knit 2 not k 3 but if you put markers in between sections I think it will become a lot more clear: you have the garter stitch (with eyelet and decrease at the start), the cable sections (always 8 stitches), and one strip of garter. These will always be the same.
For example, I say I think k2 will work better because than you have that total of 11 garter stitches (you use up 11 stitches: k7, k2tog, k2 = 11, and you also create 11 stitches: yo (= 1), k7, k2tog (makes 1), k2 = total of 11)

See that row I represented with letters gggSSS etc.? You might find it clearer to think of that and knit from it like a chart? so the eyelet garter (the yo k7 k2tog k2 at the start, 11 knit stitches at the end) then the stocking stitch (cabled occasionally) then a middle garter bit. Let us know how you go? It sounds pretty.

#11

Hi all thanks again! I worked up a sample and it indeed works with K2 instead of K3 in first row, and K to end in third. Thanks again for making it possible to use this (flawed but beautiful) afghan.