Chart help. I have no clue

Pattern Central
1

Hi, This is my first time posting here at this site and hoping to get some help as a newbie knitter and totally clueless chart reader.

I wanted to make these slippers, but try as I may, I am unable to figure out this chart. I am totally stumped.

It says: Continue in stockinette st under foot, work the 29 sts on upper foot as follows: M.1A (= 2 sts), repeat M.1B over the next 24 sts (4 times) and finish with M.1C (= 3 sts).

And gives this chart. Next to the symbol it reads:
1 YO, sl one stitch as if to knit, K2tog, PSSO, 1 YO

I would understand how to do that whole part, but M1.A looks like it’s only the back half of the pattern? And M.1C the front half? And why are they on different lines, like one is below the others? I’ve been able to decipher other charts, but this one has me completely baffled. Yet I’m sure it is something simple I am completely missing…

Could someone please help me?


Here is the pattern link:

http://www.garnstudio.com/lang/us/pattern.php?id=4962&lang=us

2

Hi and welcome to KnittingHelp!
Oh gosh, those Drops patterns. Even the graphs can be very confusing. You’re reading the chart from the bottom up and starting on the right, reading to the left for all rounds.
Because the sts for the chart symbol, the yo sl1, k2tog, psso, yo, take 3sts, let’s call it a (3) to make it easier to type.
Rounds 1 & 2: knit
Round 3: k2, k3, (3), k3, (3), k3,(3), k3, (3), k3.
Rounds 4-6: knit
Round 7: k1 (1+2), k3, (3), k3, (3), k3, (3), k3, (1+2), k1.
In round 7, the first and the last repeat of the symbol are split only to show you the division that the pattern is calling for between M1.A and M1.B and again between M1.B and M1.C. You can just consider each of the (1+2) as another (3).

The reason the symbols in the chart occur one above the other is that they occur on different rounds and are staggered in order to give you the pattern repeat.

Here’s a good primer on chart reading that may help in general:

3

Oh, thank you so much! I got confused where it said “Work the 29 stitches as follows” I thought it meant all those M’s were ONE row. LOL. I couldn’t figure out why the pattern was vertical instead of being read like the usual patterns. LOLOL. Boy, I was messed up!

Thanks so much for your time. I just told my coworker it was probably very simple, and I just wasn’t getting it.

I’ve been at it for a week trying to decipher and keep waking up from knitting nightmares. LOL

Thanks for your time in writing it all out for me! Thanks so very much! :muah:

Now off to tackle that slipper!!!

4

Oh, those knitting nightmares!
Enjoy knitting the slippers.

5

Thank you for the help so far. :thumbsup:

I have finally got to the toe! Yay!
But this DROPS pattern just is so confusing…
I provided the link at the end of this post.

So I have worked the eyelet type stitch pattern on the instep and just stockinette below. I have the required 56 stitches in this order after my decreases.

Needle One: 15 stitches
Needle Two: 3 stitches
Needle Three: 35 stitches on the instep (in eyelet type pattern)
Needle Four: 3 stitches

I have worked until I have the required 8 3/4" from marker on heel.
I have 2 inches remaining for the toe.

Now the pattern says:

Insert a marker in the first st in each side so that there are 27 sts on the upper foot and 27 sts under foot. Continue in stockinette st over all sts while at the same time dec for toes in each side of the markers as follows - beg 2 sts before the marker: K2Tog, K1 (marker in this stitch), K2 twisted tog. Continue to dec in each side on every other round a totoal of 6 times and then on each round… etc.

So, my question… Um, insert a marker in each side of what?

I have 56 sts, but 27 + 27 = 54 sts, so this has something to do with putting the marker in the first stitch and working the 54 sts between the markers?

I can redistribute my sts on the needles, but not sure, do I keep the center 27 for the instep pattern on one needle, and then put the remaining 29 on two other needles with a marker on each opposite side? So my decreases are not being done on the instep needle? But then it says start 2 stitches before the marker… so that would be on my instep needle, right? I’m totally baffled.

Gosh. I have two DROPS dog sweaters I would love to make, but their patterns are hard to understand!

Could someone please tell me how I go from the part of the pattern where it says 2" remain and I begin my decrease for the toe? That is the last sentence above the final paragraph in the pattern where it starts “Insert marker” on the link page. Right above the chart picture.

Thank you in advance! :aww:

http://www.garnstudio.com/lang/us/pattern.php?id=4962&lang=us

6

Overly complicated, no wonder it’s confusing. When you knit the toe you will knit in all stockinette stitch, the pattern has now finished.

I knit socks all the time and if faced with those instructions I’d probably do this:

Arrange the stitches so that there’s 28 on the instep needle and 28 (14 stitches each) on the other two needles. Arrange them so that you move a few stitches off either side of the instep needle so the pattern part remains centered over the top of your foot.

Needle No1 should contain 14 stitches and this should be the start of your round, needle No2 contains 28 stitches and No3 the other 14. The two needles with 14 stitches are the underside or the sole stitches. After you arrange the stitches this way you might have to knit most/part of a round to get to the end of what is now needle 3.

Ditch the markers, as you decrease you have less space available and they’ll only get in the way.

Row 1
On needle one: knit to the last three stitches, k2tog, k1.
On needle two: k1, sl sl k then knit across to the last three stitches and k2tog, k1.
On needle 3: K1, sl sl k, then knit across.

Row 2
Knit all stitches

Repeat rows 1 and 2 until the pattern tells you to repeat row 1 only.

The toe decrease should be done for your own foot, this is one of the benefits of knitting socks for me as I have very pointed feet! Doing the two row decrease for longer will give you a wider, more rounded toe box, so it’s up to you to decide when to change to just the single row, which will decrease on every row. And of course, the more socks you make the more used to fitting them for yourself you get, it’s all trial and error at first.

I would have a good look at Ravelry for some free and simple patterns for your next pair! The DROPS ones always look so nice but then I read their instructions… :roflhard:

7

Wow, Brenda, that simplifies things a lot. I thought that what you’ve explained so well was what was needed but couldn’t quite get there. Well done!

I’ve yet to tackle a Drops pattern mostly because it seems that Drops makes the top of the list here for confusion, along with Debbie Bliss.

8

Brenda,

Thank you so much for your answer and writing it all out for me! I really appreciate it. :muah:

I actually did consider just making it easy and doing it this way… as I have a few patterns I have done that do the toe this nice, normal way. LOL.

Call me a crazy masochist, but I love learning new things and new ways of doing things, and I would actually love to learn to understand these durn DROPS patterns.

I know, I’m crazy, right?

But if I understood them, I would not have to avoid DROPS patterns like the plague, which I think many knitters do. LOL.

I would like to be able to figure out exactly what they are trying to say and do it that way, if possible, just to broaden my knitting horizons. LOL. And hopefully try not to aggravate myself too much in the process.

But, if no one else can figure it out either, I will do just what you suggest and follow your instructions! So thank you so much for your time in writing it all out for me! :heart:

9

ha ha, amen. i knew it couldn’t just be new knitter phobia…

10

Brenda has done a suprb job of making this pattern work based on experience. Thanks, Brenda!
Since the Drops patterns are translations, they’re not always clear. It may be the original pattern or the translation. Sometimes they’re overly complicated in an effort to be precise. Either way, they can be difficult.
I wouldn’t let it stop me from doing the sweater patterns though. There always seems to be a way to work through the directions and we’re all willing to help.

11

Well, I downloaded this sock pattern. It might be my first Drops pattern but I figure I’ll do some adapting of my own, starting with working on circs. Thanks for being so helpful and encouraging, salmonmac.

12

That’s true, Salmonmac!

I found on Ravelry, where the pattern was posted, someone who had knitted these slippers and she also worked out the toe for herself pretty similarly.

So, thank you again, Brenda. :woot: I think I will do it your way, and then maybe some day I will find out what in the world the pattern was trying to convey!

For now, I would just like to get this slipper done! LOL

13

GG,

I think you will like them. The eyelet pattern on the instep is very pretty and with everyone’s help, they weren’t all that hard to make. I’m going to try to finish my toe and the start the second one tonight!

Thank you all so very much for the help. It’s very much appreciated!

14

I think what I’ll do is look at the eyelet pattern and see if I can do it toe up. If not then I’ll work it from the cuff. Your success is inspiring. :thumbsup:

15

One of these days I hope to be able to figure out patterns like that and do them the way I want to!

I hope you succeed and have a nice pair of toe-up slippers!

I did one pair of magic loop toe-up and it was great fun. But of course, the pattern told me how to do it, I didn’t figure it out for myself.

But, it’s fun to be in the beginner stages where everything is new and it is so fun to learn new stuff. The other day I told my mom I was up till 2 am working on my slippers because I was at an “exciting point” in my knitting. (I was adding a third color. LOL)

She looked at me like I was nuts. Like, “Are you serious??? Knitting can be exciting?” LOL

16

I think salmonac is right, the translation here is off. I can’t see the point of the stitch markers, unless it’s to help someone less familiar to keep the pattern section isolated, but as it’s all stockinette at that point that doesn’t make much sense either. I looked at the pattern on the link you provided and you can enlarge the photo, but the toe doesn’t look like anything different to a normal sock toe to me.

I think if you figure this one out you’re going to have to let us know, lol!

17

I didn’t even think about the patterns needing to be translated. I just thought it was a European way of doing a pattern, so something new to learn if I could figure it out.

So now I see where it makes sense just to try to improvise in the pattern by what you know, because it may be it will never make sense!

18

She’s right you know, you’re nuts. :teehee: We’re all nuts. Knitting :knitting: knuts actually. Yeah, the uninitiated don’t get it. You know that we do.

Sock patterns and I don’t get along hence my intention to try adding the eyelet pattern to the top of a sock and see if it works. As long as I have the stitch count for the repeats I see no problem except that worked upside down it might look different. I did one pair of cuff downs and hope to avoid ever doing it again. I admire those who do them so well.

19

the first multiple futile attempts i made at socks were cuff-down and i know now that part of my frustration with that method is the laddering. but also the DPNs i wasn’t used to.

and now that i’m working on 2 toe-ups in magic loop style, and actually enjoying it, i totally get why it’s so popular.

there are a number of places i’ve found online that discuss how to convert cuff-down to toe-up. it’s not always exactly the same, but the basic recipes are still there… and even my aversion to ‘suggested recipes’ as opposed to originally needing ‘SET IN STONE INSTRUCTIONS’ is gone.

it’s nice to see the cuff-down patterns now, and go 'oh, ok, so i need to work that backwards, and i need X at the toe, and Y for the heel, and Z for the cuff and here’s what i could do in between to bridge that part…" and it actually makes some sense in my brain. but it’s practice, and a lot of KH.com help :wink: now i just need more time to work on the projects i’ve planned out. and more sock yarn. always need more sock yarn. :wink:

20

I’m European and I can’t understand those instructions! :roflhard: