I’ve just started on the Booga Bag pattern and the instructions say to knit 34 rows in garter stitch. I’ve gone into a brain spasm…do I count the ridges when knitting in the round? Also, I read on some site to knit 1 row and purl one row when working the garter stitch on circular needles…of course, the first 34 rows of the Booga bag are done back and forth, so shouldn’t I just knit back and forth, so shouldn’t I do that for 34 rounds or rows? HELP!!!
Joyce
It sounds like you’re supposed to knit 34 rows of garter stitch back and forth on the needles, like they’re straight needles (so don’t join yet). I haven’t done this bag, but I just did a similar one and you knitted a flat rectangle and then picked up stitches from that before you joined and began knitting in the round. I don’t have the pattern here in front of me, but it sounds like that’s what your describing.
I can’t help with the counting part–I just made a mark on paper every time I finished a row to count.
Thanks…I gather then that each time I start at the beginning of my work, I count that as a row…right?
OK - first, take a breath! ahhhh…doesn’t that feel better? 
For garter stitch on circular needles, you will knit one row & purl one row, since you never turn the work.
When you count rows in garter, you count each knit AND purl row, like this:
k-1
p-2
k-3
p-4
Each ridge is going to be 2 rows. SO, knit & purl until you count 17 ridges.
Make sure to place a stitch marker after your join so you know when to change to another type of stitch.
Have fun! That Booga bag is AWESOME!
OK Kelly…now…if I’m knitting back and forth initially (for the bottom of the bag) are you saying that I knit a row and purl a row for the bottom if I’m not knitting in the round yet!!! I told you this was a major brain spasm…not to mention that I’ve knitted about 1/2 of a skein of yarn!!
Right…but I just took a look at the pattern and it isn’t knit in garter stitch once you get to using the circular needles in the round. The bottom part is only in garter stitch, and for that you count each completed row since you are knitting flat like you’re using straight needles. Once you pick up the stitches you just do knit stitch all the way around the whole time, and it makes a nice stockinette stitch.
Is that correct? I don’t want to make things more confusing…
What you are saying is correct…I think!! So, I need to frog what I’ve done and start over with a knit row and purl row until I count to 17 ridges…right? I’ve just been knitting back and forth and have 17 ridges, but haven’t been doing a purl row at all. Have I confused you yet?!!
I am using the circular needles to knit back and forth…I forgot to mention that to you!
Sorry if we’re totally confusing you here…there is no need to do any purling in this pattern! You are not knitting in the round for the base, so just do 34 rows of knit stitch and you’re done with the base!
This is pretty much the same as a bag I just did, and that is how I did it, and it worked just fine!
Neither of you are confusing me…I think I am PMSing and confusing the two of you!! And although I’ve recently finished a totebag and a handbag…for some reason, the pattern telling me to knit back and forth in garter stitch for 34 rounds has boggled my brain cells. So, now…I just count the ridges or do I count each time I go back to the beginning of my work for the rows that I’ve knitted until I have counted to 34?!!
OK, not sure about the ridges part. :?? As I said I didn’t count mine that way, but I did just count every row knitted as one, and NOT every time I went back to the beginning. At least, that is what I did on my bag and it’s the right size. Feel free to wait and see if others want to chime in on this, but I’m pretty sure that’s all you need to do! The nice thing about felting is that you won’t be able to tell what the stitches are in the end, but the way you count it will affect the final size.