Dainty Chevron pattern question

Hello Everyone,

I’m going through The Knitter’s Bible and on page 120 there is the pattern
for the Dainty Chevron.

The very first row has me puzzled. It says;

ROW 1 K1, * ssk, (k1, yo) twice, k1, k2tog, k1; rep from * to end.

First off, why is the (k1, yo) in parentaces?

and for ssk it says to slip 2 stitches, 1 at a time, knit slipped stitches
together. How can I knit the 2 stitches that have just been slipped to the
right hand needle?!

:frog:

Darcy
(we need and emoticon for pulling my hair out)

The (k1, yo) is in parentheses because you do them twice. Any instruction that has i number of times[/i], you do what’s in the brackets that many times.

Check out the abbreviations section above for directions on how to do a ssk.
You do slip, slip, then reinsert the left needle into the front loop of these stitches as they sit on the right needle and knit them from there.

So your row will be

k1, *ssk, k1, yo, k1, yo, k1, k2tog, k1 and then repeat from *

Hello!

Okay, what’s in parentheses you do twice; it’s knitting shorthand (in this case) for k1, yo, k1, yo.

Just slip the left needle in and knit it as you normally would with SSK (with the right needle through the back loop). You can see a video of it here if you’re having trouble visualizing what to do. (It threw me the first time, too!)

I keep looking at the video and I’m having a terrible time.

First I have a hard time getting the left needle into the 2 loops to do the
knit after they have been slipped individually.

Then, I can’t quite rap my brain around knitting on the right needle.
I thougt I may have done it correctly, then I continued on with the pattern
and found I didn’t have enough stitches so I must have done it wrong
since all the other stitches on that row are pretty basic.

I ordered the CD and maybe that will help. I’m looking on the Net for more
info but I don’t see a very verbal (written) detail on the last part like I often
see when expaining the basic knit or purl stitch.

Just venting. I thought I was doing ‘ok’ but I only did the basic knit and purl
and I’ve done some swatches like seed stitch for practice. Now that I’m
trying something a little more complicated, I’m lost. I tried a cable stitch
last night and as I continued to do the second ‘cable’ I must have lost
track where I was. No biggy, just a bit of a downer.

I want to do the cable cast on (not sure why now) and there is no way
I’m doing that now without an actual teacher helping me.

I’m taking a Joann knitting class next week and it’s only a boring bag.
I do hope the Kntting II class touches on something more than knit
and purl. They do not have any break down of the class description.
After that, I’ve no idea but to try and learn from books which I am not
all that good at.

:wall:

Darcy
(am I relaxed yet?)

OK: Knitted stuffed bunny = almost done but put aside.

Next in line? Well I was going to do the lace bag in The Knitters Bible but
I can’t do the #@#!@ Cheveron pattern.

Stuffed Lamb in The Knitters Bible (loop stitch?)

Sorry you’re having such a hard time. Another way to do the ssk, though a bit more time consuming, is to slip the stitches one at a time knitwise to the right needle, the slip them back onto the left and knit through the back of both of them together. It’s basically what you’re doing anyway, but it might be easier to understand what you’re doing when you work from the left needle.

Here is a written explanation.

Ok, I’m still working on this, about to go to bed but I needed to post here
first.

In the pattern description/instructions it says;
Multiple of 8 sts plus 1
and so, I cast on 9 stitches to practice this pattern.
My question is, after each row I knit per the pattern, I should have
9 stitches to knit for the next row, right? If so, I am sooooo doing something
wrong. At one point I had 11 stitches!

I plan on scanning my swatch and posting it for you all to get a good
chuckle from. I will not let this pattern take me down! (she says while
sobbing)

I think I have the ssk down correctly however.

Again, here is the first row;
K1, * ssk, (k1,yo) twice, k1, k2tog, k1; rep from * to end.

Ok as I said I have 9 stitches on my left needle,
I knit the first one, leaves 8.
I ssk, that uses up 2 stitches and leaves 6.
I then k1 which leaves 5 stitches on the left needle.
Then I yo (which includes a knit stitch, not just the moving of
the yarn, right?) and that leaves 4.
But I am to do the above two again so that leaves 2 stitches left on the
left needle.
I’m suppose to k2tog and then that leaves 0 BUT
I still need to k1.

On the up side, I think I’ve invented some new swear words…

:wall:

Darcy

K1, * ssk, (k1,yo) twice, k1, k2tog, k1; rep from * to end.

k1 uses 1 leaves 1
ssk uses 2 leaves 1
k1 uses 1 leaves 1
yo uses 0 leaves 1
k1 uses 1 leaves 1
yo uses 0 leaves 1
k1 uses 1 leaves 1
k2tog uses 2 leaves 1
k1 uses 1 leaves 1

pattern uses 9, leaves 9

I think where you’re getting mixed up is that the yo is JUST that, not the knit stitch after it. The knit after it is counted seperately.

And there are new curse words? I need some of them! :rofling:

First off, thanks Ingrid for all your patience and help.

I seem to have gotten the first row correct now that I know a yo does
not include a knit stitch.

The next row I am having problems with is this one;

K1, *yo, ssk, k3, k2tog, yo, k1; rep from * to end.

I’ve practiced my yo and my ssk however, I suspect when I do them
in sequence like the above, I mess something up because I end up
with 8 stitches in stead of the 9. Everything after that is pretty straight
forward so I think that’s where my error is being made.

So, here are my thoughts, (wish I had a digi camera)
I knit 1, then I pull the yarn forward as if to purl, then I ssk which is to
insert right needle as if to knit and slip that stitch over to right needle.

Repeat

then I take the yarn and place it in back - completing the yarn over.
I then knit the 2 slipped stitches on the right hand needle. However,
even with the yo, I only create one stitch.

Now, in my head, the yo should create or increase by 1 stitch and the
ssk should decrease 1 stitch leaving me equal at this point, however
it does not so… should I know to k1 after the yo automatically? Or what
am I missing?

Hey, now I’m on square 2 in stead of square 1 at least, slow progress
is still progress.

Darcy

Bring the yarn over to the front as if to purl and do the ssk with the yarn in front. Don’t move it back. As you knit the two together, the yarn will go back automatically and create the yo, leaving you with 2 stitches, the ssk stitch and the yo stitch.

Don’t worry, you’ll get it. :wink: