Decipher part of a sweater pattern

Hi!
I am knitting a vegetable-patterned sweater for my daughter, but have come to a part where I struggle with understanding the pattern. Perhaps someone can help me decode the instructions?

The pattern is originally in Swedish, and available here. Google does a decent job at translating. The sweater is mostly knitted in the round, and I struggle understanding when one needs to start rounding for the neckline. Here’s the exact excerpt (only including the size I’m knitting):

When the armhole measures approx. 6 cm, start the neckline. Cast off the center front stitches. You must now switch to knitting back and forth. Cast off successively for the neckline 3, 3, 2, 1, 1 = 10 stitches. Knit the last stitch on the round with the base and pattern color yarn together. After the carrot pattern, continue to knit in one color with the base color until the armhole is 12cm. Now cast off 21 stitches in the center back and round for the neckline by casting off 3 stitches on each side. Then cast off the middle stitch in the armholes and skew for the shoulders: 13, 11, 10 = 34 stitches. Do not cast off but skew with turns and leave the stitches open. Place the stitches on each stitch holder.

My point of confusion is two things, firstly: the cast-off 3,3,2,1,1 I guess should go on the alternating sides of the front-stitches (that are to be cut later on). But isn’t it odd that it’s done assymmetrically? In the end, it would mean that 6 stitches are casted off on one side, and only 4 on the other. Any ideas why?

Secondly: after the cast-off in the center back, am I meant to start knitting back-and-forth first on the left-hand-side, and then on the right? Moreover, these 13,11,10-cast-offs, where on earth are they placed? Has anyone knitted something similar and have a clue of what is going on?

Much appreciated, Anna

Hello
That is such a cute pattern! Your daughter will get lots of compliments wearing this.

The first part of confusion, the neck edge. The centre stitches used for the steak (cutting) are bound off and then it is worked flat, back and forth. The numbers given for the neck edge decreases are for each side, not altogether.
The other confusion I think is with short rows which I’ll leave to more experienced knitters.

Lovely pattern. I hope we see the finished piece.

That is the cutest vegetable garden I ever seen on a sweater.
Once you cast off for the center neck you’ll be knitting back and forth.
For the front, cast off symmetrically at the beginning of the rows, 3sts on one side of the neck, 3sts on the other side, then repeat. Then cast off 2sts on each side and finally one stitch on each side. Repeat the cast off of one stitch on each side (or make these last cast offs of one stitch decreases instead).
Once you’ve cast off for the back you can knit the two sides at the same time with separate balls of yarn or knit one side first and once complete, fasten off and start on the second side. The back neck is shaped by casting off 3sts on each side of the back neck.
After completing the 2 rows of back neck shaping (3 rows when you count the cast off as a row), cast off one stitch to mark the armholes on each side.
The following directions are for the shoulder shaping. Instead of casting off you’ll be holding the shoulder sts for directions that will come later (possibly a graft or 3-needle bind off?). Knit to 13sts from the armhole edge and place those unworked 13sts on a holder, turn as though you are at the end of a row and purl to the neckline. Repeat leaving 11sts on a holder, turn and purl back. Repeat leaving 10sts on a holder. When complete you will have 3 sets of sts on holders, 13sts, 11sts and 10sts. This will be repeated at the remaining shoulders.
Does that make sense with the total stitch count for the size you are making (the first size?)?

May I point out gently that it’s “steek”, not “steak”.

I wonder if it’s a Scandinavian word originally? In old Scottish, “steek the yet” means close the door. Not sure if it’s connected, as steeking in knitting is about opening (cutting), not closing.

My Scottish rellies (from the mainland) did not steek their knitting. There was not a strong local handknitting tradition in their area as there is on some of the islands. They knitted flat, from commercial patterns, and didn’t do stranded work. Most of them worked in knitting mills, such as Pringle.

My grandfather did say “Steek the yet” if my dad didn’t close the door quickly enough when he was a small boy!

Alice Starmore or one of the other knitting historians probably has a good analysis somewhere.

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Yes you may :slightly_smiling_face:

And interesting story about your relatives too. Thanks.

It really is cute! I’ve realized the sizes are rather large, and she’s a bit small for her age so it’ll probably have to lie around for some time before it fits… Or I just have plenty of time to finish it! I’ll try to remember to upload a picture when it is finished.

It makes sense to do the rounding on both sides! Although it will disrupt a bit of the carrots’ greens in this small size (when I look closely that seems to happen in the picture too!). Thanks for taking the time!

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Aa! I think I’m more on the right track now. I’ll do some counting and hopefully work it out, but I’ve realized that I need to practice doing two-stranded purls a bit more before doing it on the actual sweater (last time I did it was years and years ago, with quite bulkier yarn). Thank you for taking the time!

Scandinavian intrigued me (to little surprise, I speak Swedish), especially since we also use the term steek for cutting up you knitting. However, if we trust the internet, it seems as if it is from older dutch rather than some Scandinavian language. Side note: “to knit” in Swedish is “sticka” (Norwegian and Danish “strikke”) seem to come from the same germaic root. In modern Swedish, at least in spoken form, it is also, weirdly enough, slang for leaving (usually in haste).

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I had to know more. You’re correct according to dictionary.com.

steek

[ steek, steyk ]

verb (used with object)Scot.

  1. to shut, close, fasten or lock (a window, door, or the like).

What’s a suitable prize, ya’ll? :trophy: I found a trophy.

I’d wondered about where the word came from but never enough to look it up. It makes sense because the steek stitches close up the opening of the cardigan until they don’t because they’ve done their job. I need to make something that has a steek. Cutting steeks is exhilarating.

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Steeks are amazing to work since it seems like such a barbaric thing to do to all that nice knitting. As long as you’re working with sticky wool and you stabilize the edges with sewing or crochet, it works very nicely. In the case of colorwork, it makes it possible to continue the motifs without cutting the yarn and reattaching it.
Thanks for asking about this pattern @anlinde . I’ve saved it for future use. Also, it is amazing how much Google translate has learned about knitting. So much better than in past years.

How about this. “Backwards feels Germanic language order of words to those who English speak.” **

Steek: to shut the door (window or opening) that you will make by cutting.

**(Ich spreche Englisch und ein bisschen Deutsch.) I speak American English and a little bit German language.

I have been learning German for a little over a year. (Ich lerne seit etwas mehr als einem Jahr Deutsch.) I have been using both DuoLingo and Google translate.