Decreasing Newbie

#1

Aloha Amigas and Amigos-

I am making a hat for the very first time and am having some difficulty deciphering STEP 4:

1.) Cast on 158-170 sts on circular needle US 1or2 .
2.)K1 round.
3.)Continue in rib K1/P1.
4.)When rib measures 1½"-2" K1 round AT THE SAME TIME dec 30-34 sts evenly on round = 128-136 sts*

I have no idea about step 4. Does it mean to evenly take out 30 stitches from the round (meaning every 9 or so stitches I k2tog to evenly take away 30 stitches)
or does it mean every 30-34 stitches is when you decrease 1 st meaning I’ll take out only 5 or so stitches (158/30)?

Thank you for any help.
:muah:

#2

Step 4 means to take out 30sts from the round. You would decrease about every 5 sts (158/30) which means k3-4 sts, k2tog. Your final st count is 128sts.

#3

You take out 30 or 34 total stitches, depending on your size.

Here’s a handy-dandy site for figuring out exactly when to decrease-- http://www.thedietdiary.com/knittingfiend/tools/EvenlySpace.html