Difficulties in Reading a Pattern

Hello there, I found some difficulties in understanding this pattern:
Starting sts number: 85
“On the next row place the middle 19 stitches on 1 thread for the neck and each shoulder is finished separately. Continue the pattern and cast off on each row from the neck as follows: 3 stitches 1 time, 2 stitches 2 times and 1 stitch 4 times = 22 stitches on the shoulder.”

Thank you!

Hello

During this shaping for the neck and shoulders you will need to keep on pattern, whatever pattern you have been working in for the rest of the project.

You will work just 33 stitches for the shoulder piece, this is from beginning of row to neck edge at this point you are going to turn and only work those stitches but before doing so place the next 19 stitches onto a holder or thread to save the stitches. The remainder 33 for the other shoulder can just stay on your needle but you won’t be working them, they are just held until later.
… 33… … 19 on hold… …33… (total 85)

Then work the one shoulder 33 stitches
Cast off 3 stitches at the neck edge, work rest of row in pattern
Work back in pattern
Cast off 2 stitches at neck edge, work to end of row
Work back in patt
Cast off 2 stitches at neck edge, etc
Work back
Cast off 1
Work back
Cast off 1
Work back
Cast off 1
Work back
Cast off 1

This is a total of 11 Cast off
33 - 11 = 22 stitches for shoulder

At this point it should say what to do with the 22 stitches, either continue working or put on hold or Cast off, check the pattern.

At some point the pattern will tell you to rejoin yarn at the other shoulder and work the same shaping at the neck edge.

I hope this helps. You can do Cast off in pattern, if you are on a knit side do a knit bind off, if you are on a purl side do purl bind off.
You will get stepped shaping. If you wanted you could watch tutorials how to do sloped shaping if you don’t already know it and want to learn a smoother shape (but it’s not vital its personal preference).

Hope this helps

Wow. Thank you so much!! I understand now. Once again, thank you for taking your time to write down this answer!

1 Like

You’re very welcome. I hope it makes sense when you get going with it.

For information, your pattern says “cast off on each row” and the way I wrote it looks like the cast off is every other row but you can’t cast off at the end of a row, only the beginning. When/if a pattern says cast off at end of row you actually have to finish the row, turn and work the cast offs, so really it’s like the beginning of the next row. Sometimes patterns so say this though. I had to watch a tutorial for that when I did it.
All part of learning eh?

Hope it works out well for you.