First time knitting mittens

#1

I am new to knitting and have just completed a scarf. I decided to move on to mittens but I can’t figure out what the pattern wants me to do.
After doing 6 rounds of 2x2 ribbing. it says:

Welt: Knit one decrease round as follows: k2, k2tog,k18,k2tog,k16-38 sts rem, then purl 3 rounds.

I know what k2 and k2tog are but what does “k16 - 38 sts rem” mean?

To me the knitting isn’t hard, it’s figuring out the patterns:???:

thanks for any help!

#2

The round is “k2, k2tog, k18, k2tog, k16”; the `-38’ is to let you know how many sts you have at the end of the round.

#3

Thanks,
that makes sense, except when I did that round, it didn’t take me back to my placemarker. I still have alot of stitches left before I am at the end of the round. Does that mean somehow I added stitches along the way?

#4

That’s a possibility, or you may have had some decreases in a previous row that you didn’t do. How many extra stitches do you have?

Also–can you post a few lines of the pattern that come before the line you posted here? That may help in figuring out where those extra stitches came from.

#5

I had about 20 extra stitches. somehow I was adding stitches on the 2x2 ribbing part. I ripped it all out and got back down to my original 40 stitches, redid the 2x2 ribbing (very carefully), then went on the to decrease and now I have 38 stitches!!:woot:

Thanks for helping me figure it out!!
Cynthia