Hello and Help with a Decrease

#1

Hello everyone!

I am a newbie to this amazing group and so glad to be around experienced knitters! I used to watch the videos many years ago when I first started knitting and they have been so clear and helpful. Glad to be back. :wink:

I am an intermediate beginner and I was hoping to pick your knitty brains about a neck wrap I’ve been trying to knit:

This pattern is by Staci Perry who does great videos on YT on knitting and how to knit her patterns. For this pattern, she shows how to knit the “tricky” parts - but the part that she doesn’t show and that seems to baffle many of the knitters (including myself) is the first decrease on the “petal” part of the scarf.

There is an increase to start off making the first petal, which makes a 1x1 rib, then it moves on to 4 rows of ktbl, p1 and p1, ktbl which maintains the body of the rib.

Then comes the decrease that totally throws me off. I have even written to Staci asking her to explain to me what “work in patt” meant:

DECREASE SECTION
Row 1: ssk, work in patt to last 2 sts, k2tog
Row 2: Work in patt as set
Repeat these two rows once more, 11 sts

Staci said
Row 1 was, slip, slip knit and then “work in patt” means to do *ktbl, p1" to last 2 sts and k2tog.
Row 2: p1, ktbl repeat between *s to the end - WITHOUT the SSK and K2TOG, only on rows 2 & 4
Repeat rows 1 and 2 once more, 11 sts. She also said to make sure to knit the knit stitches and purl the purl stitches.

Question: Why wouldn’t you decrease every row? When I increased in the beginning it was every row.

I have tried both ktbl or p1 from the SSK and both ways looks totally off. These 4 rows do not look like her example in the video because the ribbing looks totally off before starting the tuck flaps.

I must have completely ripped and knitted this section 10 times last night, trying to interpret what the pattern and the designer is telling me. I feel I am missing something in this pattern and I am not alone judging by the comments on YT and her website.

I am using two strands of worsted weight yarn and size 13 needles as indicated on her pattern.

Any help on deciphering this section is MOST APPRECIATED! I really want to make this Christmas presents and I am determined to hang in there and figure this out.

Thank you!
Ivy

#2

Welcome to KH!
The rate of decrease is really up to the designer. I can only suppose that Staci liked the look of the decrease on every other row. If you work it that way and decide that you don’t like it, then you could certainly change the pattern to decrease on both sides of every row.

If you start the dec rows with a ktbl at the edge, then the ssk will use that first knit stitch and the next purl stitch. So the stitch following the ssk should be a ktbl. Do you have the correct number of sts before starting the decreases? I don’t have the pattern. The “work in patt” is meant to maintain the 1x1 rib.

As I understand from the video, the decrease section is at the end but you say that the ribbing looks off before starting the tuck flaps? Off in what way? Maybe a photo of the ribbing would help. You can post a photo by using the up arrow at the top in the Reply box.

#3

Hi Salmonmac,

Thanks for the welcome!

I appreciate your explanation of why Staci wrote a decrease every other row in the last 4 rows before the tuck flap. I had just wondered if the decreasing should match the way the increase worked.

As to your question about having the correct number of stitches, yes, I made sure 10x! LOL. I made sure every single time I started over from the bottom. At the height of my frustration, I ripped out all of my work and decided to go to bed. I will start the section over this morning and send a picture of what I mean about the ribbing looking off. When I start the decreases, the ribbing just doesn’t match the ribbing below it and it looks messy.

I would share the pattern if it were free but it’s not. I could attach the beginning part of it though right, up until the decrease where I am having the issue?

#4

The photo will likely be enough. You’re right that since it’s a paid pattern, we don’t want to see more than a row or two because of copyrights. The videos are pretty clear about where this pattern is going and that’s fine.
Yes, taking another look in the morning is a good idea. Sometimes reading the pattern over with a fresh mind is enough to work out the problem

#5

The 8 stitches before the decrease
The 8 stitches before the decrease.JPG2448×3264 1.64 MB
The 4 decrease stitches
The 4 decrease stitches.JPG2448×3264 1.79 MB

Here is the directions from the pattern:

DECREASE SECTION
Row 1: ssk, work in patt to last 2 sts, k2tog
Row 2: Work in patt as set
Repeat these two rows once more, 11 sts.

When I asked Staci about clarifying what “work in patt” means, she said this:

You continue with the pattern
Row 1: ktbl, p1, repeat between the *s to end
Row 2: p1, ktbl, repeat between the *s to end

Then when you have two stitches left k2tog.
Just make sure you are knitting the knit stitches and purling the purl stitches and the pattern should work out.

This is what I did:
Row 1: SSK, ktbl, p1 repeat *s until the last 2 sts which I did k2tog
Row 2: I started with p1, ktbl repeat *s all the way till the end
Row 3: repeat of Row 1
Row 4: repeat of Row 2

I got the correct 15 sts before I started the decrease and ended up with the correct 11 sts when I did the decrease. But as you can see from the pictures, the decrease ribbing is off. It doesn’t look like a continuation of the ribbing below. (btw, the blue yarn is just a lifeline so I don’t have to rip it all the way to the beginning)

AAAAHHHHGGGGGG!!! Please let me know what I am doing wrong.

#6

AH - I figured it out!

The key was remembering what Staci said about knitting the knit stitches and purling the purl stitches.

I changed what I did when starting the 2nd row of the decrease, row 1 I kept the same:

Row 1: SSK, ktbl, p1 repeat between the *s to end and k2tog
Row 2: Work in patt as set - means ktbl, p1 to the end! NOT p1, ktbl like she mentioned…
Row 3: I think I started this with SSK, p1, ktbl to end and k2tog - I can’t actually remember, but what I did remember was follow the knit and purl stitches that I did in the last row and made sure I knit the knitted stitches and purled the purl stitches.
Row 4: same here, knit the knitted stitches and purled the purl stitches

AND LOW AND BEHOLD:

IMG_2271

Sorry, the knit is very loose so it may not be clear to see, but I can see the continuity of the ribbing now that I didn’t see before.

Anyway, thank you for your help - I hope this helps someone else who attempts this pattern.

Ivy :slight_smile:

#7

Great! The scarf looks wonderful and you’ve solved your problem. Well done.