Help with a pattern for a new member!

How-to Questions
1

Hello, I’m so excited to start reading the forum!
I’m fairly new at knitting and am making a baby hat with a free pattern from Bernat yarns. I’m having a hard time with the pattern, though.

It goes like this:

Cast on 9 sts.
1st row: (RS). (K1. yfwd) 8 times. K1. 17 sts.
2nd and alt rows: Purl.
3rd row: K1. (yfwd. K2) 8 times. 25 sts.
5th row: K1. (yfwd. K3) 8 times. 33 sts

ETC…

So, I understand that yfwd means Yarn Forward, and I understand that is an increase. However, for the first row, do I K1 regularly, bring the yarn forward, then K1, then bring the yarn forward for a second time and K1?

For the second row, I understand to K1 and bring the yarn forward, but then do I K1 with the yarn forward and the second knit is regular? Then bring the yarn forward and K1 and the second knit is regular again? So in other words is that increasing every other stitch?

Sorry if I’ve made such a simple pattern so confusing, but I can’t quite figure it out! Thanks in advance!

2

It goes like this:

You cast on 9 sts.

Row 1: K1 YO K1 YO K1 YO K1 YO K1 YO K1 YO K1 YO K1 YO K1. So what’s happened is that in the 9 sts you cast on, you are just “regular” knitting them, and then also, inbetween each of those 9 sts, you’re doing a yarn over, and each time you do that, you’re adding a loop onto the needle. So that adds 8 sts to the 9, and gives you 17 sts.
Row 2. Purl in every one of those 17 sts.
Row 3. K1 YO K2 YO K2 YO K2 YO K2 YO K2 YO K2 YO K2 YO K2. This will add 8 more loops on your needle (from the 8 YOs) and will give you 25 sts. When it says “K2”, that means to knit the next 2 sts “regular”.
Row 4. Purl in every one of those 25 sts.

To see a YO (which is also called Yarn Forward), watch the video here on this site.