Help with a tricky shifting sock pattern!

#1

Hello everybody!

I love knitting socks and I have been starting a more advanced pattern from Cookie A´s book Knit.Sock.Love.
However, I have some difficulty to understand a pattern that includes lace, cables and diagonal repeats. I can´t understand what the author calls "shifting beginning of row to (number) of sts.

For instance, I follow a pattern over 66 sts (a 3 times repeat of a 22 sts pattern) in total for 21 rows and after the pattern repeat ends, I am supposed to shift the beginning of row 1 four sts to the left by doing k1,p2,k1.

My question is: If the pattern is shifted four sts to the left, do I skip the 4 first sts of the normal pattern to be able to end the normal pattern on the 66sts? Or, after the four sts shift, should I knit normally and forget the 4 last sts of the normal pattern? Because the 4 sts shift and the 3 times 22 sts pattern can´t fit all over the 66 sts:/

I am pretty confused about this and maybe so are my explanations, but hopefully some can help!

I can provide a picture of diagramme if needed:)

Thanks!

#2

For instance, I follow a pattern over 66 sts (a 3 times repeat of a 22 sts pattern) in total for 21 rows and after the pattern repeat ends, I am supposed to shift the beginning of row 1 four sts to the left by doing k1,p2,k1.

Work the four sts (k1, p2, k1). Your start of round marker now goes here. Start the pattern.

#3

I have what I think is a similar question. I am trying to follow a chart in Cookie A,'s Sock Innovation. There are 60 stitches cast on and the basic repeat is twelve stitches over four rows to make the motif. Looking at the chart for the right leg, the first stitch of the second row is one stitch to the left of the first stitch of the previous row and that happens each row , so by the end of the four row motif, the beginning of the round for the first row of the next motif would seem to be four stitches to the left of the beginning of the original motif.

I am confused by the leg chart which is set up as 32 stitches. Remember you cast on only 30. If I repeat those 32 stitches to complete the round, I end up having knitted 64 stitches and am 4 stitches past the start of the first round. Is this chart effectively moving the start of the round by 4 stitches every row? Do I leave my marker at the original beginning point for a reference?

#4

Hi and welcome to KH!
It does sound as though you keep shifting the beginning of round. You’re effectively knitting a spiral anyway when you knit in the round and knitting one more stitch each round will keep shifting the pattern over.
And yes, again sounds like a 4stitch shift if you repeat the chart. I’m assuming the cast on is [I]60[/I]sts? You can leave the marker if that helps. For myself, it would be clearer if I shifted the marker as I started the new round. If you pay attention to the pattern as you knit I think that will help you make sure that your sts are shifting correctly and you’re not skipping a stitch or shifting too many sts. It might help to use 2 markers, one to mark each repeat.

#5

Thanks! I just forged ahead in spite of my confusion and it is working out. I am using two markers - on for the start and one at the mid point and moving them as the rounds progress. they have already saved my bacon a couple of times!

#6

I should have asked for help reading and understanding English! My problem turned out to be that I was using the FOOT chart for the LEG part of the sock. Sigh.