I am trying to make one of the ears in the Toy Knits book for one of the Farmer Rabbits. The instructions say:
Cast on 16 stitches.
**Next two rows K2, sl 1, yf, turn, sl 1, k2
Next two rows K4, sl 1, yf, turn, sl 1, k4
Next two rows K6, sl 1, yf, turn, sl 1, k6
Next two rows K7, sl 1, yf, turn, sl 1, k7.
Knit one row across all stitches. **
Are these supposed to be increases? it doesn’t ever say how many stitches you are supposed to end up with. Or is the yf supposed to be the stitch that is slipped? If that is the case, then I will end up with an extra stitch at the end of the K2, or K4 at the end of the row. If I slip the stitch the second time, it just falls off. Sure can’t puzzle this one out.
I took a look at my book to see if there were any better directions or explanations anywhere and all I found was the glossary on page 10 that says YF = yarn forward.
After casting on the 16 stitches and trying that part of the directions out, I think you are just bringing the yarn to the front of the needle after you slip your stitch, turning your work which brings the yarn to the back again and around your slipped stitch which you then slip again (now it’s wrapped.)
You are doing a series of short rows and it’s creating the shaping of the rabbit’s ear. As for how many stitches, you are just working with the 16 you cast on until you get to the part where there are decreases to shape the top of the ear.
I didn’t go past the first set of instructions so I don’t know how it works from there.
I have a couple of Debbie Bliss’s pattern books and while I love her work, I hate her patterns and haven’t made many. I just can never get my mind wrapped around the way she words things. That and the fact that most of her sweaters are done on size 4 needles with DK weight yarn and look like they will take forever to knit.
Hope this helps – maybe someone else has a better interpretation of the directions for you. I looked to see if there were any pattern corrections but didn’t find anything.
Good luck!
Susan
Thanks for the time you spent helping me out. I think I’ll do what you suggested. It sounds like it will work. I’m glad it wasn’t just me misinterpreting the directions/ Thanks for the heads up on the rest of her patterns.