Help with knitting pattern decreases

#1

Hello,

I have started knitting a top by Witre design. It’s called the Nordic summer top. The top is knitted from the bottom up in the round. The decreases for the top has confused me. The pattern says

Divide for front and back: place a new marker at centre front. Work to last 2 sts before marker at armhole and k2tog. Turn and purl back the other way. Work to last 2 sts before other armhole marker and p2tog. Slip first st loosely for a neat edge. Rep five times in total on each side, for 10 rows in total.

Work to marker at centre front and cast (bind) off 5 sts neatly. Cont towards armhole until last 2 sts,* k2tog at end of row as before. Turn, purl back until last 2 sts before neck, k2tog*. Rep from * to * once more. Continue to work dec at neck as set, but only dec at armhole every alt time, i.e. every fourth row. Rep until 3 sts rem on needle. Work 4(4:5:6)cm / 1½(1½:2:2¼)in stocking (stockinette) st or to desired length.

I am confused if i work the decreases on one side or both. And I am not sure what it means by work to centre front.

Any help you can give me would be really appreciated. Thank you very much

#2

Place a marker on the center stitch of the front. I’m assuming you have an odd number of sts for the front of the summer top so determine the center stitch.

For the initial decreases, one on each side at the armholes edges, those are worked at the end of the right side row (RS) and at the end of the wrong side rows (WS). You’ll have 5 decrease at each armhole edge. So decreases at each armhole edge.

For the next set of instructions, you’ll be decreasing at the center of the front and at the armhole edge although the rows between decreases will change.
Work in pattern to 2sts before the marked center stitch and bind off 5sts then work to the last 2sts and k2tog. Once you’ve bound off 5sts for the center neck you’ll only work one shoulder at a time.
Turn and purl back to the last 2sts at the neck, k2tog.
Repeat these two rows once more.
Now the decreases at the neck continue as the last two rows but the decreases at the armhole change to every 4th row.

So to write a check list, call the bind off row at the center neck, row 1.
Then bind off for the armhole at the end of rows 1,3 and then rows 7,11,15 and so on.
Bind off at the neck edge on rows 2,4,6,8,10,12,14 and so on.
These decreases continue until you get to 3sts on the needle.

#3

Hello,
thank you so much for replying to me and what you said does make sense, I am still quite confused about the first section and I am really sorry I don’t think I explained myself very well at all.
What has confused me is this bit:
Work to last 2 sts before marker at armhole and k2tog. Turn and purl back the other way. Work to last 2 sts before other armhole marker and p2tog. Slip first st loosely for a neat edge. Rep five times in total on each side, for 10 rows in total.
Does it mean 10 complete rows in the round? Also do I have turn everytime I make it to a marker? Wouldn’t I only be working half of my stitches? Then I don’t understand how to work to marker at centre front to work the other decreases. Am I making sense? I think I have really confused myself.

#4

The beginning of the directions is to “Divide for front and back…” It seems that you’ll only be working on the front for this section and you’ll be working back and forth between the right and left armholes. There should be markers for the armholes and you’ll be working between the armhole markers only on the front. You’re no longer working in the round.
Read ahead in the pattern and see if there isn’t a section for working the back of this top.

Once you’ve started the armhole decreases it’ll be clearer that you’re shaping the front. The following bind off at the front center and the decreases at armholes and neckline will make more sense then.