Hi
I’m new to the forum 
I have been knitting simple patterns for fun for many years but I’m not a professional and I’m still learning.
There used to be little shop nearby and they’d help me when I was stuck over the years but it’s closed now so I’m looking for some new friends to help
I’m knitting a jumper for a boy. Here is the link Watermelon Yoke Sweater in Snuggly Replay | Sirdar
I’m stuck on the sleeves - I don’t understand the knitting pattern. I’m knitting the sleeves and it looks like it says to start with 48 stitches for the rib and then reduce to just 40 stitches. Is that right? Isn’t that going to make the sleeve tight? I think I’m reading it wrong?
I’m attaching a photo of the pattern
Really appreciate any help!
The photo is very blurry. Can you try to repost it again please
It does say to start at 48 and by the time you finish the rib its at 40. So yes, that would make that section a little tighter. However, the next section has you increasing I think it said every 5th row. So it does eventually expand. I suppose it’s the look? But in short, your assumption is correct.
Welcome to KH!
You do decrease at the end of the ribbing but in the next step you’ll change to a larger size needle. The decrease in sts likely helps to give you the correct size sleeve given the stitch gauge.
1 Like
Right, good point, the larger size needles will help.
Thanks so much, I’m worried it will look like a bell if I reduce it by eight and it’s for a boy. So maybe I will reduce by two stitches.
Thank you so much for helping so quickly. I was a little nervous about joining an online forum. This seems such a nice community.
1 Like
Let us know how it’s going and do post a photo when you finish. It’s really a very nice looking sweater.
Personally I would follow the number of decreases the pattern calls for. The photo of the end sweater does not look like the sleeves or cuffs bell out at all so I don’t thinknyou need to worry.
Have you made a sweater before? I only really started knitting this year (ok couple of sweaters 30 years ago but nothing between) but I have made 2 sweaters for my boy and both had a similar decrease at the transition between the rib and stocking stitch where the needle size goes up.
Of course it is your choice and I change every pattern in some way so of course you can do what you prefer. If you decrease by 2 rather than 8 think about how to balance the stitch count running up the forearm and the rest of the sleeve as an additional 6 stitches could quite significantly make the sleeve wider/bigger the whole way up making a sleeve too big for the child.
Hope that makes sense.
Decreasing after you’ve knitted the band will make the sleeve narrower, not wider, I think.
I often decrease after ribbing because I don’t like bands that pull in. I find them a bit uncomfortable. (If I lived in a cold climate where chilly drafts were coming up my sleeves I am sure I would think differently!)
(I cast on extra sts for the ribbing, then decrease to what the pattern says so I can follow the rest of the sleeve instructions.)
You can see in the pattern photo that the rib and sleeve are about equal width where they meet, rather than the ribbing pulling in at the wrist.
