Help With Reverse Shaping Please?

#1

Hi, I am currently knitting a cat tea cosy. (Pattern not on web as far as I know.) I have just knitted one of the back legs. However, for the underside it says to work as given for upper leg , reversing shaping. I am probibly being a bit thick here but I have no clue where to start. :aww: I don’t know how or which bits to reverse. If anybody could give any help please, I’d be very greatful. :slight_smile:
Here is the pattern for the upper leg:

[COLOR=“Red”][B]BACK LEGS (Work 2 alike)[/B][/COLOR]

[COLOR=“Black”]Worked sideways.

[B]Upper Leg:[/B]

Usuing 4mm needles, cast on 12 sts. Beg with a purl row, cont in st-st and work 2 rows. Inc one stitch at each end of next 5 rows. 22 sts. Work 9 rows.

[B]Next Row.[/B]

P2tog, p10, p2tog, turn and work on these 12 sts for first side, leaving rem 8 sts on a holder. Work 1 row, then dec one st at each end of next and foll alt row. 8 sts. Work 1 row. Cast off.
With purl side facing, rejoin yarn to rem sts and work to end. Work 9 rows in st-st, ending with a knit row. Knit 1 row. Begining with a knit row, work 8 rows in st-st. Cut off yarn. Thread through sts, pull up tightly and secure.

[B]Underside Leg[/B]

Work as given for upper leg, reversing shapings. With purl sides tog, sew around edges, leaving an opening in cast-on edge. Turn to rs, then close opening.[/COLOR]

#2

I had a thought. :stuck_out_tongue: Does it mean I shout knit where it says purl, and purl where it says knit?

#3

No, you’re to reverse the [I]shaping[/I] not the stitches; the decreases do the shaping. So where you dec at the beg of a row on one leg, you’d do it at the end of the row on the other.

#4

Thank you for your reply Suzeeq. :slight_smile: Told you I didn’t know what I was supposed to do! :stuck_out_tongue: Lol.
Ok, I understand what you are saying there, but this pattern has the decreases at each end of the same row. If I swapped those around they’d be the same surely?

#5

if that is all there is to the pattern then I do not see why you need to reverse it. It will be symetrical anyway. Keep it going easily, make 2 alike, sew them on on different sides of the cat.

#6

Ok, I understand what you are saying there, but this pattern has the decreases at each end of the same row. If I swapped those around they’d be the same surely?

Not all the decs are on the same row, the first one isn’t -
"[COLOR=Black]P2tog, p10, p2tog, turn and work on these 12 sts for first side, leaving rem 8 sts on a holder."
Here you’d do them on the RS row doing k2tog.
[/COLOR]

#7

Thanks for all the replies and help everyone. I had an idea earlier and tried it, and it worked! :smiley: The bit I had to reverse was the, [B]P2tog, p10, p2tog, turn and work on these 12 sts for first side, leaving rem 8 sts on a holder.[/B] I just did the 8 remaining stitches first instead of the 12, and vice versa.

Hyperactive, I have to make 4 of them and sew two together so they wouldn’t all be symetrical… It comes out shaped like the hip and paw of a cat. Like them sitting down and you have the curve of their leg then the sticky out bit of their paw. That was hard to describe, I hope that made sense! lol.
Thanks again everyone, I appreciate your help. :slight_smile: