How do I shape neck for knitting baby cardigan?

How-to Questions
1

I’ve been working st st and my pattern said to end with a RS row. Now it says:

Shape neck: cast off 4 sts, purl to end. Work 3 rows dec 1 st at neck edge in every row.
Cont without shaping until front measures 28cm, ending in WS row

I’ve done as far as working the 3 rows but the pattern looks wrong to me. I now have 4 rows with garter stitch on the RS.

Have I misread the part where it says “work 3 rows”??? Should I have continued with working purl rows??

Please help in step by step, I’m going mad trying to get this right! :frowning:

2

Welcome to KH. You should continue in stockinette so after you BO 4 and purl to the end, your next row will be knit. You’ll decrease on knit and purl rows at the neck edge. HTH

3

Thanks for replying.

The pattern looks backwards though if I do that?

I’ve ripped the stitches out to start over so as I’m looking at my work, it’s on the RS, so just finished working a purl row. So, if I bind off now 4 stitches and purl, then I get a WS row on my RS…I hope that makes sense. So now if I continue to work the next 3 rows in stockinette, then I have 4 garter stitch rows on my RS.

4

Can you link to your pattern, please? Or give the name and where you found it. Thanks.

You should have ended on a knit row then BO 4, purl to end on the next row. Then you would work a knit row with a decrease at the neck.

Sometimes patterns say to work the other side the same way and then you have to adjust and end with a WS row and do the BO and knit to the end.

5

Welcome to KH!
This sounds like the left front of a stockinette stitch cardigan? End having completed a knit row (a RS row) and turn to the purl side. Cast off 4sts at the beginning of the purl row and purl to the end of the row, turn and knit to 3sts from the end of row (the neck edge). Knit 2 together, k1 and turn, p1, p2tog and purl to the end of the row.Turn again and knit to 3sts from the end, k2tog, k1. That should give you the neck edge shaping and continue the stockinette stitch. You want to maintain the knit one row, purl one row stockinette pattern as you do the neck shaping.

6

It’s from a baby King Cole book for little sailor hoodie.

I’ve tried to link the images I just took of the pattern but not sure it’ll work:

7

Thanks so much salmonmac!!! Did as you said and it looks perfect :slight_smile:

Why are the instructions not like that? I’m only a beginner so I guess they assume you know how to shape neck? I was getting so confused! So when I do the right front, would I do the reverse? Perhaps I’ll call again when I get to it haha :slight_smile:

8

It is confusing especially starting out. As GG mentioned, you work the other side in the same basic way but it’ll be a mirror image. For the right side, the bind off of 4sts is on the beginning of the knit row and the dec of one stitch occur on a purl row, a knit row and finally on a purl row. You can use a ssk and a ssp for these decreases so that the slant of the decreases goes in the correct direction.
Good for you for making it work!