How to read a pattern repeat

How-to Questions
1

Hello! I’m a relatively new knitter and new to this forum.

I have a question! I’m knitting my first pattern with lace, and it’s also my first pattern with a knitting graph. I tried to look up how to follow a graph with a pattern repeat everywhere, but most simply say “and repeat the pattern.”

However, simply repeating the pattern has ended up with what looks like someone has done lace while drunk. The part that follows the graph looks perfect, but as soon as I start the repeats, it looks awful!

Here is the graph:

k k k k k ( k k k k k k ) k k k k k 8
k \ o k k ( $ o k o $ o ) k o $ o k 7
k k k k k ( k k k k k k ) k k k k k 6
k o $ o k ( o $ o k o $ ) o k o / k 5
k k k k k ( k k k k k k ) k k k k k 4
k k o $ o ( k o $ o k o ) $ o k o / 3
k k k k k ( k k k k k k ) k k k k k 2
\ o k o $ ( o k o $ o k ) o $ o k k 1

k = knit
o = Yo
\ = Ssk
/ = K2tog
$ = Sl1, k2tog, psso
( ) = pattern repeat

I’ve been following it right from left, but I’m not sure what to do once I get to the end and have to pattern repeat. Please help? :heart:

2

Typically you read a chart from top to bottom… but you don’t read every line from right to left. You read it the way you knit- so line one is read right to left, line 2 is left to right, line 3 is right to left, etc. (unless you’re knitting in the round- then you read them all right to left).

The repeat part works like this. Say you have cast on 20 stitches and you’re doing this line from a chart:

ppppp(kkkkk)ppppp

the repeat is the (kkkkk) so… you purl 5, then knit 5 and repeat that until you are left with only 5 stitches left; in this case you would k5 twice. Then you purl the last 5.

Does that make sense? Here’s a chart reading tutorial: http://www.knitpicks.com/images/pdf/charttutorial.pdf

3

to me it lookms like part of the graph is missing - or a repeat is marked incorrectly - particularly row 5 looks wonky.

4

the repeat in row 1 uses 5 stitches and creates 6
row 2 repeat is 6 stitches
row 3 uses 5 stitches and create 6
row 5 uses 7 stitches to create 6
row 7 also uses 7 stitches to create 6

it doesn’t make sense.

5

The pattern is called Adelle Stockings from “Sensual Knits”, and yes, that is the way the chart is printed. So maybe it’s wrong?

6

If you read the chart all the way across, it seems that the stitch numbers come out right. However I don’t know how that would work with repeats…

7

it looks that way to me, the number do not add up.

8

How many sts are you casting on?

9

This is the foot part of the sock, so by this point, I have 24 stitches on the needle.

10

Alright, I have spent the last hour searching the internet for a solution. (I’m sort of obsessive compulsive and can’t let these kind of things go. It’s like a game for me, and I MUST find a solution.) Anyway, about five minutes ago I found a page that had the pattern for nearly every kind of lace commonly found, and I saw the pattern for an Alternating Eyelet lace, and suddenly the answer clicked. Here’s my opinion: whoever wrote the graph sucks. I charted it on paper following the basic principal of the pattern and got this answer.

k24 8
k \ (o k o $) o k 7
k24 6
k o ($ o k o) / k 5
k24 4
k k (o $ o k) o / 3
k24 2
\ o (k o $ o) k k 1

That’s 24 sts each row and you can see where the pattern alternates nicely. Look good/bad to you guys?

11

I just knit up your fix and it worked perfectly! My sock looks beautiful again!

I have to say you’re pretty much my hero now, hehe.

12

So glad it worked! :woot: (I wasn’t entirely sure.)

13

I wondered if that was it!