I'm having trouble with the shoulders on this sweater can...someone help?

How-to Questions
1

Hello, I’m very new to knitting and I wanted to start making a Weasley jumper like the ones from the Harry Potter movies. Here is the pattern (I would have just added a link, but I’ve just made an account):

[COLOR=“DarkRed”]BACK: With [MC] cast on 60 (66, 72, 78, 84, 90, 96, 102, 108, 114, 120, 126, 132, 138) stitches. Work in stockinette stitch *until piece measures 12 (13.5, 15, 16.5, 18, 19.5, 21, 22.5, 24, 25.5, 26.5, 26.5, 27.5, 28.5) inches, ending with WS row. Make shoulders by binding off 18 (20, 22, 24, 26, 28, 30, 32, 34, 36, 38, 40, 42, 44) stitches at the beginning of the next two rows. Place remaining 24 (26, 28, 30, 32, 34, 36, 38, 40, 42, 44, 46, 48, 50) stitches on holder or scrap yarn for the neck. If you wish to grade the shoulders you can divide the shoulder bind offs into two, three, or four groups. For example, for the smallest size - bind off 9 stitches at beginning of next 2 rows, 2 times; for the seventh size (32 inch circ.) - bind off 10 stitches at beginning of next two rows, 3 times; for the largest size (44 inch circ.) - bind off 10 stitches at beginning of next two rows, 4 times.

Mark beginning of armhole by measuring 5 (6, 6.5, 6.5, 7, 7.5, 8, 8.5, 9, 9.5, 10, 10.5, 11, 11.5) inches DOWN from each shoulder edge and tying a spare scrap of yarn around the edge stitches.
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I’m making my sweater to be 36 inches in circumference, so I’ve completed the stockinette stitch portion and I have 24 inches like I should. I’m at the part where you need to bind off to make the shoulders and I’m getting quite confused. I know how to bind off and what not, but I don’t understand how you bind off two rows? I’m actually really confused about how you even go about shaping the shoulders in general. Can someone please simplify this or go through it for me so I have a better understanding of how this works? Maybe point me in the direction of a helpful link or video? Thanks so much!

2

Please edit the pattern to take out everything except what you’re asking about which would be the shoulder shaping instructions. It’s a copyright problem, even for free patterns, and KH can get into trouble. And makes for a really long post… Thanks.

You’re not binding off all the sts on the next 2 rows, just the first several stitches at the [I]beginning[/I] of the next 2 rows. There’s a bunch of sts leftover in the middle which will be for the neck, you can put them on a st holder for later. If you want more angle to the tops of the shoulders, then you would BO only part of the sts at the beginning of the next few rows, but that means you’ll need another end of yarn to work the shoulders separately.

3

Okay, I’ve taken out the rest of the pattern except what I’m having trouble with…I couldn’t link to the page because I’ve just made this account now and don’t have enough posts, but I figured I would put the whole pattern in case there was something in a later step that might explain the part I’m having trouble with. Sorry about that.

I get the part about saving the other stitches on a stitch holder, but I’m still having trouble understanding the two rows part…if I’ve already done binding on the first row, how can I work for the next row? Also, it doesn’t specifically say to slope bind-off but since I’m new to knitting I don’t know if that’s what you usually do with sweaters, do you think that’s what they meant in this pattern? Is that how you would do it? And sorry to be a pest but I have one last question…it says I can also grade the shoulders. What exactly does that mean and do you think it would be easier that way? Thanks!!

4

You only BO part of the sts, not the whole row. A BO is passing the first st over the next one, count however many for your size, then finish the row in plain knit. The next row you BO the same number of sts then leave the rest of them in the middle. Your shoulders will end up something like this - ------_______/-------

‘Grading’ the shoulders means putting some slope to it by binding off about 1/3 as many sts on R1 and R2, then another third on the next 2 rows, then the last third on the 5th and 6th rows. It won’t be easier until you get the concept down and I can’t make a drawing to show what it looks like.