Hi knitters! My name is Kim. I hope you’re all having a wonderful day knitting w/o confusion! 
. Im still new to this forum so please bare with me,please. I’m having a difficult time understanding the increases on my sweater that is the diamond pattern it say: increase row: diamond patt as on 46 cm of back,shaping sides by inc 1 st at each end of row 5 and every foll alt 4th row until here are 59 sts then on every foll 6th row until there are 67 sts, taking inc sts into diamond pattern. HELP….ive tried this for a week to no avail! I think im going dingy!
. Haha
1 Like
Cute pattern for the sweater!
What is the name of the pattern and designer? It reminds me of the Bankhead hat pattern. How many sts do you have to start with (before these increases)?
Increase at each end of rows 5,13,21,29,37, 45 and so on until you have 59sts. (I’m not sure how many rows because I don’t know how many sts you started with.) Every alternate 4th row is like every 8th row.
Once you get to 59sts increase on the following 6th row (call it row 6) and then on rows 12,18, and 24. That should take you to 67sts. Remember that the increases are at each end of the row so two increases per increase row.
If increasing the diamond pattern is giving you problems, it may help to make a chart so that you can easily predict the stitch that will continue the diamond pattern. Does your pattern have a chart or are the diamond pattern instructions given row by row in text?
Come back and ask if that is causing the problem.
Hi Salmonmac! The pattern is from Etsy and designed by purl4fun. It’s the Baby Girls Frill Bottom Phelnm Jacket Cardigan Collar PDF knitting pattern (DK (8 ply) East knit vintage 4863. I’m still very confused. Do I begin making a new diamond as I work from the fifth row and begin a new diamond pattern from there?
https://www.etsy.com/listing/1331201789/baby-girls-frill-bottom-peplum-jacket
It depends on where you are in the diamond pattern. If you’re part way through a diamond, continue that diamond on row 5. You want to look at the directions for the diamond and account for the increased stitch. If the row before the increase is the beginning of a diamond then you want to work the increase stitch as the last stitch of the preceding diamond.
Maybe this will help. Each increase row will extend the diamond pattern depending on where you are at the first inc row, row 5.
This video may help. I like to make the increase and then work it into the pattern on the next row too.
After the ribbing, when you change to 4mm needles, you begin the diamond pattern in the same place as you began it for the back of the cardigan. If there were differences in instructions on where to begin the diamond pattern for the back for the size you are making, then you begin at the same place.
You’ll begin the overall diamond pattern on row 1 after the ribbing, and keep going with it for 4 rows before increasing on the 5th row. So it is not that you begin the diamond pattern on row 5, but begin right away, row 1, then increase on row 5.
I want to bring attention to the increase frequency on this sleeve.
Your previous post had “alt 4th” row which @salmonmac said would be every 8th row. The pattern doesn’t say every alt 4th though so the row numbers for every 8th won’t be correct.
The increases are
49 sts
Inc 1 st each end of 5th and every following 4th row until there are 59 sts
Rows 5, 9, 13, 17, 21
Then on every 6th row until there are 67 sts
Rows 27, 33, 39, 45
Hope this helps
It’s a very cute Patons pattern and you’ve worked the body perfectly.
Thank you so much for you help Mac…. You’re awesome!!!
So after the row 5 increases do I just knit the two stitches in stockinette st until I’ve increased enough to begin the diamond pattern?
After that first increase row you would continue in stockinette until you reach the upper part of the diamond (blue dot). That would be another purl bump in order to continue the diamond. A following increase row will give you a chance to extend the pattern (red dot) on each end of the row.
Thanks Creations for the pick up on the “alt 4th row” for the size Kimknitty is making. In that case it is indeed every 4th row rather than every 8th. Sorry for the confusion, Kimknitty.
1 Like
Not a problem Salmonmac! I still am not having much
luck doing this sleeve in the Diamond Bouquet pattern . I’m ready to choke my hubby cause he can’t help me! 
. Poor guy! Haha. I’ve put it down for a bit to see if that would help me to understand. I feel ummm well….stupid! I don’t know if I’m just over thinking it 
(which I’d like to think rather than the stupid part)
but I’m just not getting it. I’m also now wondering about M1R and M1L on the beginning and the end so that it’s not messy and…the pattern doesn’t tell you to do that… I love the graph you made for me Salmonmac and I’m a bit confused by it as well.but thank you to the moon and back!!! But as I rethink this over and over again the baby is …well……growing:flushed_face:. I don’t know if there’s anymore help you can provide and I can completely understand, if not … I mean you’ve gone to lengths to try to explain how to increase in this pattern!
Im about ready to just Stockinette the sleeve but then I fill like I’ve just given up learning something.
We don’t have many knitting shops around here and the one that provides help only does it for 1 hour on Saturday’s at 10 but I can’t make her time and let me tell ya , I’ve gone in there 3 times and… well of COURSE made purchases ( ya know… help your local yarn shops!) and she won’t budge on giving me any advise at all:face_with_raised_eyebrow:. Well, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it! 
if anybody might have any advice at all…….
I ment (feel) and sorry for any other mistakes
Hi knitters! I’m Kimknitty.
I still am not having much
luck doing this sleeve in the Diamond Bouquet pattern . I’m ready to choke my hubby…jk…cause he can’t help me! . Poor guy! Haha. I’ve put it down for a bit to see if that would help me to understand. I feel ummm well….helpless! I don’t know if I’m just over thinking it (which I’d like to think rather than the helpless part) but I’m just not getting it. I’m also now wondering about M1R and M1L on the beginning and the end so that it’s not messy and…the pattern doesn’t tell you to do that… I love the graph you made for me Salmonmac and I’m a bit confused by it as well.but thank you to the moon and back!!! But as I rethink this over and over again the baby is …well……growing:flushed_face:. I don’t know if there’s anymore help you can provide and I can completely understand, if not … I mean you’ve gone to lengths to try to explain how to increase in this pattern! Im about ready to just Stockinette the sleeve but then I fill like I’ve just given up learning something. We don’t have many knitting shops around here and the one that provides help only does it for 1 hour on Saturday’s at 10 but I can’t make her time and let me tell ya , I’ve gone in there 3 times and… well of COURSE made purchases ( ya know… help your local yarn shops!) and she won’t budge on giving me any advise at all:face_with_raised_eyebrow:. Well, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it! if anybody might have any advice at all can you maybe shed some light?
You’ve really tried to get in person help. Surprising that the shop isn’t willing to help out but at least you tried.
This is the kind of thing where you recognize when an added stitch breaks the pattern but not how to increase so that you stay in pattern. You’re close. Maybe try working it out on graph paper just for your own satisfaction?
An alternative may be to keep the pattern as is and work the increased sts in stockinette. These sts will be at the underarm and it’s perfectly reasonable to have a panel of stockinette. As for the increases, a M1R or M1L, a kfb, an e-loop are all fine at the ends of the row or one stitch in from the ends. These won’t be seen as they fall into the seam or will be one stitch away from the seam.
This kfb is a good one to try:
Sounds like this baby is doing just fine with a lovely sweater in the near future.
With patterns like this I found a couple of things helped me to work out what’s happening.
The first was I stopped focusing on beginning and end of rows and instead thought about the centre of the sleeve, this is the part which has to stay the same regardless of what happens each end of the row. One way to keep the centre panel in pattern throughout the sleeve is to place a marker each end, you can do this right away if the sleeve has a selvedge stitch before the diamond pattern begins,
Selvedge, marker, diamond repeat, marker, selvedge.
If the sleeve does not have a selvedge then wait until the first increased stitch and then place the markers
Inc st, marker, diamonds, marker, increase st
If you always increase outside the markers the diamonds will remain the same throughout the sleeve. When you work each row you would work stockinette to marker, slip marker, work diamond pattern as written, slip marker, work stockinette to end of row.
You can do this for the whole sleeve, you won’t need to work out how to increase the diamonds but neither will you have to give up on them. It will still look very neat, purposeful and pretty.
The second thing I found really useful to learn how to increase and maintain a pattern was to work swatches and whilst doing the swatch really take notice of how each stitch is positioned in the row and how it relates to the row below to produce the pattern. Prior to this I used to just follow what the pattern said without looking or thinking about what was happening, just blindly following the written instrucion for rows. When I really paid attention to what each stitch did i realised i could begin to ‘read’ my knitting and then work out what stitch would be needed to extend a pattern. Often it is easier to work out what comes next towards the end of the row, extending the pattern to the left, it’s harder to work out what comes before, at the beginning of the row extending the pattern to the right. It may help to look at what would be needed at the end of the row to work out what is needed at the bginning of the row.
And then patience and practise.
I once spent 3 days counting stitches trying to work out how to maintain a pattern, i understand how you feel, I was infuriated by my inability to do something ‘simple’. The thing is, as with anything, it’s only simple once you know how, and until then it is a real challenge.
Your cardigan is so lovely, im sure you will manage these sleeves to complete it.
2 Likes
See if this chart helps at all. I’ve arbitrarily chosen a place to start since I don’t know where you are on the diamond sleeve pattern. Each increase row bumps out the pattern one stitch on each end.
One other thought. You don’t have to be so concerned about the increase stitch on the increase row (arrow below) and whether it should be a knit or a purl. It’s at the next increase row or the next time the stitch in the column comes up that it needs to be worked into the pattern possibly as a purl (circled stitch).
3 Likes
Thank you so much salmonmac!!! This made good sense to me and I very much appreciate you and your time! Im beginning row 5 now so hopefully I can do this now! Thank you so much for the graphic! I’ll let you know how things go. Also Thank you creations! All of this information has helped me so much….so here I go to give it another go!
3 Likes
Let us know how it’s going!
1 Like
Hi knitters! This is kimknitty yet again. Now what I’m wondering on this sleeve diamond pattern is could I increase stitches on each end in order to have a nice edge and still keep the dignity of the pattern? I know that I have to be over thinking something probably so simple. Thank you so much for your patience and help! X
Still keep the diamond pattern? Yes, adding stitches in pattern will do that but if it’s just not possible, you could add the sts in stockinette stitch (knit on the RS, purl on the WS). Keep the pattern as you have been working it in the main body of the sleeve. Just the increase sts will be in stockinette.