I am knitting a top down lace top with a vneck, Folia Top, on Ravelry. When increasing for the vneck on every other row I’m not sure how to account for decreases in the pattern. Ie…Row 13 has p2, ssk 3, k4 yo k1 yo knit 2. All good but when I get to the next repeat, the increase one, to work the ssk3, I either don’t have enough stitches to do it or don’t have enough stitches to do the yo’s therfore end up with less stitches than in the previous increase row. Clear as mud? My question..is there a rule of thumb for how to work these stitches? If it’s supposed to be ssk3, do I ignore that and knit the stitches and then do the next increase before the last st?
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Maybe this one?
Unusual and beautiful lace pattern.
The increases (yarn overs) and decreases (ssk3 or k2tog) in the pattern body occur in pairs. The increases equal the decreases so that the overall shape stays the same.
The rule when you need to increase is to maintain the pairs. You might not have enough sts for the ssk3 and it’s paired yarn overs. Sometimes you can work stockinette stitch or whatever the background stitch is until you have enough sts to work the paired sts but there are better solutions. You might only work a single yarn over or work ssk instead of ssk3. You do want the stitch number to increase by the pattern recommendation, not be overwhelmed by maintaining the exact stitch pattern.
See if the photos later in this post help with the concept.
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Yes, the place pattern really caught my eye! Thanks for the link. I was hoping there was something like that out there but couldn’t find it. I’ll be sure to save it . Thanks so much!
Bonnie
See how it goes and come back if it isn’t working. Have fun with the knitting.
Thanks! I got the right front piece done but now am really struggling with the left front. The chart has to be read backwards! Ugh I have enough trouble reading it one way! The pattern was quite expensive and unfortunately provides little help and no tips at all. I contacted the designer but have not yet received a response. Disappointing but I’ll figure it out eventually.
You can quote a row or two if you think it will help. Not a large portion of the pattern please due to designer copyright.
The designer really should provide support for the pattern. Have you tried contacting through Ravelry directly or through the Comments tab on the main Ravelry pattern page?
A frequent problem with a top down lace V neck is that it can end up looking like a big, loose swag. The added stitches for the neckline and the added stitches to add to the lace pattern may not match up until you’ve reached a full pattern repeat. In general it is best to NOT force the lace pattern if you are still short of the number of stitches required. The majority of lace patterns are worked as established meaning: When you don’t have enough stitches to work an SSK or SSK3 simply knit (or work the stitches in the stockinette stitch as directed) until you have enough stitches in the subsequent rows. If there are not enough stitches to make a pair of yarn overs around the central stitch, skip the yos until you have enough stitches to make two yos around the central stitch. Do not change the V-neck increase as that is shaping the garment and these increases are more important than keeping the lace motif in the partial repeat. After adding stitches to accommodate a full lace repeat, start working lace as directed. If the pattern does not specifically say how to deal with the neckline if it is a partial repeat, it is a good idea to check the pattern notes or Ravelry project pages other knitters have probably questions similar to yours and the designer may have answered. Do you have precise instructions for rows 12-14 (or area around row 13)? It would be easier to recommend precisely how those edge stitches would be worked, that way.