Inserting a Steeked Half Zip into an Icelandic sweater

Please lovely knitters, I am reaching out to you in the hope that you can help me. I am knitting an Icelandic sweater using a pattern that has a fairly short asymmetric neck zipper, but I cannot make any sense of the pattern instructions. The overall look is for the zip to be virtually hidden in the yoke, and it goes from around the armpit to the neck. I fear that something has been lost in translation as I cannot make any sense of the instructions.

The pattern calls for me to knit the body, then the two sleeves, all in the round and then to join them for the yoke section. All good to that point and I do have the required 294 sts. But then here is where I get stuck. This is what it says:
“On next round start opening for zipper. Work pattern from chart 1. Put cast off the first 4 sts and immediately cast on 4 new sts, which are purled in every round. Continue round in St st and increase 1 st at one of the underarm. You have 291 sts + 4 purl sts. Work pattern from chart 1. Do not count purl sts.”

What does “put cast off the first 4 sts and immediately cast on 4 new sts” mean? Any help would be gratefully appreciated as I really do not understand what its supposed to look like.

Welcome to KH!
It may be that it’s meant to say “Purl cast off the first 4 sts…” but at any rate you can read it as "Cast off the first 4 sts…P
Sounds like a lovely sweater. Can you give us the pattern name?

Yes that might make sense.
But then do you think I should cast on the 4 sts in the same round, or should I wait until the next round and cast on, so that it looks more like a buttonhole?

Its a pattern called “No 10 Eld” by Islinagarnochdesign. The pictures are of it knitted up in a very dark yarn so its impossible to see what they have done.

I would work the cast off on the next round but I don’t see that it would be a problem to wait one additional round. One consideration might be the color pattern. Really it depends on what happens to the 4sts when it comes to insetting the zipper.

ETA: Ah, I see, the 4sts are part of the steek for the zipper. Yes, delaying one round isn’t going to make much difference. The steek sts can be worked in the background color anyway.

Hi @salmonmac - yes, the four sts form the steek, so I’ve delayed it one round. I think that will work. Thanks for your help.

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