I am knitting the Extra Lite Bright sweater. It is a mosaic knit garment. I think I’ve figure out how to read the mosaic chart, but I don’t have a clue as to how to incorporate increases into the charted pattern.
Hello
Did you get a password with your pattern, to enable you to access the tutorials?
There is a page with video tutorial access here but password protected so if you don’t have one you may need to message the seller first to ask how to get the password.
Is the problem with the increases in the fade section of the sweater or just in general? If it’s in the fade section it may be that looking at the previous rows will help you decide where the increase fits into the pattern stitch. Work the increase and on the following row look at the rows below and count over to see what stitch the increase should be.
Is this really mosaic knitting with slipped stitches? I’m not seeing it in the projects on Ravelry. Maybe the fade is just hiding the slipped sts?
Thank you all for your responses, but I am as confused as ever. I’ve looked at the video for making increases in the round, but it was not helpful to me at all. I still don’t know how to incorporate a m1 stitch, which is always charted as an S in the mosaic chart, into the pattern repeat of 16 stitches. What do I do with that darn new stitch???
Are the increases at the side edges? Is it possible that the chart doesn’t repeat exactly at each side, somewhat like say a 2 x 2 rib increase on a side edge or seam edge?
No, they are right in the middle.
Is there a repeat across the row in the pattern? It could be that the single increase throws off the pattern (two regular sts or two slip sts next to each other) but the next increase puts you back in the correct frame.
Is it possible that the increases should be done on single color rows?
Can you quote the increase directions as they appear in the pattern or give us a small portion of the chart showing the first and second increase rows. Don’t give us a large portion of the pattern or chart due to designer copyright.
I am so confused that I’m ready give up. Unfortunately, the wool for this was over $100. I am including the mosaic pattern and the section of the instructions that shows the increases I need to make. One of the many, many questions I have is how to maintain a 16 st pattern when 1) I’m adding stitches all the time, and 2) the number of stitches between markers is not always a multiple of 16. I can’t complete a full pattern before I slip the markers.
These are increases at the raglan lines in the pattern, some at the body only and some at body and sleeves. They are going to be incorporated into the slip stitch pattern on the following row. Just work the M1 as a knit stitch, work the k1 or k2 as written. The raglan knit stitches will always be a knit stitch and won’t be part of the slip stitch pattern.
The 16 stitch pattern is the slip stitch pattern? You won’t have full repeats between markers. Work partial repeats until you get to enough increases to be able to fit a 16 stitch repeat in if possible.
There should be notes at the beginning of the pattern about the repeat and how to incorporate new sts into the repeat. If not then work a partial repeat at each section, body and sleeves.
So when I see a m1, I just ignore the pattern, knit it, and then resume the pattern? I don’t really. understand how that works. Am I correct that the second row in the chart is all slip sts? Is there a hint as to how to keep track of the m1’s are?
The Make 1s are all clustered either side of the raglan stitches. Work them as Make 1 knits. Work the knit sts according to the directions e.g. "…k to mB, m1r, sm k2, m1l, … " (the bolded k2 are the raglan sts which will always be k2).
On the next row, work the new increase sts into the knit, slip pattern however that is set up (k2, slip or k3, slip, whatever). That pattern will gradually fill in as you add increase rows.
Is there a key for the chart? It should define the grey and white squares. They look more like part of the fade than the slip sts but the chart should make that clear. It would be unusual to have an entire row of slip sts.
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Thank you so much for your time and thoughtful suggestions. There is no key to the chart, so I’m considering it a mosaic chart in which the first square signifies which color yarn to work. The two colors alternate every two rows. If the first square is black, I knit all the black sts and slip the white. Two rows later, when the first square is white, I do the opposite.
I can’t make sense of any of it, so I plan to go to a knit shop and pay someone to explain it all to me.
Thanks again for trying to help me sort this out.
Best,
Marcia
I took a closer look at the pattern page. In the attributes section it says stranded not mosaic. I missed that when I looked before. With that clarified this might be easier for you and certainly for those who can help. No slipping stitches for the colorwork!
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Ha e you seen that there is a link on ravelry to a support comunity for this project? It seem thnoerfect place to go to ask for help,
It seems salmonmac and GrumpyGramma are onto something, its not inteded as a mosaic pattern so trying to read the chart this way may be adding to your confusion.
It is stranded colorwork and stripes. The row of white is a row of single colour rather than a row of slip stitches.
It seems that once you work it as stranded and stripes it should become much easier to incorporate the increases.
A huge thank you to the Community!!!
Never having seen or heard or either technique, I incorrectly assumed the chart was for mosaic, not stranded, knitting. No wonder I couldn’t understand anything. Now it all makes sense!
Now to figure out the best way to hold two strands of yarn as a person who has been using the throwing method of knitting for 60+ years…
With great appreciation for all the support,
Marcia
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Yay, you! Glad you’re on track. Practice different ways (single handed, one yarn in each hand) and see what works best for you. Plenty of videos online.
Whatever technique, consistently bring one color up from behind the other to avoid tangles.
Have you ever crocheted? I only ask because I could crochet (read that as knew how, not beingngood at it!) I found it relatively easy learn the continental style of knitting so i could hold the second yarn in my left hand. When i learned stranded i did a few swatches in continental style to get the hang of using my left hand for the yarn (very simlar to crochet), and then moved on to the two colours, one in each hand.
It’s great trying out a new skill… i hope you have fun!
Unfortunately, I don’t crochet because I’ve always had a problem holding yarn in my left hand. I’m going to have to do a lot of practice swatches, I fear. It’s really going. to throw off my gauge!
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Just a bit of practice and you’ll have it. This sweater is lovely and worth the extra prep time it takes. If you have some leftover yarn, make a dishcloth or hot pad in the stranded design. If you can use your project yarn for a swatch so much the better because you can then check gauge.
I work stranded knits with one hand holding both yarns and it works a treat.
There are ways to manage both yarns in the same hand. I am opposite to you because my right hand won’t cooperate for holding and tensioning the yarn and I finally worked out my own way of both yarns in one hand. You can do it, whichever method you end up using - one hand or two.
I grabbed the first video that showed in a search. There are many others.
