Need help deciphering these instructions please

How-to Questions
1

Hi everyone!

I’m still knitting the sweater for dh and I need help in understanding how to knit up the neck shaping. This is done bottom up.

Here’s the instructions:

Work in est patt across first 37 (43, 49, 53) sts, join in new strand and BO center 16 sts, work in patt to end of row. (I understand this part, and assume that this is done on the WS since the prior instructions for the front say to end with a RS row.)

Working both sides at once with separate balls of yarn, BO at each neck edge 3 sts 1 (1, 2, 2) times, 2 sts 1, (2, 2, 2) times, and 1 st 3 (2, 1, 2) times. Continue in est patt on rem 29 (34, 38, 41) sts to same length as back, ending with a RS row. BO all sts in patt.

So, it’s the first sentence of the above paragraph that I don’t understand, or at least I can’t visualize it well enough to give it a go. It’s not the number parts, I’m just confused on the actual binding off of the sts. Am I to bind of the sts on the WS or RS of the piece? When I bind off these sts will my working yarns be in the proper place for the return row? It looks to me like when I bind off the sts my working yarn won’t be at the beginning of the sts to be knit (hope you can understand what I mean!). Any advice will be greatly appreciated!!!

Thanks!
Debra in NC

2

You’ll have to bind off at the beginning of the neck edge of each row, whether is the right side or wrong side.

So you’d bind off 3 stitches at the beginning of the second shoulder and work across. Work back even on that side and then bind off the first 3 on the other side. Keep doing this for your size.

When you get to the one-stitch bind off, what I usually do is just work two together at the edges rather than bind off. That’s up to you, though.

3

You will be working with 2 balls of yarn. I assume this is the top of a sweater and you work the first # of stitches, DROP the yarn you were using, PICK UP a new ball of yarn and bind off the number of stitches called for and knit with the new ball of yarn to end of row. Turn your work and work the next row to where you bound off, drop the 2nd ball of yarn and pick up the first ball of yarn and work to end of row. Continue back and forth as called for in pattern.

4

For some reason I never thought about binding off at the beginning of a row…my mind kept seeing binding off at the end, hence my confusion about my working yarn not being in the proper place! Thanks so much for opening my mind! I’m off to start knitting the neck shaping now. :slight_smile:

Debra in NC