Need help in reading a pattern

#1

Hi again,

I just finished frogging my entire work on this shrug because I got confused reading the pattern.

Here’s where I got confused and started to make mistakes:
"*[B]Inc Row 1[/B]: K3, yo, work in patt as established to last 3 sts, yo, k3.
[B]Inc Row 2[/B]: K3, yo, k1, work in patt as estbalished to last 4 sts, yo, k4 – 48 (50, 52) sts.
Work 12 rows even.
Rep from * 3 times more, then work Inc Rows 1 and 2 once more – 64 (66, 69) sts."

My confusion is multiple: on the first increase row, are they saying to knit 3, yarn over, then following the established pattern, yarn over again and knit 2 together to last 3 sts, then yo, knit 3?

After working 12 rows even, are they suggesting to work the two row increases 3 more times, then once more? Or are they suggesting to work the pattern stitch 3 more times, then work the increase rows once more? The first go-round I read it to do the increase rows 4 times, which didn’t give me the correct amount of stitches, which is why I decided to frog the whole thing and start over.

Pattern reading is an art, apparently.

#2

I looked at the pattern. Let’s say you cast on the 44 st size:
I think they want you to do this with the increase rows 1 & 2:

Row 1 (+2 st) = 46
Row 2 (+2 st) = 48

Row 1 (+2 st) = 50
Row 2 (+2 st) = 52
Row 1 (+2 st) = 54
Row 2 (+2 st) = 56
Row 1 (+2 st) = 58
Row 2 (+2 st) = 60

Row 1 (+2 st) = 62
Row 2 (+2 st) = 64

And this new stitch count comes out right!

Yeah, pattern reading is like going to a different country! You need a knitter’s passport into the new land!

#3

Okay, thanks, that answers some of my questions, but I’m still unclear on two parts: After changing to larger needles, I am supposed to work 10 rows of the pattern stitch. Then do I increase with Inc Row 1, and Inc Row 2, then work 12 more pattern stitch rows, then do my 4 additional increases using the Row1, Row2 pattern?

Also, within the Increase Rows I’m a little confused as to where the actually increases in stitches comes from…

Inc Row 1: K3, yo, (work in established pattern) *yo, k2tog to last 3 sts, yo, k3. As I read this, the extra 2 stitches comes from the first yo, and the last yo, both of which are not included in the original established pattern. Am I reading this correctly?

Inc Row 2: K3, yo, k1, (work in established pattern) *yo, k2tog to last 4 sts, yo, k4. As I read this, there are 3 extra stitches: the first yo before the established pattern, the first k1, and the last yo. What am I doing wrong?

#4

The increases are created by the YO’s (yarn overs) in each increase row.

If you go back to your online pattern, notice how the YO is in blue, or a hot link? Click that link and it will throw out a box to show how to do a YO!

Pretty nice pattern people, I’d say!

#5

[COLOR=Blue]“Work [U]even [/U]in patt as established”…[/COLOR]

The clue is in the word “even”…in pattern language, that means no further increases or decreases.

[COLOR=Blue]“Work even [U]in patt[/U] as established”

[COLOR=Black]The clue is in the words “in patt” or “in pattern”…and the
PATTERN STITCH is listed below the ABBREVIATIONS:
[/COLOR]
[/COLOR][COLOR=#077d04][B][U]PATTERN[/U] STITCH[/B][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#077d04][B]Row 1[/B][/COLOR] [K](javascript:newWindow= openWin(‘mar06_knit.html’, ‘’ ,‘width=550,height=500,toolbar=0,location=0,directories=0,status=0,menuBar=0,scrollBars=1,resizable=1’ ); newWindow.focus())3, *[yo](javascript:newWindow= openWin(‘mar06_yo.html’, ‘’ ,‘width=550,height=550,toolbar=0,location=0,directories=0,status=0,menuBar=0,scrollBars=1,resizable=1’ ); newWindow.focus()), [k2tog](javascript:newWindow= openWin(‘mar06_decreasing.html#decrease_k2tog’, ‘’ ,‘width=550,height=600,toolbar=0,location=0,directories=0,status=0,menuBar=0,scrollBars=1,resizable=1’ ); newWindow.focus()); rep from * to last 3 sts, k3.
Rep Row 1 for openwork patt.

#6

This pattern is so nicely written, I saved it in my Bookmarks, too!
I want to make it for my DD!

Be sure and show off your shrug when it’s done! :cheering:

#7

k you have your first row increase then the second rown increase (it’s dont that way to match the stitch pattern which I am assuming is an eyelet pattern of yo, k2tog).
So you are to k3 (the selvedge or edge stitches) yo, (no k2tog so you are making a stitch), then you do your pattern, you get down to the last 3 stitches on the row and you then yo, k3 and turn.
Now you are working the second increase row, k3, yo, k1 (this effectively moves the eyelets over so that they don’t sit one on the other) then you work to the last 4 sts, yo, and knit 4.
Now you are going to work 12 rows without shaping.
After the 12 rows are done, you start over with shaping row 1… etc.
You’ll get your 4 repeats of the whole increase rows 1 and 2 and the 12 straight rows and then you will do the increase rows one more time without the 12 straight rows. You should end up with the 16 sts you need to increase to the end of the 4th repeat of the pattern. Then you will do two more increase rows, thus adding 4 more stitches for a total of 20 stitches increased in total. which should equal 68(70, 73(?)) That 73 part I don’t quite get because that just ain’t right but hmmm.
I think there is a discrepency in the stitch count on the pattern itself. Hmmmm.

#8

I’m sorry to be so dense, but am I understanding correctly that in the first row increase I am to knit 3, yo, yo again and k2tog (and do this repeat until the last 3 stitches), then yo and k3? So there are two yo’s at the beginning and one at the end, which makes for 2 extra stitches.

The second row increase is where I fall down…based on the instructions, there are 3 extra stitches here: the first is the first yo after k3, the second is the k1, and the third is the last yo. ???

This last part makes sense the way you explain it, so thank you for that.

#9

I took it on blind faith that the pattern would work, (I think I was trying to over-think it), and it did! I followed it exactly, and after the two row increases, I’ve come out 4 stitches ahead.:woohoo:

:muah: to you both.

#10

Most patterns are written well enough, that if you follow them step by step, they work out.

#11

I’m not sure what happened the first go-round!?! Just glad that it’s working now.:cheering: Whew!

#12

Now that I’ve put 3 increase sets on the first sleeve, I see that on both sides of the work there are holes at both ends of the increase rows. They are big enough to look like button holes. Does anyone know what stitch would cause this? Could it be the double yo at the beginning of Inc Row 1? It just doesn’t seem right, but I’m not frogging this one again.

#13

It probably is the double YO. What you could do when you come to them on the next row is knit them twisted, that could make the hole smaller. Or you could do the increase as a M1 or kfb on the 3rd of the k3 sts, then the YO. That way you’d get the increases and keep the pattern.

#14

To minimize the hole on the end of the row, would I just reverse the process for the Inc Row 1? Here’s what I’m thinking for the whole row:

Inc Row 1: K2, kfb, yo, work in pattern as established (*yo, k2tog) to last 3 sts, yo, kfb, K2

Inc Row 2: K3, yo, k1, knit in established pattern to last 4 sts, yo, k4.

Does this sound right? I did end up frogging the whole thing, and am starting over once again.

Thanks.

#15

I think that sounds about right…