Need Help Reading Pattern

How-to Questions
1

[color=darkblue]Ok, so I am knitting sweater # 3 from the Holiday 05 Vogue Knitting (sans the pockets) and am a little confused at the # of stitches I should decrease to create the waist. The total amount of stitches cast on is 48 and in order to decrease it says the following:

I GET THIS PART (A):

P to 2 stitches before first marker, p2tog, slide marker, p2tog
P to 2 stitches before second marker, p2 tog, slide marker, p2tog, p to end

BUT START TO GET CONFUSED HERE (B):

Work 12 rounds even. DOES THIS MEAN PURL 12 ROUNDS OF 40 STCHES LEFT?

Rep dec rnd - Work 10 rounds even DOES THIS MEAN WORK 1 ROUND OF PART (A) FOLLOWED BY 10 ROUNDS WITH 32 STITCHES LEFT?

To clarify in case the way I wrote it above is confusing, here it is without my comments:

48 stitches cast on

Dec Rnd: P to 2 sts before first marker, p2tog, sl marker, p2tog, p to 2 sts before 2nd marker, p2tog, sl marker, p2tog, p to end. Work 12 rnds even. Rep dec rnd- 40 sts. Work 10 rnds even.

Please help a confused girl… my forte is not reading patterns… :crying:
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2

You’re right about the decrease round is to go. Then, where it says ‘work 12 rnds even’ you are going to work 12 rounds without any decreases. I’m not sure where you come up with 40sts left after the decrease round, though. There are a total of 4 stitches decreased (p2tog x 4) in that round so the first decrease round will take you down to 44sts.

Then after the 12 rounds @ 44sts with no decreases, you will work the decrease round once more. After that decrease round is complete you will have 40 stitches remaining, as the pattern states (again, p2tog x 4 = 4 stitches decreased).

After the second decrease round you will work 10 rounds @ 40sts with no decreases.

That will take you to the end of that set of instructions.

3

You only decrease 4 sts per dec round, not 8; in between the dec rounds you work on the stitches you have without any changes.

sue

4

Thanks soooo much! You’re so right! I was just doing the math wrong so it seemed like i would be decreasing too many stitches!

If you have a chance I do have a question about the sleeves too… it says

Next Rnd: K11, bind off 2 sts, cast on 14 sts and p these new sts, p22, bing off 2 sts, cast on 14 sts and p these new sts, p to end of round

My question is how do you cast on sts in the middle of a project?

Thanks so much for your help!

:hug:

5

To cast on in the middle of the work, do a backwards loop or knitted cast on. See http://www.knittinghelp.com/knitting/basic_techniques/index.php for videos if you don’t know how.

sue

6

In this case, I would use either a knit-on cast on or a cable cast on. Both of these put the new stitches onto the left needle, and since the instructions ask you to purl the new stitches, they have to be on the left needle. Backward loop cast on puts the new stitches onto the right needle and they don’t get worked at all until the following row.

7

I am lefty so should they be on the right needle instead?

8

I suppose they would be. If you work your rows starting with all of your stitches on the needle in your right hand then I guess the mid-row cast on would be reversed as well.

9

Thanks so much for all of your help! Here is a pic of it so far! :woot: