New to sweaters, need help with this pattern

How-to Questions
1

Im a somewhat beginning knitter. Ive done a few projects. Mostly socks.I want to start learning how to make sweaters.

My main weakness is gauge and knowing if Im measuring it properly

I need help with this pattern. The gauge is 17 sts / 24 rows = 4” in Rev St st on US 8s.

  1. I dont understand the 17.I dont know how that divides properly, does 17sts = 4"? And how many sts pr inch is that?

Im getting 4sts to an inch on size #8 needles, which I think is close enough.

This is where Im at in the pattern, and Im making a size small, the 1st number.
2. The instructions say:

Neck shaping
Continue to work armhole shaping as given for back.
AT THE SAME TIME, shape neck:
(RS): Work 33 (38, 47, 46) [36, 41, 45, 48] sts. Joining a second ball of yarn, BO 4 (3, 3, 4) [4, 3, 3, 5] sts; work 33 (38, 47, 46) [36, 41, 45, 48] sts.

[U]Dec 1 st at neck edge every 4[/U] (2, 2, 2) [4, 2, 4, 4] rows[U] 9 [/U](1, 2, 2) [11, 2, 15, 13] [U]time(s), then every 6[/U] (4, 4, 4) [6, 4, 0, 6][U] rows 2[/U] (12, 12, 13) [1, 12, 0, 2][U]time(s): 17[/U] (18, 18, 19) [23, 24, 25, 26] sts rem.
Work even until armhole measures 8¼” (8¾”, 9”, 9¾”) [9”, 9¼”, 10¼”, 10¾”].

At 4sts to an inch I calculate that the 8 & 1/4 is 34 rows. This calls for 4 rows times 9 (36), and then another 6 rows times 2. Which goes way over the 8 & 1/4 according to my calculations.

So is the pattern wrong, or am I reading it incorrectly?

Also Ive got the back done already. If I just decreased every other row, instead of follow the instructions, would the v-neck come out okay?

Thank you in advance :mrgreen:

2

Ok, gauge is important. 17st/4" is 4.25sts/" but no one measures gauge over one inch. You want to cast on 20-24sts and knit in reverse st st for about 4". Then measure the middle 4" and see how many sts you’re getting. That’s a more accurate estimate of gauge.

4sts/" might not be ok to use but you can figure out from the number of cast on sts, how wide the sweater will measure. Even a quarter of a stitch/inch can make a difference over the number of cast on stitches. You don’t want the sweater to end up too big. Usually you can drop down a needle size to see if you get closer to 17sts/4".

Remember too that the stitch gauge is 17sts/4" but the [I]row gauge[/I] is 24 rows/4". When you calculate that way it comes out to 8.25 inches is about 50 rows which is comparable to the 36+12=48 rows the pattern is asking for.

3

Gauge is important if you want your sweater to be the right size.

For example, if you have to knit, say, 100 stitches at 17 stitches per 4 inches, your piece will be approximately 23.5 inches wide. At 20 stitches per 4 inches, it will be 25 inches wide. The more stitches, the greater the discrepancy. If the total sweater had 200 stitches around, you’d have a difference of 3 inches.

So to get correct gauge you need to knit a square a little more than 4 inches wide and count the number of stitches over the 4 inches rather than per inch. Stitches aren’t always exactly the same size, so counting over 4 inches gives you a more accurate gauge count.

Row count isn’t as important since you can always knit more or fewer rows to get the length you need. However, in this case, 4 stitches per inch doesn’t tell you the row gauge. Your row gauge is 6 rows per inch (24 rows per 4 inches.)

So if you don’t mind your sweater being wider than the pattern states, you can stick with your current gauge, or if you want it to be more accurate, go down a needle size.

4

Thank you, this is the info I needed. :thumbsup:

Remember too that the stitch gauge is 17sts/4" but the row gauge is 24 rows/4".

Row count isn’t as important since you can always knit more or fewer rows to get the length you need. However, in this case, 4 stitches per inch doesn’t tell you the row gauge. Your row gauge is 6 rows per inch (24 rows per 4 inches.)