Hi everyone! I decided yesterday to attempt knitting again (have done simple small projects in the past with no problems) and yesterday I purchased Boyd’s “I taught myself knitting” booklet and in it I chose to learn the Homespun Ripple Afghan (Alas, before I read these forums, I thought homespun was wonderful. Oh well, I’ll do what I can). The past couple days I’ve sort of been practicing and now I think I’m ready to begin. I’m having a little trouble understanding what the pattern is telling me to do however. I’ve read through it a million times, but I’m stuck.
Here’s the main bulk of the pattern:
[B]Pattern: Old Shale Pat (multiple 18 sts):[/B]
[B]Row 1 (WS): [/B]Purl. [B]Row 2:[/B] (K2tog) 3 times, (inc 1 st by picking up strand between last st and next st and knitting into it, k1) 6 times, (k2tog) 3 times; rep from * to * across. [B]Row 3:[/B] knit. [B]Row 4:[/B] knit.
Rep Rows 1-4 for Old Shale Pat.
[B]AFGHAN:[/B] Cast on 114 sts (108 sts for st pat and 6 edge sts). [I]Work in garter st (= k every row) for 6 rows (3 ridges). [/I][B]Est pat: [/B][B]Row 1 (WS):[/B] K 3; work Row 1 of Old Shale St. Pat across next 108 sts; k 3. [B] Row 2:[/B] K3; work Row 2 of Old Shale Pat across next 108 sts; k3. [B]Row 3:[/B] K3; work Row 3 of Old Shale Pat across next 108 sts; k 3.
[B]Row 4:[/B] K3; work Row 4 of Old Shale Pat across next 108 sts; k3. Rep Rows 1-4 above keeping first 3 and last 3 sts in garter st and working center 108 sts in Old Shale Pat until piece meas approx 59" from beg, ending with Row 4. Work in garter st for 4 rows (2 more ridges). Bind off loosely.
Italicized is what I’m confused with. Is it asking me to do 6 entire rows of regular garter stitches and then the 7th row begins the Old Shale Pattern, or is it asking me to begin the Old Shale Pattern from the very first row, being sure that all stitches are garter for the first 6 rows?
In other words, am I reading the pattern right like this:
Row 1-6: Knit entire row
Row 7: Old Shale Pattern row 1
Row 8: Old Shale Pattern row 2
Row 9: Old Shale Pattern row 3
Row 10: Old Shale Pattern row 4
Continue to knit Old Shale Pattern until piece is 59 inches then do four knit rows.
In the picture the afghan has a nice gentle rippled edge. When I knit 6 regular garter rows there is no rippled edge to my piece. Does the Old Shale Pattern in the body of the piece pull your edges in and make them rippled?
So I’m confused and new to reading patterns, even though this pattern is a beginners.
Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!