I’ve been following a pattern to make a sweater and I’ve run into a snag with the directions. It’s a cardigan with a back panel and two front panels. I’ve knitted the back panel and front left panel without trouble but there’s a difference in direction on the front right panel. I’ve gotten to the point where I’m kitting the last section of rows before I cast a few off to start the armhole.
The entire sweater is in a stocking stitch and I just finished a knit row. The following directions say:
Work 22 rows dec 1 st at front edge [B]as before[/B] in next and every foll 4th row [B]AT SAME TIME[/B] m1 at side edge [B]as before[/B] in 7th and foll 8th row.
[B]Next row:[/B] Knit
Doing this, the 22 rows should end with a knit row. That would make two knit rows in a row and disrupt the st-st pattern. It has to end on a knit row because the following has to be a purl row so I can cast off a few stitches on the right side.
Is there an error in the directions? It’s from a pattern book. I could skip the extra knit row and that would solve my problem but would that affect the look of the sweater? I’m really confused. Up until now I’ve always decreased and increased on the knit side but this is the first time it’s asked me to decrease on the purl side. The rows aren’t adding up.
Is there a pattern instruction that tells you to reverse the shaping for either the left or the right front? Many times there is for stockinette sweaters like yours.
If your first row is a knit row, all of the even rows will be a purl one. The next row that tells you to knit across would be row 23, and why I asked after the reverse shaping instruction for the fronts. I just didn’t want you to end up with 2 left or right fronts. I’ve done that.
HTH. And in practice if you have to omit a row, your front should still come out relatively even.
There is no instruction that says to reverse the shaping. The first row is not a knit row. The row before the 22 rows was a knit row so the first row is a purl row. That would make all the odd numbered rows purl rows which means row 22 would be a knit row.
Can you give us the name of the sweater and tell us the name of the book or the designer? Basically, if skipping the extra knit rows solves the problem, ignore the row count and keep the front in pattern stitch. Keep the decreases and increases on the right front a mirror image of the left front if that is the pattern design. You can do the inc and dec on the purl side or if you prefer to do single inc or dec (as opposed to bind offs of several sts) on the knit side and like the look from the RS of the fabric, do that…
The book is Noro Flowers 2. (Jenny Watson designs) The pattern is #5 Cardigan. I think I’ll just end up skipping the extra knit row. That’s the only way I can see to keep the st-st pattern.
Maybe this is the pattern? http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/design-5-cardigan
Yes, sometimes there are instructions that just don’t make sense. It’s better to maintain the look of the cardigan. Something may have gotten lost in the translation from left front to right front.
Yes that looks like it’s the pattern. I think it must be a mistake in the instructions so I’m going to go ahead and skip the extra knit row. Thanks for the help!