Pattern question, alt rows

How-to Questions
1

Hello,

I know there are many posts explaning this type of pattern but as they don’t include the same reps as mine I get all confused.

I am shaping the upper part of my sleeve and I am to do the decreases to finish it.

I currently have 32 sts.

The pattern then reads:

[COLOR=“Red”]dec 1 st at each end of the next and foll alt row, then on 4 foll 4th rows. (20 sts.)[/COLOR]

I get so confused with this and none of my knitting books explain how to read the abbreviations. I know alt means every other row but it still doesn’t make sense to me. I have broken it down to try to understand better. Is this correct?

R1: dec each end
R2: normal pattern
R3: dec each end
R4: normal patter
R5: dec each end
R6: normal pattern
R7: dec each end
and then again on row 11?

Thank you very much for your help.

2

What would help is a link to this pattern.
What I see from what you have written is that you decrease on 1 row at each end and then knit or purl the next row and then on the next row decrease at each end again and contimue till you get to 11 stitches. Hope this helps some.

3

You’re almost there. The pattern wants you to dec on the next row, the following alternate row and then decrease every 4th row. Do the decrease every 4th row for 4 times.

[COLOR=“Red”]dec 1 st at each end of the next and foll alt row, then on 4 foll 4th rows. (20 sts.)[/COLOR]

R1: dec each end
R2: normal pattern
R3: dec each end
R4-6: normal pattern
R7: dec each end
R8-10: normal pattern
R11: dec each end
R12-14: normal pattern
R15: dec each end
R16-18: normal pattern
R19: dec each end

4

Alt row simply means every other row, no matter how many repeats. So for your pattern dec on both sides of the next row, then work one row and dec on the next. After that, dec on every 4th row 4 times.

5

Thank you so much for your swift replies. :slight_smile:

I have now finished the first sleeve and I think I am starting to understand how to read this part of the pattern which always causes me problems. I still haven’t found a book that explains these sort of difficulties in patterns in detail. I guess because patterns are written differently according to the designer. I think the problem for many people is to know which number indicates how many times and which number indicates which row.

Thank you ever so much for your help. Now onto the second sleeve…

Happy New Year to everyone, may all your knitting projects turn out just the way you want them to. :wink:

6

I’m happy that you’ve gotten that first sleeve finished and gotten some experience with designer pattern language. It does give you confidence to go on to the next. For the next sweater pattern that you do, try knitting both sleeves at the same time using two balls of yarn. All your increases and decreases will be on the same row and both sleeves turn out the same. This works for cardigan fronts and just about anything that’s done in pairs.

7

Wow, that is such a good idea! I would’ve never thought of that. I’ll definitely do that for my next project. :slight_smile:

8

I really like the 2@ a time method, just be sure to change to the other yarn at the beginning of the row on the next piece. It works best that way. Ask me how I know.