Pattern Question - Reversing Shapings

Hi Knitting Forum,

I am having trouble working out how to work the other front side of a cardigan pattern (specifically the Magpie pattern by Marie Wallin).

It instructs me to work the right front as given for the left, reversing the shaping. I have done this, working decreases previously on RS rows on the WS etc

However, when working the first row of the front neck shaping on the left front, it specifies that this should start on a RS row by breaking the yarn, slipping the necessary number of stitches onto a holder and patterning to the end. The front neck shaping for the right front was also done on a RS row, by patterning the relevant number of stitches first then turning the work, leaving the remaining stitches on the holder.

The WS is now facing for the next row for both the left and right front.

This means that if I continue to follow the instructions, when I eventually reach the shoulder shaping, the slant created by progressively casting off over the next 7 rows will be the same as the right front. Surely this creates an odd seam at the shoulder when the cardigan is finished?

Thank you for your help and advice in advance!

Generally speaking reverse shaping means binding off at the beginning of the next row (WS) when the left side was bound off at the beginning and working the mirror of the decrease (ssk instead of k2tog for example) on a RS row. Working the decreases on the WS will change how the pattern works out. Beyond this I will leave it to better minds to help figure out what you can do and hopefully not need to frog your stranded colorwork.

Marie Wallin’s fair isle patterns are just exquisite.
I don’t understand what you mean when you refer to an odd seam? The shoulders will each seam to the back. One shoulder will be a row ahead of the other but even with the fair isle pattern this won’t be noticeable.

Thank you both for your replies!

The shoulder shaping is as follows: Cast off 7 sts at beg of next row, then 7 sts at beg of foll 2 alt rows. Work 1 row. Cast off remaining stitches.

This means that the shape slants upwards slightly from the first cast off as you progressively bind off. My concern is that if this slant is the same way on both sides it will end up looking like one side of the front is being pulled in a strange way when it is seamed to the back.

Perhaps I am overthinking it though and when it is made up it will all balance out :smiley:

You would decrease from the shoulder edge on the RS for the left front and from the shoulder edge on the WS for the right front. Both edges will slant gradually up toward the neck edge.

I will follow this as instructed and understand how this part works :slight_smile: its the slant of the cast off edge that concerns me - if I start the cast off from the beginning of a RS row on both sides, surely that means that the cast off edge will slope the same way? So on the left front it sloped upwards from the armhole to the neckline. On the right front it will slope upwards from the neck to the armhole.

Yes, if you worked the shoulder decreases that way the slant would be the same for both
but that’s not the way to work these shoulder shaping. You want both shoulders to slant up from the armhole edge toward the neck edge like this /–\ (well not that steeply but the slant is indicated).

Decrease from the shoulder edge on the RS for the left front.
Decrease from the shoulder edge on the WS for the right front.
Both edges will slant gradually up toward the neck edge.

Ok great, thank you again for your help! I think I just got confused by the pattern specifying beginning the front neck shaping for both fronts on a RS row.

It can be confusing. You can shape with decreases or increases all on RS rows but bind offs are easier to work at the beginning of a row either RS or WS.
(There is a method for working a bind off at the end of a row but it’s really not necessary.)