Peacock pattern confusion

I’ve got a so far unsolvable confusion in a pattern I found on the internet. See if I can articulate it clearly. The pattern is here:

There are 72 st cast on.
The peacock pattern is:
k1, yo, k1, yo, k2tog 4x, k4, yo (end with k1, yo, k1, yo)
That is a total of 14 stitches used (k1…K1…K2tog x4= 8, K4 so 1+1+8+4 = 14)

To try to put it into a diagram where
| is a stitch,
/ is a yo, and
\ is k2tog
. is nothing, just to make groups of stitches easier to see

(start from the bottom up)

| / | / . \ \ \ \ . | | | | / = 13 st
| | . | | | | | | | | . | | | | = 14 st

So what I interpreted the pattern to mean is repeat the pattern 5x (14 x 5 = 70) and then do the “end with” part for the last 2 stitches remaining (70 + 2 = 72)

Every time you do the 14 stitch pattern, you end up decreasing 1 stitch. Because there are 3 yo, but you k2tog 4 times, so adding 3 but subtracting 4 is a net loss of 1 stitch. If you repeat the 14 stitch pattern 5 times, then you end up decreasing 5 stitches total, and then the 2 yo at the very end add 2 more, so in an entire round, you decrease 3 stitches.

can you think of a way to have the round end with 72 st? I’ve toyed with putting an extra yo in the 14 st pattern so you end up with 14 in the next row, but then the extra 2 added at the end would put the whole round at an extra 2. I’ve also thought about different things “end with” could mean besides end a round… end a needle? end every 2 14st repeats? and I can’t come up with a nice 72 at the end.

Or what if the pattern is supposed to decrease? Except the lace pattern that comes after it doesn’t decrease or increase stitches, and at the end of row 35, you should have 60st after decreasing 1 every 6st, so that means you have to start row 35 with 72.

I think you’re misinterpreting something there…

“k1, yo, k1, yo, k2tog 4x, k4, yo (end with k1, yo, k1, yo)”

You actually gain a stitch. There are 4 k2tog, but 5 YOs.

I don’t know what they want you to do, but I wanted to commiserate with you. The pattern is written in an odd way and it makes it hard to know what they mean. It’s a cute hat, too bad it is not clearer.

I agree Merigold, it’s written rather strangely.