Peter Gregory pattern help - sleeve issue

How-to Questions
1

Hi,
I’m currently knitting a babies cardigan using Peter Gregory pattern booklet 7156. Double knitting yarn and 3 1/4mm (UK10-USA3) needles and 4mm (UK8-USA6 needles.

My problem is with the sleeves. I’m still working on the first one as I’ve had to redo it twice already! I don’t know if it’s something I’m doing wrong, or if the pattern is at fault.
The problem arises when I come to the shaping the raglan top, and the number of stitches after increases and, towards the end of shaping, decreases.

I’m going to share the sleeve instructions (please let me know if this is too much of the pattern to share, and I’ll remove it).

Please note that I’m making the second size, i.e. the first number in brackets, and the sleeves include lace paneling which I’m omitting for my particular cardigan. I’ve put my own notes in blue text.

Sleeves
Using 3 1/4 needles, cast on 29(31-33-35-37) sts and work 10(10-10-1-12) rows in rib as given for Back. [COLOR=“Blue”]I’ve had no problem with this part all.[/COLOR]

Change to 4mm needles.

1st row: k6(7-8-9-10), work 1st row of Lace Panel across next 17 sts, k6(7-8-9-10).

2nd row: p6(7-8-9-10), work 2nd row of Lace Panel, p6(7-8-9-10).

These 2 rows form st st at either side of Lace Panel. Keeping continuity of 12 rows of Lace Panel correct throughout inc 1 st at each end of next and every foll 2nd(2nd-2nd-2nd-4th) row until there are 37(39-37-39-51) sts, then every foll 4th(4th-4th-4th-6th row until there are 41(45-49-53-57) sts. Work straight until sleeve measures 10(13-16-19-22) cms, ending with a wrong side row.

[COLOR=“Blue”]Notice this?: “until there are 37(39-37-39-51) sts.”
Do you think that 39 as the second size is wrong? Should it be 37 instead? I have no idea, AND the second time I started the sleeve again, I decided to try increasing to 37, instead of 39, to see if it made any difference. No luck.[/COLOR]

Shape Raglan Top
Cast off 2 sts at beg of next 2 rows.

3rd row: k1, sl 1, k1, psso, work to last 3 sts, k2tog, k1.

4th row: P2, work to last 2 sts, p2.

Rep the last 2 rows until 19(19-15-11-11) sts rem, ending with a wrong side row.

[COLOR=“Blue”]This is where my problem is. I do the last 2 rows, but now I’ve reached a point (as I have two times before!) where there are 21 sts left, and I can’t repeat those two rows again without loosing more than two sts, which wont leave me with the 19 I need. I will have less than 19, thus messing up what I need to do next. I have no idea where I’m going wrong. Up until this part, I have all the right number of sts and measurements required. Please help (if you can)![/COLOR]

Next row: K1, sl 1, k2tog, psso, work to last 4 sts, k3tog, k1.

Next row: p2, work to last 2 sts, p2.

Rep the last 2 rows 2(2-1-0-0) times more.

Cast off remaining 7 sts.

This is beginning to drive me nuts. I just want to figure it out! This is the first cardigan I’ve made, the only other things I’ve knitted have been scarves.

If anyone can see anything noticeable in the pattern, or has any idea how I might be going wrong, I would love to hear from you.

If you need any more info, I’ll include it for you.

Thanks so much!

2

The first step has you increase to 39, and then you have to increase on every 4th row until you get to 45.

You decrease to 19, one dec stitch at each edge.

I don’t understand why decreasing from 21 to 19 is a problem when you have to decrease 2 stitches per row.:??

The 2 rows that you’re repeating are rows 2 and 3. On row 2, the
slip 1, k1, psso decreases by one/ the k2tog at the end decreases by 1.

Row 3 doesn’t decrease.

Does this clear anything up?

3

Hi Samantha,

Your first question regards this, “until there are 37(39-37-39-51) sts”. Do we think your size should read 37 instead of 39? You begin with 31 stitches and then you increase one at each end until you have 39. Well, I don’t see why either 37 or 39 wouldn’t work. You have 31 and increase 2 each row, thereby keeping it an uneven number each time 31, 33, 35, 37, 39 and it says to switch to further spacing between the same sort of increases. Since it says go to 39 that’s what I would do, but 37 should work too except you would end up with the increases over a longer sleeve length. Then you keep increasing to 45 stitches. Are you doing something over the course of the sleeve that is causing trouble? A pattern stitch of some sort? How are you working the sleeve, you said you weren’t doing the lace panel.

I also don’t understand why you wouldn’t be able to go from 21 to 19 in that decrease section. Again, are you doing something besides working st st or some other simple stitch over the row that is throwing you off? Row 3 says: “k1, sl 1, k1, psso, work to last 3 sts, k2tog, k1.” That only decreases 2 over the row and row 4 doesn’t lose any stitches. If you have 21 and do one more repeat, why don’t you have 19?

What am I missing? Or are you misinterpreting “K1, sl 1, K1, psso”? This means to knit one, slip one to the right needle without knitting it, K1, then lift the slipped stitch over the last knit stitch as though you were doing a bind off. This only decreases one stitch. :shrug:

4

Alright, nevermind, I’ve figured out where I was going wrong. I was mistaking “P2” to mean purl 2 together. Not entirely sure how I managed that, but I guess since this is my first pattern and I’m new to everything, that might explain it somewhat…

Hehe. I do feel a bit silly! But I don’t think I’d have been able to figure it out without your help, so thank you so much. :slight_smile:

Right, off I go to start again. Fourth time lucky? I think fourth time was when I got it right for the back piece, so there you go! :stuck_out_tongue:

5

Samantha,

Don’t feel too “silly”, we have all done things like that. At least I know I have. I’m glad you have it now. Merigold

6

Thank you, Merigold. Success with the first sleeve, so on to the second. :slight_smile:

7

:thumbsup: