Please Help a Newbie w/Mock Cable Pattern

How-to Questions
1

My knitting class was cancelled last night :pout: but I won’t be able to go to the makeup class, so I’m trying to get my Mock Cable square done.

The pattern looks so simple, I thought I’d give it a go, but boy did confusion ensue after the first row! I was pretty sure I screwed it up. Could you review my pattern and comments, and help me figure out what I’m doing wrong?

Thanks for viewing my quandry…
Lisa :slight_smile:

Square 3 - Mock Cable
Cast on 32 Stitches
I’m fine with the cast on!

Row 1: P2, *Slip 1 as if to Knit, K2, PSSO, P2, Repeat from * across
Here I understood the slip 1, K2, and then passed the slipped stitch over the last 2 knitted stitches. Where I got confused was for the next row, do I treat these two slipped over stitches as 1 stitch together or 2 stitches?

Row 2: K2, *P1, YO, P1, K2 - Repeat from * across row
I have the YO between the purl stitches and am okay with that. Here I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to do the P1 or K1 on the previous rows slipped stitches and act as if they are one stitch, or am I supposed to knit/purl each individually. Also, do you see a standard number of stitches at the end of this row, to help keep me on track?

Row 3: P2 (K3, P2) across the row
I think I understand this, which is just begin with P2, then continue pattern of K3/P2 for remainder. Would I always end the row completing the K3/P2, or is it okay to end with K3? Again, a number of stitches that I have at the end of the row would help.

Row 4: K2 (P3, K2) across the row
Same question here, if I understood correctly above, and if it is okay to end on say a P3, instead of a K2? Should I have the same number of stitches as previous row?

2

Don’t think of a stitch as what it was on the row before, but how it appears to you on the row you’re doing.

R 1 ? - If they look like 2 stitches, knit them as 2. The slip stitch is part of making the mock cable st and doesn’t affect the 2 stitches it’s slipped over.

R 2 ? - You work each st individually according to the pattern and that includes a YO; it’s a stitch now. You should end up w/ 32 sts.

R 3 ? - You would end with K3, P2. That would be a 5 stitch repeated 6 times, plus the p2 at the beginning to get you to 32 stitches.

R 4 ? - Same answer as R 3.

sue

3

I’ll try to help!

After working Row 1 you’ll have 26 stitches on the needles - counting the 2 stitches that had the PSSO as 2 seperate stitches.

On Row 2 you will work the stitches that had the PSSO as 2 seperate stitches. At the end of the row you’ll be back up to the orginal cast on count of 32 stitches. If you can “read” your knitting you’ll be doing the P1, YO, P1 in to the two stitches that had the PSSO.

For Row 3 you will start AND end with 32 stitches on the needles. You will end the row with K3, P2 - you should not be ending with K3.

For Row 4, again, you will have 32 stitches at the start and end of the row. You should be ending with P3, K2…not P3.

I hope this helps!

4

@sara_jayne & @suzeeq:
Both of you make it seem so simple. I think row 2 is what really confused me. I’m looking at the needle and there are two stitches (with one loop around their base), and my first go through I treated them as one stitch. This is probably why it looked so wrong. And of course, once I got row 2 wrong, my stitches were off on rows 3 and 4.

I’ll try treating them just as they are, and see how it looks. I brought my knitting to try at lunch today. I’ll keep you posted, thank you SO VERY MUCH for reading my problem and helping me make sense of this knitting pattern. I still find reading a pattern VERY scary!

5

It is hard to do, but as Ingrid says in her siganture “trust the pattern”.

I’m glad we were able to help - that is what we are all here for.

Good luck & I can’t wait to see it when you are all finished! :hug:

6

@sara_jayne & @suzeeq:
At least I now have a “lesson learned” with PSSO! It’s coming out great!
Thanks so much for your help! :muah:

7

:cheering: :cheering: :cheering: It looks fabulous!!!

8

Looks really good! :happydance:

sue