Problem with reading instructions for my sweater

#1

I’m working on a short sleeved sweater (my first sweater project ever actually :XX: ) but I’m having trouble understanding what the pattern is saying because it doesn’t make sense to me.

The pattern is from the latest Vogue Knitting - Spring/Summer 2006 edition, pattern number 29 (for anyone who has the magazine also), called the Cinched Waist Top.

The instruction for the front/back/sleeves part worked in rounds with raglan declining is as follows, with irrelevant parts skipped over:

Rnd 1 …knit all stitches, joining pieces… Rnd 2 and 3 Knit. Dec rnd 4 (3-st right then left transfer dec)… Rep dec rnd 4 every 4th rnd 3 times more. Dec rnd 13 (2-st right then left transfer dec). Rep dec rnd 13 every 4th rnd 1 time more 104 sts…

The part that doesn’t make sense to me is that after doing the dec rnd 4, I would only have to repeat dec rnd 4 twice (8, 12) to get to dec rnd 13 instead of repeating 3 times… Does it mean for me to count the first dec rnd 4 as dec rnd 1 and repeat it 3 times to get to rnd 13? Also, what does it mean by “Rep dec rnd 13 every 4th rnd 1 time more 104 sts”? … that I should end up with 104 stitches by that time?

Please help me decipher what the pattern is meaning to say because it’s confusing the heck out of me :??

#2

The directions are a bit confusing. But it does look like you do the decrease rounds on rows 4, 8, and 12 since you have to do the other decrease on row 13. Does this work out math-wise? I can’t find my issue right now–how many stitches do you have on the needles and will these decreases be enough to get you down to 104? (yes, that’s what that means)

#3

:thinking: Ok, so I just did the math… and here’s what I get:

rnd 1: 232 sts k tog
rnd 2: k
rnd 3: k
rnd 4: dec rnd (-6 sts x 4 parts = -24 sts —> 232 - 24 = 208 sts)
rnd 5: k
rnd 6: k
rnd 7: k
rnd 8: dec rnd (-6 sts x 4 parts = -24 sts —> 208 - 24 = 184 sts)
rnd 9: k
rnd 10: k
rnd 11: k
rnd 12: dec rnd (-6 sts x 4 parts = -24 sts —> 184 - 24 = 160 sts)
rnd 13: dec rnd (-4 sts x 4 parts = -16 sts —> 160 - 16 = 144 sts)
rnd 14: k
rnd 15: k
rnd 16: dec rnd (-4 sts x 4 parts = -16 sts —> 144 - 16 = 128 sts)

Now… That still leaves me with 128 sts (what I end up with) - 104 sts (what I’m suppose to end up with) = 24 stitches… which is another dec rnd 4, basically… So do you think I should do another dec rnd 4 after rnd 12? to 16 rnds before I start dec rnd 13?

Thanks for the help!

#4

The directions do sound as if you should be doing 4 of the first decrease, but then you wouldn’t be on row 13. HOWEVER, Vogue patterns are notorious for their mistakes.

I’d go with the 4 sets of decreases and then the next set after that.

#5

I’m just curious because I’ve never done this kind of decrease before. What does this mean: Dec rnd 4 (3-st right then left transfer dec)…

thanks!

Marlette :smiley:

#6

Thanks, Ingrid! I think I will do that because it makes most sense.

Marlette:

“Dec rnd 4 (3-st right then left transfer dec)” is kind of like a cable stitch… the kind that sticks out from the knitted surface. I’m only making an educated guess on this because I had nobody to turn to to figure it out, but somehow I think I ended up doing it right through trial and error. What I did was slipped 3 stitches onto a paperclip as a holder, then knitted 1 stitch on the paperclip then also through one stitch on the left hand needle starting from left to right on the paperclip stitches one at a time. then I ended up with something that looks like a little cable which is like the one in the picture :wink: The “left transfer” is when you put the paperclip stitches to the front of your knitted work which gives you a little cable that slants to the right side. The “right transfer” is when you put the paperclip stitches to the back of your knitted work which gives you a little cable that slants to the left side.

If this is all wrong, can someone please explain! :lol: Thanks!

#7

Thank you, Sara! It sounds complicated, so I think I’ll practice a bit before I attempt that one :thinking: