Help! I’m struggling with trying to decrease while maintaining a quilted cross stitch pattern. I’m supposed to decrease at the beginning of row every other round 5 times to shape armholes.
Pattern Rows 1 & 3 (WS) K1, *p1,k1; repeat from *
Row 2 (RS): P1, *slip 1 st. knitting with, k1f-b, k1, pass slipped stitch over the last 3 sts worked, p1; repeat from *
Row 4 (RS): P1,k1,p1, *slip 1 stvknitwise, k1f-b, k1, pass slip st over last 3 sts worked, p1; repeat from * to last 2 stitches, end k1, p1
My beginning row is 34 stitches worked as Row 4 (due to divides in the overall pattern).
My next row (Row 1) starts the decrease and I just can’t figure out if I should P2tog or K2tog and then for Row 3 (2nd dec) should it be K2tog or P2 tog.
I’ve knitted and tinker this same section twice and the pattern doesn’t look right.
Help would be greatly appreciated.
Welcome to KnittingHelp!
What is the name of your pattern?
It’s often easiest to work decreases as k2tog or ssk on the RS rows. You’re going to have to give up a repeat at some point and if it matches the background stitch, working the edges in stockinette and the decreases in as knits looks good.
The pattern is Smocked Cardigan - attached. I think if I use K2tog for the first 2 decreases, the pattern looks okay but then looks off if I use K2tog for the rest of the decreases.
I may also have messed up a row by ending with the pass slip over without a following purl stitch.
I’m probably over thinking the stitches!
(Attachment SmockedCardigan.pdf is missing)
If the decreases are near a seam, you really only need to keep them slanting in the same direction. I would keep the same decrease either a p2tog or a k2tog (usually a k2tog at the beginning of row and a ssk at end) regardless of the pattern. You’re going to be eating into the p1,k1 repeat regardless.
If you work the decreases one stitch in from the beginning of the row then it looks neater to end the row with a decrease one stitch in from the end as well.