Shape Front Neck

#1

I got help here for Shape Back Neck (THANKS!) (Campus Knits, Leisure Arts, His 'n Hers Hoodie), but now I’m sorry to say I need help with Shape Front Neck.

I did what the directions say but ended up with the wrong number of stitches and a weird looking shape across the top of the shoulders, nothing like the slanted down toward the shoulder shape as shown on the pattern diagram.

I believe I am having a problem reading the first part of the directions, as well as the last part, where it refers me to the set of directions for SHAPE BACK NECK - not sure where to go exactly.

You guys will get me through this sweater yet!

[I][B]SHAPE FRONT NECK: [/B]Work each side as follows: bind off 3 sts at center neck edge 2 times, then 2 sts 1 time - 12 sts remain.
(had 20 stitches on each side to begin with) Work even until piece measures same as Back to shoulders; shape shoulders as for Back.[/I]

NOTE: Here is what the Back directions look like, that they’re referring to.

[INDENT][I][B]SHAPE BACK NECK[/B]: Work across 15 sts, join 2nd ball of C, bind off 11 sts for back neck, work across remaining 15 sts.

Bind off 3 sts at each neck edge once. AT SAME TIME, bind off at shoulder edge 6 sts once, then 6 sts once.
[/I][/INDENT]

#2

Pay attention to where it says shoulder edge and neck edge. The neck edges are in the middle of the piece, the shoulder edges at the outside edge.

It’s not telling you to work the front neck shaping the same way as the Back neck shaping, the Back neck is higher and is only worked across 4 rows or so. The front neck begins lower, then when you [U][I]reach the same length[/I][/U] as the back when you began the [I]shoulder[/I] shaping, you follow the shoulder shaping instructions. And that is just this part - [I]bind off at shoulder edge 6 sts once, then 6 sts once.[/I]

#3

I’m still having a problem with the “bind off 3 sts at neck edge.” I have 18 sts on my needle, but when I bind off 3 at the end, 4 stitches are gone, because it’s the end, so the final stitch, I cut the yarn and pull through, no?

#4

No. Don’t bind off at the end, BO at the beginning.