Shawl Troubles

#1

Hi everyone,

I just learned how to knit about a month ago, and I am starting my very first “big project”. My husband bought me a ball of yarn with a pattern for a shawl that I picked out, and is actually pretty easy. I got about 60 rows in until I realized I might be doing something wrong.

The pattern is supposed to be 70 stitches, and after the 6th row goes like this: P3, yo, P2tog; rep from * to last 3 sts, P3.

I have no problems with the techniques, like the yarn over and the P2tog. However, I got to the 60th row and realized I have half the stitches I started with. My husband says it’s because I purled those together, but it was more of a gradual thing (it took about 13 rows to gradually go from 70 sts to 35).

I know this is a long question, but I’m really hoping I can fix this because the shawl is supposed to look like a loose blanket, and this is definitely not what I had. Any suggestions?

#2

A YO, p2tog isn’t a decrease, it will just create an eyelet. You must be putting in too many p2tog somewhere. What is the name of the pattern and do you have a link to it?

#3

It’s called sparkle shawl, and I got it off the back of the yarn wrapper. It’s from Hobby Lobby’s I Love This Yarn. I tried to find a link, but to no avail. I watched a bunch of videos for yarn over, and thought I was doing it right at first, because it was indeed just making another loop. I watched one for a p2tog with a yo also. I ended up unravelling because I dropped stitches anyway and it ended up with holes.

#4

If you’ve made sure that you’re doing the yo correctly so that you have a loop over the needle every time, then it may just be random mistakes. It might help to put in markers every 10 sts or so. When you do the p2tog, yo row, count the sts between markers to make sure you end up with the same number you started out with, neither gaining or losing. Markers can be as simple as a loop of scrap yarn or a paper clip.

#5

I may not have done it correctly, but I must have started it the right way and did it wrong the next morning. sigh I’m in the process of re-starting, so I’ll watch some more vids and hopefully get it right this time. :slight_smile:

#6

The YO is supposed to make holes, that’s what gives it the eyelets. Wrap the yarn for the YO the same way around the needle you do for a purl stitch, they’re the same motion, the only difference is that for the yo the R needle isn’t inserted into a stitch on the L needle. If you looked at knit YOs you might be confused, but they’re the same - with the yarn in front from the p2tog, take it over and around the needle between the needles to the front so you can do the next p2tog. It probably had you increase sts at the beg and end of the rows too, that makes the shawl increase, and maybe there’s some in the center too. If you can post a couple rows of the pattern maybe we can spot where you’re going wrong.

#7

I watched a few more videos and I think I have been doing my yarn over wrong, by using it with the knitting side instead. Thanks so much for the help! I was so frustrated and was beginning to think I had no creative bone in my body! :muah: