Shoulder shaping?

#1

Am I just having a mental block? I’m knitting away at the asymmetrical cable pullover (http://www.straw.com/cpy/patterns/merinofrappe-cable.html), working on the front. I have the center neck stitches on holder, I’m working the right side, and then I come to shoulder shaping. Shoulder shaping? I’ve already decreased for armhole, the neck stitches are on a holder. What is shoulder shaping?

For the life of me, I just can’t visualize what this will do, and of course, there is no schematic of the pattern on the site.

Here’s what the pattern says:
[i]Back
Cast on 80 (90, 100) stitches. Work in stockinette until back measures 11 (12, 13) inches.

Armhole shaping:
R1: K2, K3tog, K to last 5 stitches, K3tog through back loop, K2
R2: P
R3: same as R1
R4: same as R2
R5: K2, K2tog, K to last 4 stitches, K2 through back loop, K2
R6: P
Repeat R5 and R6 3 more times.

Continue on these 72 (82, 92) stitches until body measures
18 ½ (19 ½, 21) inches and begin shoulder shaping.

Shoulder shaping: bind off 7 stitches at the beginning of 4 rows, then 8 stitches at the beginning of 2 rows.
Back Neck: Place remaining 28 stitches on a holder.

Front
Cast on 86 (98, 110) stitches. Set up for cable:
K50 (55, 60) – Cable:P1, K1, P1 repeat 13 times – K22 (29, 34)
Continue working in this manner keeping the cable as described above. Also, work armhole and shoulder shaping same as for back.
Front Neck: When front measures 16 ( 17, 18) inches place center 14 stitches on holder. Work both sides of neck separately, bind off 2 stitches twice, then 1 stitch every 2 rows 5 times.
Sleeves
Cast on 36 ( 42, 48) stitches. Increase 1 stitch both sides every 8 rows 7 (8, 9) times until sleeve measures 15 (16, 17) inches.
Cap shaping:
K2, K2tog, K to last 5 stitches, K2tog trough back loop, K2
Repeat these 2 rows 13 (15, 17) times. Bind off remaining stitches.
[/i]

Can you offer some advice?

Rebecca

#2

Shoulder shaping gives a slight slant to the top of the shoulder edge by having you bind off in steps.

#3

Okay. I hadn’t run across a pattern before that has that.

Could the numbers called for be correct, though? On the front, I have the middle stitches on a holder for the neck, and after following the pattern, I have 25 stitches on my needle (for the right side…I’ll do the left next). The pattern tells me to bind of 7 stitches on the beginning of four rows, and 8 stitches on two rows. That’s a total of 44 stitches…I don’t have that many!

I think the shoulder shaping was written for the back. When I do the back, I will have 82 stitches on my needle when I get to the shoulder shaping partm and after I follow those directions, I will have 38 stitches. The pattern says to put the 28 remaining stitches on a holder for the neck. If I were knitting the small size, that is what I would have, but the medium is ten stitches larger, leaving me with the correct 38. So, except for the size error, the shoulder shaping seems correct in the back, but it can’t be for the front.

How do I correct the pattern on the front to make it match up with the back?

I have an email in to the designer, but I haven’t heard back from her yet. I also googled the pattern, but I can’t find any mention of mistakes, or even of anyone else who has knit this.

I WANT to trust the pattern, but the math won’t let me!

Rebecca

#4

I think that for the front shoulders you should do half of the bind off rows–only on the beginning of the rows that start on the outside edge.

So bind off 7 on the first row, work one row straight, bind off 7 on the next row, work one row straight, bind off 8 on the next row, work one row straight, bind off 8 on the last row.

That adds up to 30, though. As long as you do both shoulders the same, and the front the same as the back, you should be ok. You could do 7, 7, 6 and 5.

#5

Thank you so much, Ingrid!

My 10-year-old knew I was having trouble with the pattern and that I was typing a request for help. “Ingrid will know,” he said. Yep!

Thank you.

Rebecca

#6

:blush: I’m famous! :happydance: