As per my previous post for my wife who has started this Judy Lamb piano scarf at least 7 times and doesn’t seem to match the pattern.
She does English style knitting.
She needs some written instructions how to do rows 1 to 36. She has watched the video a dozen times but is still having problems.
Thanks for any suggestions. I have emailed the lady who did the pattern but no reply yet.
Cheers,
Jim
Double knitting isn’t easy so the problem is understandable.
I wonder if it would be better to work a simpler test pattern in double knitting first just to understand the technique. There’s a nice one here on KnittingHelp.
Alternatively, work a small swatch with several piano keys. The important points are nicely mentioned in the initial note to the pattern. Both color yarns move front or back together: to the back to knit or to the front to purl.
One thing to mention is that this can be worked another way. Rather than working knits and purls at the same time with two colors, the pattern can be worked in two passes. For the knit sts, knit one stitch with one color then slip the next stitch. At the end of row, leave color one, go back to the beginning of the row and slip the knit sts, purl the previously slipped sts with color 2.
There’s also this one which isn’t double knitting and yet is quite effective.
Hello Jim
Do you or your wife have experience of reading knitting charts? Reading row 1 (bottom of the chart) from right to left, reading row 2 from left to right but also remembering that a chart shows one side (the front) of the knitting. The back side of this scarf will not look the same, it will look the opposite to the piano keys, black in place of white and white in place of black.
The written instructions do follow what is shown on the chart for the front of the scarf, these are the odd numbered rows. The even numbered row instructions are for how to work the back of the scarf so that the front results in the stitches shown on the chart.
Are the first 14 rows, which are written out in full, working out correctly or are there problems within these first 14 rows?
If there are problems with the first 14 rows maybe post a pic so we can check out what’s happening on the knitting. Or perhaps try the lovely scarf pattern knit flat that salmonmac posted (which in my opinion looks even nicer, personal preference).
If there are no problems with the first 14 rows as written you and your wife can write out the rest of the rows from the chart. Some people do prefer written instructions. The pattern rows repeat so just find one that looks the same within the first 14 and refer back to it in each row instruction.
Eg row 15 work as row 5
Row 16 work as row 6
Row 17 work as row 5
Row 18 work as row 6
Rows 19, 20, 21 work as rows 1, 2, 3
For each row you want to write out make sure to look for an odd row that looks the same for odd numbers and even rows that look the same for even numbers, this way you can create a fully written chart up to row 42. Then the whole lot is repeated.
I hope this helps.