Stitches aren't adding up!

How-to Questions
1

Hi All

I have another pattern question! I am knitting a rectangular shawl, with a diamond pattern and the 5th row of the pattern is really messing me up!

FYI: the CO was 49 stitches.
5th row: K2tog. *yfwd. K5. yfwd. Sl1. K2tog. psso. Rep from * to last 2 sts. Sl1. K1. psso.

Please tell me if these assumptions are correct:
yfwd is the same as yo, results in an increase
Sl1. K1. psso. decreases from 2 sts down to 1
Sl1. K2tog. psso. decreases from 3 sts down to 1

In the previous rows I have always ended up with 49 stitches, which I assume is correct, since we are making a rectangle. However, according to my calculations this 5th row of the pattern results is something other than 49 - the bit between asterisks adds up to 8, but then we have the 1 stitch before the asterisk and the 1 after.

Does any of this make sense??? I don’t usually overthink the patterns this much, but I kept stumbling on row 5, so I broke out the pencil and paper and tried to figure out what I’m doing wrong.

Please let me know if any more info is needed,
Laura

2

I usually break out the pen and the paper for the tricky rows, too.

Okay. I’d like to type up what I wrote out, but it might be more confusing.

I got it to 49 stitches, but the *repeat doesn’t work out perfectly. It’s everything except the last sl1, k2tog, psso, because that is replaced with sl1, k1, psso.

Actually, here, this might help:

(k2), yo, k, k, k, k, k, yo, (sl, k2tog, psso), yo, k, k, k, k, k, yo, (sl, k2tog, psso), yo, k, k, k, k, k, yo, (sl, k2tog, psso), yo, k, k, k, k, k, yo, (sl, k2tog, psso), yo, k, k, k, k, k, yo, (sl, k2tog, psso), yo, k, k, k, k, k, yo, (sl, k1, psso)

Everything within the ()'s winds up as 1 stitch on the right needle. That equals 49, unless I can’t count. Which is possible.

3

I was thinking that must be it, too…unless the previous row has more sts, which you said it did not, I agree with cawthraven.

4

You can count! Thank you ladies - I thought I was losing it!!

So, is the pattern wrong? Or did I just misinterpret it? Perhaps a better way for it to be written would be:

K2tog. *yfwd. K5. yfwd. Sl1. K2tog. psso. Rep from * to last 7 sts. yfwd. K5. yfwd. Sl1. K1. psso.

It’s a little more explicit. When I see repeats between *s, I assume I will need to complete each repeat.

Thanks again. What a great community/forum, and speedy too,
Laura