Stuck, again

How-to Questions
1

sigh

I hate when a pattern seems so simple, then it asks for something that I just can’t envision in my head.

I’m trying to make these mittens.

[COLOR=“Navy”]Cast on 34 sts.

Ribbing K2, P2, across. Continue ribbing for 20 rows. Last Row Inc to 38 sts, 4sts evenly spaced. (Inc to 38 sts.)

Change to larger needle Work st st for 6 rows.

[B]Place marker between middle two stitches. (18 & 19th st) add two stitches, place another marker, Work in st st increasing 2 sts every other Row between marks until you have 14 stitches. Put these 14 on a holder for working thumb later.

Continue working st st adding 2 stitch under thumb once.
Work in st st until total lengthen mitten is 8.5 inches. (Or up to top of pinky finger) [/B][/COLOR]

So, I’m finished up until the bolded part and then I’m lost. It’s asking me to add two stitches to the row already knit??? Or does it mean to knit the next row (er, purl? If I continue st st, my next row should be a purl row) and add two stitches in the middle, using the markers as a guide? If that’s the case, where am I putting the 2nd marker… between the middle stitches of the next row?

I’m so confused LOL

2

Yyou could do this on the next knit row - k 18, but the last stitch would be kfb with a marker between the 2 sts, then kfb the next st with a marker between the 2. A little convoluted but it would work. Then continue in stockinette, increasing 2 more sts between markers every other row until there’s 14 sts between them. Put them on a holder, then this part - [COLOR=Navy][B] Continue working st st adding 2 stitch under thumb once.[COLOR=Black] - [/COLOR][/B][COLOR=Black]means to pick up a st on either side of the 14 sts to add to the hand of the mitten so there’s no gaps between the thumb and the hand.
[/COLOR][/COLOR]

3

you are making increases for the thumb

you have a rectangle --in the middle (well not the perfect middle, but close to middle) you are going to increase… a V

|vuvuvuvuvuvu|–straight edge ribbing will become:

|vvvvvv\vv/vvvvvv|–the [COLOR=“red”][/COLOR] and [COLOR=“red”]/[/COLOR] are the markers

(and the markers are Idiot points–[I](hey idiot–do something here!)[/I]–i use them all the time, cause i am an idiot too!)

so ever right side row, you come to a marker [I](hey idiot, do something) [/I]and you increase(after the marker)

then you knit some more and come to another marker, and you increase again (before the marker)

on the purl (wrong side) you do nothing!

after a few row, when you are mid row, fold the knitting in half…

and you’lll have
|vvvvvvvv/vvvv
|vvvvvvvv/vvv
|vvvvvvvv/vv
|vvvvvvvv/v

a wedge (in the middle of the row)!
this is for the thumb…

(you hand is wider at the base of the thumb than it is at the wrist…this wedge (increases) makes the mitten bigger…

(and after you’ve finished the wedge, you’ll set it (the stitches between the markers) aside–you’ll put them on a stitch holder.

|vvvvvvvvvv|
|vvvvvvvvvv/[COLOR=“Red”]vvvvvv[/COLOR] those red stitches will be put onto a stitch holder…

[B]and[/B] you’ll cast on 2 or 4 (or some number) to fill the gap between the front and back.

(remember those first 2 stitches between the markers, back in row 1 of increases? they are now on the stitch holder!–you will have to cast on some stitches to make up for them!) and a bit more… (because your hand is wider above thumb than it is at the wrist… even with out the thumb!

If you put the thumb stitches on thread (and not on a stiff stitch holder,) you can knit to half way point, fold knitting and poke your thumb out of the thumb hole (and it will make sense, even with the side (pinky finger side) seam open.

It is hard to envision… I hope i have helped!

4

Thank you both so much! It totally makes sense now :slight_smile: I just couldn’t for the life of me see it in my head, kwim? Now I’m happily increasing away… hopefully it’ll make a mitten in the end LOL