This neckline has left me hanging!

#1

Hi All,

Thanks in advance for reading this post.

I’m an on-again, off-again knitter. Well, it’s on again! Was really enjoying working on Berroco “Donna” sweater, (link to instructions below). I completed the entire back, no problem, front, no problem up until the decreases for the neckband. That’s when the confusion began. According to the instructions, I should have 64 stitches at the point where I’m at now, but I’ve got 82!

Can someone possibly tell me where I went off? Here are the instructions, with my comments below. I’m making the largest size, so the number of stitches on the far right within the parentheses are what applies to my project.

  1. Shape Neck: Work 40(42-46-51) sts, join another ball of yarn and bind off center 16(18-18-18) sts, decreasing 4 sts across top of center cable, work to end.

[COLOR=“Blue”]- starting w/120 stitches, binding off 18, I now have 102 (which agrees w/pattern, which has me working 51 before I start binding off. Assuming 51 on each side = 102[/COLOR]

  1. Working both sides at once, bind off 4 sts at each neck edge twice

[COLOR=“blue”]- starting w/102 stitches, 4 stitches at each neck edge = 8, twice = 16, so I now have 102 -16 = 86 stitches[/COLOR]

  1. then dec 1 st each neck edge every RS row twice – 32 sts each side.

[COLOR=“blue”]- starting w/86 stitches, 1 dec times 2 neck edges two times = 4 stitch decrease, leaving 82 stitches, which is 41 stitches per side, not 32!!! :wall: [/COLOR]

  1. AT THE SAME TIME, when armholes measure 8(8-1/2-9-9-1/2)", end on WS. Decreasing 4 sts across each full cable, shape shoulders same as for back.

[COLOR=“blue”]pattern continues[/COLOR]

As I said, I’m so confused. I’d hate to rip this whole thing out, because, (for a change) I actually like it!

Have a great day, all.

http://www.berroco.com/185/185_donna.html

#2

Here’s my guess: You’re right, you end up with 41 sts on each side, instead of 32. But look at the photo-- the front neck shaping looks as if it begins a lot lower than the 8" above the armhole, which is what they tell you. So I have a feeling you should start the neck shaping earlier, which would give you more room to keep decreasing so that you would get rid of those 9 extra sts.
This is what I would do. They give a vertical gauge of 5 rows per inch. You have to decrease 9 more sts and you only do that on the right side rows, so you will need 18 rows to do that. That comes to almost 4 inches. They tell you to start the neck shaping at 8" above the arm hole and give you 1.5" to finish the front. So I would rip back so that you start the neck 4" above the arm hole (4" + 1.5" = 5.5", and 9.5" - 5.5" = 4") and begin the shaping there. Do everything they say, except where they tell you to dec 1 st at each neck edge twice, instead, do it 11 times. Looking at the number of sts they have you pick up for the neck band, that is, 32 sts across the back neck and 52 sts around the front neck, this makes sense-- that is, to need to pick up many more sts for the front neck, because it should be deeper than they’ve written in the original, and that matches up to the photo, a well.

#3

Work same as for back until armholes measure 6-1/2(7-7-1/2-8)", end on WS.
Shape Neck: Work 40(42-46-51) sts, join another ball of yarn and bind off center 16(18-18-18) sts, decreasing 4 sts across top of center cable, work to end. Working both sides at once, bind off 4 sts at each neck edge twice, then dec 1 st each neck edge every RS row twice – 32 sts each side. AT THE SAME TIME, when armholes measure 8(8-1/2-9-9-1/2)", end on WS. Decreasing 4 sts across each full cable, shape shoulders same as for back.

I wonder if that 32 sts each side is a mistake. 32 is the only number it gives for all sizes and there is no way you could end up with 32 on all the different sizes because everyone starts with a different number of stitches at that point (96, 102, 110, 120) and they all do the same bind offs/decreases.

I think you should ignore the 32 and just work on from there with the 41 that you will have at that point.

I don’t think the neck shaping starts 4 inches sooner than they say. It is not a very deep cut neck and it is pretty high up.

#4

Hmmm, I don’t think so-- look at the neck band-- that’s supposed to be 3". Now look at the relative distance from the bottom of the front neck band up to the shoulder seam. I think that’s more than the height of the neckband, so more than 3". As given in the directions, that would only be 1.5". Also, that when you pick up the sts of the neck for the neckband, you only pick up 32 from the back, but 52 for the front. That to me indicates a much deeper front neck than 1.5", which would not be much different from the back neck.

#5

P.S. The numbers on the schematic are impossible to read, no matter how much I enlarge or reduce them. But the front neck does look like is scoops much lower than the back, and the height from the beginning of the top of the back bindoffs to the top of the back neck does say 1". But it seems you SHOULD have 41 sts for each shoulder on the front: on the back, you bind off the remaining 38 sts for the neck. That means you have decreased 82 from the original 120, and so 41 for each back shoulder. The front should match that. But that still leaves the mystery of the deeper scoop and the 52 picked up front neck sts. . .

#6

Maybe this’ll help. I’m thinking you should end up with same number of stitches in each shoulder for the front that you had for the back. I don’t totally get how the cable works, but the pattern does say to “Shape shoulders same as for back.” To me that implies that when my neck shaping and armhole are done, I should have the same number of stitches in the front as I had when I started the shoulder shaping in the back. Does that get you unstuck at all?
Alternatively, if you started the shoulder shaping for the front from where you are now, would you end up with the same number of stitches left in your back shoulders? since the two have to match up when you seam them, can you get there from your 41 stitches?
And I agree with your pattern read, which does leave you with 41 sts… and means I cannot come up with a way to interpret that reference to 32 sts for your size, although if I do the math fore the size with 42 sts (the first set inside the ()'s …) that would yield 32 sts. maybe that’s the answer … a misprint just like suggested by a previous replyer. :slight_smile:

But look at your shoulder result and see if it you think you’ll end up with the front and back matching. :wink: that should confirm it for you.

#7

RacerKatie made a good point about the shoulders. Yes, they are going to need to end up with the same number of stitches as the back so that should be a help. :thumbsup: Good going RacerKatie.