Hi all,
I am just starting a new pattern and reading thru the instructions I get to the neck shaping and it has a decrease I just can’t think how to do.
The pattern is same for both RS and WS:
K1, *yrn, P2tog; rep from * to last st, K1
The shaping says “Keeping patt correct, dec 1st at neck edge on next 5 rows…”
How can I decrease a stitch at the edge when the first stitch is a K and the second is a yrn? The general abbreviations tell me that a decrease is working 2 stitches together. If I K1 as the first stitch, do I leave out the yrn as a decrease? Or do I K1, yrn and then P3tog? Or am I completely off track? I’m puzzled.
All whizz knitters please help, pins are at the ready but won’t start until I’m sure of my pattern directions. As Ingrid always says “trust the pattern” and she is always right, then the pattern must be achievable. Can’t do it without the good folk of Knitting Help!
Thank Sue,
I think you’ve got the P2tog down as K2tog - but I understand that the yo makes a stitch and the P2tog eliminates it again.
So if the line starts and ends with K1 as the edge stitch, my pattern repeat is yo, P2tog
Are you saying that it should be:
K1, K1, yrn, P2tog rep to last stitch K1
Yes, just as Suzeeq says, skip the yrn or yo and let that be your decrease on that row
Then the first decrease row is k1, p2tog,*yrn, P2tog; rep from * to last st, K1. On the return row, pattern to the last 2 sts, p2tog (or pass the last st over the next to last on the left needle and transfer to the right needle) and turn. These 2 rows repeat until you have 5 decreases. It is a tricky decrease to think about but a lovely pattern.
Yahoooooo!
This makes sense to me. Goodbye yrn, it’s so funny how I just couldnt’ see it - but when you wrote it out, it jumped off the page - the dropped yrn is the decrease stitch, the P2tog is just a continuation of the pattern rather than the ‘answer’ to the yrn. Thanks for that. The return line was also a necessary I wasnt’ thinking ahead to so again, thank you for working it all through.
Off to pick up the pins with a big smile on my face.
Thanks to you and Sue too!
Salmonmac, good going. I was looking at this and trying to figure it out, but I missed a very important directive-- that you were supposed to decrease at the neck edge coming and going. I was trying to figure it out with the decrease only at the beginning of the rows and hadn’t gotten it figured out yet (and was refreshing the page regularly to see if others had it figured out )
You got it. I wondered if it would be better on the return rows to K2tog at the end since the row usually ended with a knit stitch, but it is better the way you said.
An interesting stitch. Simple but turns out neat. Good for those who like to purl.
MerigoldinWA, you’re right about ending the return row with a k2tog since that would be in pattern. I actually do the pass last st over next to last on the left needle which gives a nice edge to the knitting. I’d love to see this sweater when it’s finished.
Hi Ladies, just checking on any final comments and appreciate the latest input.
I have to laugh at Salmonmac’s wish to see this sweater when it’s finished. So would I - I’ll try to oblige, but as the slowest knitter in the Northern Hemisphere you will be drawing your pension (as will I) by the time it’s sewn up - just so you know. I’ve only just mailed off the baby outfit i started in early November in anticipation of a family addition due in late December - thought I was well off the mark. Honestly, if the baby had got it before entering college I think I was doing well.
All that said, if I get a finished result before I’m too old to wear it, I’ll post a pic for you.
Thanks to all who helped with this. Happy knitting!
I thought that too but actually the p2tog is decreasing 1 st and the missing yo is just not balancing it out: usually as you’re knitting, the yo temporarily increases the st number +1 (for example, from 10 to 11) and the p2tog brings you back to 10 sts. At the point where you skip the yo you’re still at 10 sts and the p2tog brings you to 9.
Okay, maybe that would work. I forgot about trying it out, and our computer connection was down most of the day so I couldn’t go back and find this thread to remember the sts anyway.
I was looking at this and trying to figure it out, but I missed a very important directive-- that you were supposed to decrease at the neck edge coming and going. I was trying to figure it out with the decrease only at the beginning of the rows and hadn’t gotten it figured out yet (and was refreshing the page regularly to see if others had it figured out 
)