What the h#@! does this pattern mean?!

#1

Hi all. I’m trying to make this bolero on straw.com (http://www.straw.com/cpy/patterns/trio_bolero.html) This is the screwiest pattern I ever read :? and I can’t get my brain around it! :frowning:

The front panels of this bolero read like this:

Right Front:
With one strand of Trio and Fizz held together, CO 9 (11, 13) sts. Inc 1 st at neck edge every 3rd row 6 (6, 5) times as follows:
RS: k1, k into front and back of next st, k across
WS: p to last 2 sts, p into front and back of next st, p1

At same time, work in garter st (k every row) for 1".

Change to Trio only and begin working in stockinette st.
Work even over 15 (17, 18) sts until piece measures 5½" (6", 6") from beg, ending with RS row completed.

Someone, please tell me what the h#@! they mean! I don’t see where you get that little point at the bustline. I can’t tell which is the neck edge. I don’t know what I’m supposed to work on “at the same time” garter stitch for one inch. I can’t tell if I’m knitting from the top down or the bottom up. From the pictures, it looks like each row of the front panels is some part one yarn and some part two yarns together, not one or the other. It looks like the bottom, the inside edge, and the neck part are 2 yarns together and the rest is one yarn. And the needles they call for are circular AND straight needles, but I don’t see in the pattern where it tells you to use one or the other!

The pattern has been up there for a long time, so I imagine if there was a correction, they would have put it in by now.

I’m working with this scrumptious yarn and it looks like a pattern that gives instant gratification (Red Licorice, one of the Joann Sensations yarns).

I want to do this. I’ll post it on on my blog too, but I’d really like to know in how you read it.

Thanks!

Carie

#2

Hi Carie,

It looks like it’s knit from the bottom up. You knit the orangey part along the bottom edge in Garter stitch, using both yarns. You are knitting this “at the same time” as following the directions for increasing. When you’ve done an inch, you then use only the other yarn, and continue working your way up, increasing along the edge that opens over the belly. There is no orange yarn while you’re doing this now, the orange yarn is later added during the finishing.

Hope that helps!
Amy

#3

An AhHa moment :shock: . So you only knit with both yarns on the bottom (even tho they call it the neck edge! ) in garter stitch even tho they say St st :? , then drop the second yarn even tho they don’t tell you too :x and continue in St st (like they said all along).

I guess the author may be a great knitter but a lousy communicator.

I wonder if I’ll get any other interpretations…I’ve gotten two from other forums and I think they say about the same thing.

Thanks a lot!

Carie

#4

Yes, it’s pretty confusing! I looked for the increases to orient myself, and made sense of it from there. It seems to work when interpreted that way. But it could definitely be written more clearly! LOL.