Hi! I’m working on the Keyhole Tank from knit.1 magazine
I’m currently shaping the armhole, but soon it will be time to shape the neck and make the front. Something about the directions confuses me. It seems like it should be obvious, but I can’t seem to wrap my head around it. :?? Maybe I’m just intimidated by it because it’s in all caps!
Shape the soulder & neck:
Bind off 6 sts at beg of next 4 rows, then 5 sts at beg of next 2 rows, AT THE SAME TIME, bind off center 15 sts and working both sides at once, bind off 3 sts from each neck edge twice.
Then later, it says
Make the front:
…Shape armhole same as for back, AT THE SAME TIME, when piece measures 14" from beg, end with a WS row.
Can you help me (in the most basic terms possible) decipher this “At the same time” business? At the same time as what? What do I do?
they want you to work across, even thought there is a gap where you bound off for the neck, so that you’re not just working on one shoulder at a time. The pattern I just finished has you starting a new ball of yarn for one of the shoulders. Does that make sense?
`At the same time’ in patterns means you’ll be doing shaping for both the armholes and neckline on the same row. Doing BOs or decs at both the beginning and at the end of a row (or when you split for a neck, at the arm and neck edges).
seezeq, I must admit I understand your explanation a little better but I need to ensure I understand.
In this from AnotherBecca
Shape the soulder & neck:
Bind off 6 sts at beg of next 4 rows, then 5 sts at beg of next 2 rows, AT THE SAME TIME, bind off center 15 sts and working both sides at once, bind off 3 sts from each neck edge twice.
I understand you are doing something one end that you will do at the other. That I now understand but in looking at the above pattern instruction I am lost. I guess I may better ‘know’ if I was doing it but…let’s say on that first bind off… I bind off 6 stitches at the beg and then at the other end… WHEN do I bind off altogether or when are the 15 stitches in play? And…ummm… what does both sides at once mean?
I’m kind of seeing the following which might help someone trying to explain to me:
Bind off 6 at beg of the row…then I’m lost…get to end bind off 6.
Do that 4 times.
Then bind off 5…lost…bind off 3 at neck…then I’m lost… bind off 3 other side of neck …lost…get to end bind off 5.
Do that twice.
suzeeq…sorry for wrong spelling of your name. It’s late here
quiltbugj. I guess I was confused because you said the neck was bound off and yet that’s not how I read those instructions. Oh for the days when grandma showed you these things in person!
Shape the soulder & neck:
Bind off 6 sts at beg of next 4 rows, then 5 sts at beg of next 2 rows, AT THE SAME TIME, bind off center 15 sts and working both sides at once, bind off 3 sts from each neck edge twice.
Here’s how to do the back, and yes, it makes a lot more sense when you get there:
1- BO 6sts at the beg of the row, (drop the yarn, start working with another strand of yarn) BO the center 15 sts (this is for the neck), knit to the end of the row.
2 - BO 6sts at beg, work to the center, drop your yarn, pick up the other end and BO 3 sts, work to the end of the row.
3 - BO 6sts, work to the center, drop yarn, pick up the other yarn, BO 3 sts, work to end of row.
4- BO 6 sts, work to the center, drop yarn, pick up the other yarn, work to end of row.
5- BO 5 sts, work across both sides to the end of the row.
6 - BO 5 sts, work across bothe sides to the end
Probably at this point it tells you to BO all stitches for the shoulder. Or not, depends on how they want you to join the shoulders.
You’re a gem sure explaining away as you are and taking the time. I do presume if I was doing it. it would make better sense but I’ve avoided sweaters and things for years because when I’ve looked at the pattern I’ve not had a clue. See here your explanation showed me I was wrong as I would have thought I had to bind off at the other end also.
I still don’t understand ‘work across both sides’. I feel like I have to be in two places at one. Surely you can only knit or be active from one side…?? bedtime for me but I’m be interested to look tomorrow.
Yes, maybe it will make sense to you in the morning… :teehee:
Take a look at a store bought sweater or top at the back — do you see the two shoulders and the neck in the middle? And that the rows don’t go all the way across from edge to edge? You get that by working on one side, dropping that yarn, attaching another and working across the other side. You have two yarns, one for each side. Or you can finish one shoulder and attach the yarn and work on the other one.
Maybe the word `side’ is confusing you… there’s right side and wrong side, but left side and right side as well. This is doing left and right sides of the back, divided by the neck.
Yes, maybe it will make sense to you in the morning… :teehee:
Take a look at a store bought sweater or top at the back — do you see the two shoulders and the neck in the middle? And that the rows don’t go all the way across from edge to edge? You get that by working on one side, dropping that yarn, attaching another and working across the other side. You have two yarns, one for each side. Or you can finish one shoulder and attach the yarn and work on the other one.
Maybe the word `side’ is confusing you… there’s right side and wrong side, but left side and right side as well. This is doing left and right sides of the back, divided by the neck.
Ahhhh… I admit I never thought left and right sides. I was thinking as per other styles front/back. This is something I would need to ‘polish’ in the doing. I’ll look for you Sue when I have the courage to try an item with this sort of requirement!
Thank you! I decided not to attempt it while sleepy, but today is a new day. I’ve carefully read through everything you’ve written here and I’m going to have a go at it, with these instructions open!
