Yfwd instruction confusing me

#1

Pattern is Dogosaurus Rex by Paton’s. It’s a Canadian pattern. It’s basically a dog sweater with a spike edging like a Stegosaurus along the top back.

In the instructions, they say Yfwd = American YO.

However, I searched the archives here and found Yfwd (in this context) meaning to K1, YO without dropping st, K into 1st stitch, giving you 3 for 1.

The pattern says: K1, yfwd, K2. 4 sts.
2nd row knit
3rd row K1, yfwd, K3. 5 sts. (and continues like this until you have a big triangle and you cast off).

So I don’t think the 3 in 1 thing is right, because then you don’t have the right # of sts. BUT, what I am making is some triangular “spikes” for the stegosaurus spikes on the dog’s back, and so why would they have holes in them? The pattern photo isn’t that great but I don’t think a plain YO making a hole is right either. :??

Help? :eyes:

#2

The pattern says:
1st row K1, yfwd, K2. 4 sts.
2nd row knit
3rd row K1, yfwd, K3. 5 sts.

Then to me this is:
1st row K1, YO, K2
2nd row knit
3rd row K1, YO, K3

Have you read further along in the pattern? Are the YO holes later used to pick up stitches and add the spines down the back?

#3

It sounds like you’re supposed to do a regular yo for an increase. But if you don’t want a hole, you could work a k1, m1, etc., or kfb, etc.

#4

Hmm… I’ve never seen yrnfwd defined as anything other than “yarn forward” or the equivalent of a yo (see also the Glossary tab at the top of this page). If you don’t think there should be holes (and what dogosaurus wants holes in his plates?), you can knit the yo’s through the back loop on the next row. Or you could just substiture another increase of your choice.

#5

Yfwd (in this context) meaning to K1, YO without dropping st, K into 1st stitch, giving you 3 for 1.

That may have been for a particular pattern, but not this one Yfwd IS just a yo that’s between 2 knit sts. Whenever you see yfw, yrn, yon they’re all just a way of doing a yo between different stitches.

#6

So Ingrid’s default advice - “Trust the Pattern” - worked out here. :thumbsup:

Since the spikes are small I figured I’d just try with the YO and see what they looked like with holes. Once I’d made 2 (they are joined together), I realized the holes are on the bottom edge. I think you are just supposed to sew them to the costume using the YO hole.

Part of the thing that was throwing me off is that the pattern has definitions for 2 things that both equal YO (American style). If they are both the same thing then why are there 2 different abbreviations for it? They were Yfwd and Yrn. (I didn’t see any Yrns in my pattern, but the booklet has 8 patterns.)

Anyway thanks for everyone’s advice, I hope that when I sew the spikes on, they look ok! I will post some pics in the Whatcha Knittin forum when it’s finished!

#7

Suzee, this is the thread that had me confused.

Yfwd Thread

And it’s a good thing it wasn’t that, because I tried a few times and could NOT figure out how to do that stitch! :teehee:

#8

Yes, that definition was very specific to her pattern, and not for a yfwd in general. It read “Cast on 1 st. 1st row: (RS). (K1.yfwd.K1) all in st.3 sts.” In this pattern, there were 2 knit sts with a yo between them to make 3 sts out of 1. The pattern may also have been written ‘k1, yo, k1 all in the same stitch’ to make 3 sts from 1.

So a yfwd is a yo done between 2 knit sts - k1, bring the yarn to the front and when you knit the next stitch, it makes the yo. But that gets confusing as a yo doesn’t include an extra knit st, just what’s in the pattern, it’s just wrapping the yarn like you do for a knit stitch. Yrn is used when it’s a YO between purl sts - yarn all the way around the needle, or when going from a knit to a purl where you bring the yarn all the way around the needle then to the front for the purl. There’s also yon which is done from a purl to a knit where you just lay the yarn loosely over the top of the needle.

These are british terms which describe how to move the yarn between different sts, while US terms just use the result - yo.

#9

I think YO is much simpler than having all those distinctions!

And I didn’t notice the “all in st.” part of the other pattern.

What would I do without you guys?

Answer: Knit a lot of garter stitch scarves.