Truly confusing pattern? or is it just me?
Jillian over at Sknitty posted a link to Lana Grossa’s monthly free pattern. Early last year when I was beginning to get my knit on, I decided I would attempt to knit a simple sweater. Remember Marissa? Well, I didn’t get very far with it before I felt bored with it and frustrated that I’d have to seam it up. My plan had been to rip it out and re-write the pattern to be done in the round as I try to avoid purling as much as I can since I end up doing it so loosely no matter how much I try not to.
Well the wool I’d bought for Marissa was Lana Grossa Point Print. The wool called for by the Marissa pattern was no longer available, hence the substitution. On the Lana Grossa web site I found a pattern that I like the looks of that requires Point Print! It’s a summery top too so with my slow knitting, I might actually make something in time for the right season to use it! But again, the pattern is written to be knit flat, which isn’t such a big deal since it’s not got sleeves, but I’d like to work it in the round if I could. However, I don’t know if I could work it in the flat because of my ineptitude with reading patterns and how confusing I find this one.
Once you cast-on (and let’s just forget for a moment my plan of re-writing it to be worked in the round) it says the following:
Cont as foll: edge st, K3 (6) * P5, K5, rep once from *, P5, 36 sts center motif * P5, K5, rep once from *, P5, K3 (6), edge st. When work measures 30 (32) cm or 11 7/8 (12 ½)” bind off for armholes 5 (8) sts at each end once, then work over the first and last 9 sts as foll: right edge: edge st, * P1, K1, rep 3 times from *. Left edge: * K1, P1, rep 3 times from *, edge st.
There are other sections in the pattern that say ‘Basic patt’ and ‘Center motif’, but what is this ‘edge st’ it keeps referring too? Is the K3 (6) the edge stitch? Or is there a separate edge st and then the K3 (6) follows it? I don’t think it’s really clear since on either side of the row it says ‘K3 (6), edge st’ - it makes it sound like there is a separate pattern for that edge st. Am I really this dumb when it comes to reading patterns? Do I over complicate something that isn’t that complicated?
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Comments
Ahhh edge stitches. The first time I came upon them I was flummoxed too. After flipping through a few reference books and the internets, I was astonished to find relatively few references to them. But, thankfully, they are easy as pie! Edge stitches, also called selvages, are alternate ways of handling the one (or two) stitches at the beginning and end of every row in order to either make free-standing edges look neater (tidier) or to make seaming a bit easier and tidier. These take many forms, and the best reference I have found so far is in my Vogue portable knitting guide (the small version of the bog book). It’s listed under selvages. The real kicker, though, is that you don’t need edge stitches when knitting in the round! They aren’t necessary. When I convert a pattern into the round I simply take them out of the equation and adjust (reduce) my cast on accordingly! Good luck!
Posted by: jillian | January 8th, 2007 17:34
Hmm, doesn’t look like my threaded comments are working with this new wordpress skin… I know some people don’t like the blogger leaving comments in their own blog, but I figure it’s a conversation and others can learn from it.
Thanks once again for shedding light on edge stitches. I obviously hadn’t got as far as actually looking up anything in my books or on the internets… I think I need to learn to keep my trap shut until I do a bit of snooping on my own, but it’s great to know there’s someone out there willing to pipe up and let me know what’s going on. Hurray for casting on less stitches!
Posted by: Shannon | January 8th, 2007 17:56
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Posted by: Shannon | January 8th, 2007 19:30