Knitting Help Needed!

Cafe Society
1

HELP! I’m working on the Great American Aran Afghan and I’ve hit a wall. I don’t understand what I’m supposed to do and I can’t wrap my mind around how this will work.

For those of you who have done this project, I’m on the Betty Salpekar square. I’m working the inner square now and I’ve come to the following: (This row is on the wrong side of the work)

P next 2 sts onto a DPN and hold to RS of work. With RH needle, k into front and back of next 2 sts on LH needle, p next 2 sts onto a 2nd dpn. Bring to RS of work.

So far, so good. Then I get to this part: Using separate 10" strand of yarn, graft sts on dpns tog using St st graft.

That’s where I’m befuddled. Do I graft the purl stitches together? If so, how do I get them on the live needle? Or do I graft the purl stitches together onto the live needle? It’s the “together” part that’s throwing me off. Does that mean to each other or onto the live needles?

I have to say, I think this pattern is unnecessarily complicated. It adds a layer of difficulty to cables that is unwarranted.

2

Is this the square you’re talking about?

It looks as if this maneuver is supposed to create the corners of the Celtic knot. You wouldn’t get them back onto your working needles, instead you’d butt them together and join them with Kitchener stitch like closing a sock toe, to form a raised “ribbon” of stockinette on the front. The “knit into front and back of next 2 stitches” would give you 4 stitches to compensate for the ones you graft together.

3

I agree with Azeotrope.

4

Yes, that’s it. It took me about three tries, including tinking back one extra row, but I think I got it.

Again, this is unnecessarily complicated. Now, off to Google again how to do an invisible cast on.