I’m doing this baby blanket (http://marthastewart.lionbrand.com/patterns/L10157.html) that is garter stitch for many rows, then the pattern in stockinette stitch for 16 rows, garter stitch for many rows, pattern, etc. I made a big mistake and had to rip out several garter stitch rows (and didn’t count) and add a few stitches. I’m now ready to begin the pattern stitch again but can’t remember how to figure out the right side.
Is the right side the side that faces me when I’m holding the knitting? Say I am in the knitting position, needle with stitches in left hand. The pattern side is facing me. Is that the right side and where I should start the pattern row?
To clarify - whenever a pattern refers to a right side, they’re talking about the side of the knitting that is meant to be seen. So when you knit stockinette, the side with the knits is the right side, and the purl side is the wrong side.
When you are about to start a row, just look at which side of the pattern is facing you. If the right side is facing you, you are about to start knitting a right side row.
Yeah, but she’s asking (basically) what the RS of garter stitch is. Normally, there is no such thing, since garter stitch is identical front and back. It only really matters if you started out with a special cast-on that “should” face the RS. Barring that, I think what I would do is try to figure out if my garter stitch is even (i.e., if the individual stitch rows are divisible by 2), and make them even if they’re not before starting the patternwork.
Now that I re-read the OP, what I would actually do is count rows, remembering that a garter stitch “row” is actually two rows of stitches (which is why I nattered on about making sure I had an even number up above). Sixteen (32) rows isn’t a horrible counting job (ask me about casting on for the entrelac bedspread sometime…), so I’d just count and make sure I had 16 if I didn’t.
After you cast on, you usually have a little “tail” of yarn hanging down that’s left over. If the tail of yarn is in the lower, right hand corner, you are generally looking at the right side of your work on a square or rectangular project.
Oh, good point! I almost universally use a long-tail cast on, so that’s what I was thinking of. Plus, looking at her pattern, it’s knit diagonally so it’s a moot point anyway.
Rereading the pattern reveals that you should start knitting the lace panel when you have 23 sts of garter. Counting sts is always easier than counting rows.
I figured it out. The issue was I ripped out rows without counting so it wouldn’t necessarily be correct to count 23 rows then do the pattern. I blithely ripped until I was past the mistake. The afghan is forgiving enough (thank God it’s done on the diagonal) that my miscounting was not noticeable.
Looking at the pattern, there’s an increase on every row until row 5 of lace panel B and a single decrease on every row after that.
So, if you have an even number of stitches at the beginning of the row, that’s the wrong side. If you have an odd number of stitches, that’s the right side.
