Translate a knitting pattern for me?

Cafe Society
1

I want to make a scarf for a friend, but I don’t really knit (read: the last time I knit something I was 8 years old and it was a lopsided doll blanket). I’ve found this sweet pattern online, but the instructions confuse me. Can you give me a hand here?

Pilsner Pleating

(Multiple of 8 sts + 1)

Row 1: (RS) * K6, K2tog, yo, rep from * to end, K1.
Row 2: P1, * K1, p7; rep from * to end.
Row 3: *K5, K2tog, yo, P1, rep from * to end, K1.
Row 4: P1, * K2, P6, rep from * to end.
Row 5: * K4, K2tog, yo, P2: rep from * to end, K1.
Row 6: P1, * K3, P5, rep from * to end.
Row 7: K3, K2tog, yo, P3, rep from * to end, K1.
Row 8: P1, *K4, P4, rep from * to end.
Row 9: *K2, K2tog, yo, P4, rep from * to end, K1.
Row 10: P1, * K5, P3, rep from * to end.
Row 11: * K1, K2tog, yo, P5, rep from * to end, K1.
Row 12: P1, * K6, P2, rep from * to end.
Row 13: * K2tog, yo, P6, rep from * to end, K1.
Row 14: P1, * K7, P1, rep from * to end.
Repeat rows 1-14.

Pleated Scarf
Scarf Pattern

Using 3.75mm (US #5) needles cast on 89 sts.
Work 4 rows moss st.
Next row: Work 4 sts in moss st, followed by row 1 of Pilsner pleating instructions to last 4 sts, work last 4 sts in moss st.
Continue thus, following Pilsner pleating instructions from rows 1-14 and keeping 4 sts at beg and end of each row in moss st until scarf measures 143.5 cm (56.5 inches) or length required.
Work 4 rows moss st.
Cast off.

All I can pick up is that K is knit and P is purl. Ha. What’s (RS)? I’ve got: (RS), knit 6, knit two together, yarn over, repeat, knit one, purl one, knit one, purl 7, etc. It doesn’t seem to say how many times to repeat the pleats in each row, do you just keep going until you like the width? :expressionless:

I realise this is a bit ambitious for a beginner, but I don’t particularly want to knit a beginner scarf since IMO those things aren’t gifted to people, but rather inflicted upon them. Besides, I’ve got like six months before he fucks off to Sweden, so I figure I have plenty of time to get it right. Also, boring scarves are boring. I’m watching knitting videos on Youtube as we speak. I’m pretty sure I could do this once I work out what I’m supposed to do exactly :V

2

I found this on Knitty.com, it may help (I’m pretty lost with english knitting patterns myself. (scroll down, it’s a list of standard abbreviations).
It looks like a nice scarf, have fun.

3

Also a newbie – can’t believe I know the answer!

RS = Reverse Side (the back, which won’t look as nice as the front).

You’ll cast on a multiple of 8 stitches + 1 – so the repeat of the pattern is 8 stitches wide and you need +1 to make the pattern come out right. So if you want two pleats, you’ll do 2x8 + 1 + 17; for three pleats 3x8 + 1 = 25, etc.

ETA:

K2tog = Knit two together – put your right-hand needle through two stitches on the left-hand needle, and do a single knit stitch
YO = yarn over (do an extra loop around the right-hand needle)

4

Actually, RS is Right Side, which means the front or facing side. The back side is abbreviated as WS, Wrong Side.

And yes, you do just cast on as many pleat repeats as you think would be nice, and go from there.

5

Wait, so is the first row of pleats knitted from a different side from the rest? Or does the (RS) apply to every row after it?

Thanks for the help so far :3

6

(RS) is just indicating that the “odd row” side (the one facing you as you start the pattern) is the right side. So when you’re knitting an odd-numbered row, and you hold out your arms and look at the knitting, that is the “front” of the scarf, the side with the prettiest pattern. When you flip to do an even-numbered row, you’re looking at the “back” side of the scarf. They only indicate (RS) once typically, just to let you know which is the front.

7

:smack:

Damn, I knew it was too good to be true that I’d be able to answer these …

:smiley:

8

To answer the other question -

It says “(Multiple of 8 sts + 1).” In this pattern, you can see that everything between the asterisks is 8 stitches long, plus an extra P1 or K1 on front or back end.

You’ll cast on 89 stitches. That’s going to determine the width. (if you wanted to make it thicker or thinner, cast on any multiple of 8+1. When you follow the pattern, you’ll start by making a small 4 stitch edge, follow the pattern (whcih will include repeating everything inside the asterisks all the way until the last 4 or 5 stitches) and then make another 4 stitch edge and turn.

9

Cast on 89 stitches.

Row 1: K1, P1 repeat K1, P1 to the end.

Row 2: P1, K1 repeat P1, K1 to the end. (These two rows give you british moss stitch which is much nicer than american moss stitch)

Row 3: repeat Row 1

Row 4. Repeat Row 2.

Row 5 (this will be the right side from here on): {K1 P1 K1 P1} * K6, K2tog, yo, rep from * until there are 5 stitches left, K1 {K1 P1 K1 P1}.

Row 6: {P1 K1 P1 K1} P1, * K1, p7; rep from * until there are 4 stitches left, {P1 K1 P1 K1}

Keep going like this
Odd numbered Row: {K1 P1 K1 P1} “the next row of the pattern stitch” {K1 P1 K1 P1}

Even numbered Row: {P1 K1 P1 K1} “the next row of the pattern stitch” {P1 K1 P1 K1}

until you’ve reached a length you like. Then repeat rows 1-4. Bind off.

This will give you a moss stitch border around the pattern stitches in the middle. If you look at the first picture on your linked site (with the title and the girl looking over her shoulder at the camera) you can see the border on the bottom edge of the scarf. It will make it look more ‘finished’.

If you want, I can write out the whole pattern for you row by row. Just let me know. The only really confusing part is to keep the moss stitch pattern correct and not get into ribbing. If you don’t know how to “read” your knitting, it will be very easy to slip into the wrong pattern. Reading knitting is knowing what stitch you’re working into next, whether it’s purl or knit.

Knit stitches look like little Vs and purl stitches look like little bumps. When you look at the back of a knit stitch, it looks like a purl stitch and vice versa.

It’s important to alternate the K1 P1 to P1 K1 or it will turn in to 1x1 rib.

Here’s a link to a page on moss stitch: http://www.knitting-and.com/knitting/patterns/stitches/moss.htm

Oh, and www.knittinghelp.com is a lifesaver.

10

(Bolding mine)

The “Pilsner Pleating” instructions are just part of the pattern – you’ll cast on 89 stitches, so that will be your width. Then you’ll work 4 rows of moss stitch (AKA seed stitch – that’s K1, P1 all the way across). Then your 5th row will look like this:
K1, P1, K1, P1, K6, K2tog, yo (repeat the part between the asterisks until you have 5 stitches left), then K1, P1, K1, P1, K1.
Then you’ll look just at the “Pilsner Pleating” part of the pattern, and repeat those 14 rows (with that moss/seed stitch at the beginning and end of each row) until the scarf is about the length you want it. Then you’ll work 4 more rows in seed stitch and then bind off.

Oh, and the thing about seed stitch is that it’s supposed to look bumpy, so you will want to make sure you’re not making ribbing – as you look at the row beneath the one you’re knitting, you will want to knit the purls and purl the knits. Does that make sense?

11

I have always found that writing out the pattern line by line and then using something like pattern tamers or something less exotic like a post it note to keep track of just where I am in a pattern.

Then any scribbles I have will go on the paper and not the actual pattern page ( usually printed off.)

Good luck!

12

Hm. Ok, I think I’ve got it (she says, before having actually begun to knit). Thanks!

13

Oh, I have a slightly dumb question. Whenever I try to do moss stitch (not stockinette or anything easier) I end up adding a stitch to every row and I can’t figure out what I’m doing wrong. Halp?

14

WAG, you’re pulling the yarn over the needle instead of under them. Since it’s one stitch every row, I would guess either you’re accidentally YO’ing an end stitch. One other thing I’ve seen is people trying to tighten the end stitch (it’s looser than the stitches in the middle of the row) and pulling the yarn the wrong way (over top of the needle, so the stitch they’d knit into is stretched over the needle to look like two stitches instead of under the needle which will make it look loose), so a stitch gets added. But it’s odd that it wouldn’t happen during stockinette or garter, too.

15

Heh, I probably had too much trouble keeping my stitches straight to notice mistakes I would have noticed if I’d been doing something easier. I seem to have stopped doing that though, which is good. I’m also proud to report that after a day of messing around with yarn, I no longer drop every other stitch. Progress! I also realised that knitting two stitches together will decrease the number of stitches on the needles, and yarn overs increase them. Fascinating!

I have another question though, about the scarf pattern (I’m doing a mini practice version, with far fewer pleats). On the third row of pleating you have to knit two together, then YO, then immediately purl, except if you YO you just put the yarn in the normal position for purling. I thought it was strange but didn’t realise it was actually a Problem until I got to the next row and noticed I was missing two stitches :o So what do I do here, wrap it around twice, or wrap it in the other direction*? Youtube is strangely silent on this matter.

*I could test this myself, but I don’t trust myself to spot the correct answer :smack:

16

When you YO you bring the yarn over the top of the needle from the front to the back.
So when you YO after a knit and before a purl, you’ll bring the yarn between the needles (to the front), over the top of the right needle (over the top from front to back), then back between the needles again before purling the next stitch.

17

Hope this may be helpful (now) - JUST saw your post/questions.

RS means RIGHT SIDE of work; WS means WRONG SIDE. Simple, but many patterns assume everyone knows already.

Looks like your pattern didn’t give you a specific number of stitches to cast on - just the number of sts per pattern segment - this allows you to do the scarf any width you want - from 8 sts (VERY narrow, eh!?!) to any multiple of 8 you want - or to add it into another pattern set (make a border of your choice, etc).

Hope this is helpful. Couldn’t resist TRYING, anyway. :wink: MaineKnitter