confused by instructions top down sweater

[MzMolly]

oo aiy .. this is my first neck down sweater and I've come across a spot I'm not 100% sure of

I just finished putting the sleeves on the holding yarn and the pattern is as follows:

continue to work in stockinette stitch, decreasing at 2nd and 3rd stitch and at 2nd and 3rd stitch from the end of every knit row .. blah, blah, blah ..

sooo??? I read all that as .. k1, k2tog, k to last 3 stitches, ssk, k1 .. Is that right?

not sure if there's something else going on or if my thoughts are right

[Shandeh]

The type of decreases should be explained in the pattern notes. Sometimes they are only explained at the beginning of the pattern, or on the designer's abbreviation page.

[MzMolly]

the only decreases they instruct are k2tog and ssk

the wording *decrease AT 2nd and 3rd* sounds to me as if I am to decrease twice .. once at 2nd and once at 3rd (which confuses me)

My instincts are to decrease the 2nd and 3rd stitch together and that's what I'm uncertain about.

ahhh .. but I just found an email for contact about the pattern .. so I'll drop them a line.

edited to add ... just called them and yes, it's a simple k2tog and ssk .. just a long winded version that threw me off!

[MzMolly]

speaking of a neck down sweater .. how do you block one of these?

[Shandeh]

I'm so glad you were able to contact the designer! That's usually my first choice if I have a question, because they know their pattern better than anyone else.

About blocking, since you aren't knitting separate parts and seaming, you will have to block the sweater when it's complete. When I block sweaters, I wash and rinse them gently in cold water, then I spin them in the washing machine to get rid of most of the water. Then, I lay them flat on a table to dry. Pinning in place is your choice.

Some knitters will make sure a sweater fits well, then do the following:

Lay out the sweater on a very large piece of paper. (A tri-fold display board works well)
Trace around the sweater with a pencil, to show the exact proportions.
Remove the sweater from the board, and draw over the the lines again to make them darker.

Now, you will have a template for your sweater. Every time you wash it, you can lay it out on the template again, to block it to the right size after washing.

[MzMolly]

Thanks, good idea .. although I'd end up with a closet full of templates LOL! I want to block it at least once to "settle" it down. Some of the ends are flipping up and what not. I thought blocking and and then a bit of steam would fix that.

[Shandeh]

Thanks, good idea .. although I'd end up with a closet full of templates LOL! I want to block it at least once to "settle" it down. Some of the ends are flipping up and what not. I thought blocking and and then a bit of steam would fix that.

Well, the template can be used on both sides. Usually, when one pullover fits, the template you make will work for several different sweaters. You can always add different colored lines for different sleeve lengths, or lengths. Then add a little color code chart in the middle of the template.

Just be sure to use a marker that doesn't run when it's wet, or you'll get ink on your sweater. It might be a good idea to cover the board with plastic wrap before placing your wet sweater on it. It will avoid the ink problem, and make the template last longer as well.