March 25, 2008

• Attention All Knitters!

  HELP!  I am a very beginning knitter.  I learned to knit over 20 years ago, but put the needles away after a mediocre attempt at a knitting a sweater (I never did finish it) and took them back up again last year when I decided to knit scarves for all of my female family members as Christmas gifts.  The novelty yarns they make these days are so fun that they make knitting fancy-looking scarves a snap!  Anyway, after successfully making about two dozen scarves I decided to try my hand at something just a bit more challenging, so last summer (yes, it’s been awhile) while our family was on vacation I went to a knitting store (we don’t have one in my hometown) and bought yarn and needles and a pattern to make myself a shawl.  I figured if I start now I might have it done in time to wear it when it warms up a bit this spring.  It could even be worn on cool summer evenings.  Last weekend (the weekend before Easter) there was a “Crafting” day at my church, where anyone could come and spend the day doing any craft of their choice.  Brunch and lunch were provided.  The whole idea was just to enjoy each others company while we each did our own thing.  Many (most) of the others there were scrapbooking.  I had intended to do that as well, but when it came time to gather my supplies I couldn’t decide what to bring (I have too many scrapbooking supplies, I guess!) so I decided to start the knitting project instead.  The pattern title is “Simple Stitch Lace Shawl”  The pattern is on a photocopied sheet of paper, and I think that perhaps whoever made up the pattern left something out, because I am having a dickens of a time figuring out what is supposed to be “simple”.  Here are the directions, verbatim.  I am hoping someone with some knitting expertise can help me decipher them!

  Finished size 30 inches by 68 inches excluding fringe.

  Needles: size 7 straight needles or size to obtain guage.

  Guage: 3.5 stitches perinch in pattern stitch.

  NOTE: We recomment you cut your fringe strands first.  See Fringe Instructions.  (I did this) 

  PATTERN STITCH:  (multiple of 2 stitches plus 1)

  Rows 1 and 3: Purl across

  Row 2: K1, * yo, k2tog; repeat from * across.

  Row 4: * Ssk, yo; repeat from * to last st, end k1.

  SHAWL: cast on 130 sts.  Rep Rows 1-4 of pattern stitch until shawl is 69 inches long or desired length or until you run out of yarn (assuming you cut the fringe strand first!)

  The rest of the pattern has to do with the fringe, and I’m not worried about that, so I won’t copy it here.  The part of the pattern I am having trouble with is row 4.  Nobody I have talked to has ever seen the abbreviation ssk, so the best idea we could come up with is slip stitch knit.  However, that is still rather vague.  It could also mean slip-slip-knit.  So, do I slip 1 stitch or 2.  Do I knit the next stitch?  When I yarn over (yo) I am adding a stitch to the pattern, so where and how do I decrease?  I have tried various ways (I have ripped out my knitting and started over 4 times so far).  Somehwere in row 4 I have to combine two stitches.  What seems to work the best is to do this–  Slip two stitches to the right needle, yarn over, then knit the next two stitches together and repeat. 

  Here are some pictures of my work (remember, I have started over 4 times, so this is my 5th try — if I had kept going from the start I would have much more to show for all the time I have put into this so far!)

  

   

   

   

   

   

   

    

  

  Can anyone help?  If I have to start over again, I want it to be for the LAST time!  (And I want to decide if I need to before I get much further along).  Thanks in advance for any advice you have to give!   ~Leah~

  • 10:32 am
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