K4, *yfwd. K3. Sl1K K2tog. psso. K3. yfwd. K1. Rep from * to last 3 sts. K3.

Let's figure this out by doing the math to work the repeat section ONLY.

> "yfwd" does not use up a stitch (call it zero/0), but is a single increase so ADDS 1 st
> "k3" uses 3 sts
> "sl1 knitwise, k2tog, psso" uses 3 sts and ends up with 1, so is a double decrease and so SUBTRACTS 2 sts
> "k3" uses 3 sts
> "yfwd" does not use up a stitch (call it zero/0), but ADDS 1 st
> "k1" uses 1 st

So we use 0+3+3+3+0+1= 10 sts, and end up with 1+3+1+3+1+1= 10 sts. So far, so good.

Now let's look at the borders.

> At the beginning, the "k4" could be thought of as "k3 + k1": The first 3 sts are knit on both sides so they will appear as garter stitch. The "k1" is knit on the right side and purled on the wrong side, so it will appear as a single column of stockinette stitch.

> At the end of the row, the "k1" of the last repeat section will be purled on the wrong side, so it will appear as a single column of stockinette stitch (to make it symmetrical with the "k1" part of the initial "k4"). The last "k3" is knit on both sides, so those sts will appear as garter stitch, matching the border at the beginning of the row.

As Sally J pointed out, this pattern could be described as a repeat of 10 stitches plus 7. (I write it simply as 10x + 7.) If you want to completely separate the border stitches from the others, you could think of the pattern as a repeat of 10, plus 1 extra (that "k1" part of the initial "k4"), plus 6 border stitches (or, in my notation, 10x + 1 + 6 border).

Others have offered good suggestions, to which I agree:

(KT)> Making a practice piece is well worth the time. Cast on a repeat of 10 plus 7 sts. (In my notation, "x" represents the number of repeat sections, so you would cast on 10x + 7.) Include at least 3 repeats so you can see how the sections and transitions fit together.

> For 3 repeat sections (x=3), cast on 10*3 + 7 + 37
> For 4 repeat sections (x=4), cast on 10*4 + 7 = 47
> For 5 repeat sections (x=5), cast on 10*5 + 7 = 57...

By the way, using the original pattern:
> 217 = 10*21 + 7
so x=21, meaning you will have 21 repeat sections within the borders.

(ami)> It is common to use a circular needle for afghans because its flexible length can hold a large number of sts. Don't think of it as "circular", but as one l-o-n-g set of straight needles that are joined at the non-pointed end. Once you start knitting with it - remember, you'll be working in ROWS and turning as usual - you'll get the hang of it right away. (In fact, some people actually prefer circular needles for "straight" knitting.)

If you still have questions or problems, please feel free to post again (better to start a new thread rather than continue this one as it gets pushed back to earlier pages) and we'll do what we can to help you.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/20/2009 10:49PM by craftsman.