Pattern Correction: Three Flowers Tiger Lilly Scarf

Thanks to the laceknitting list on Yahoo, I have become aware of an error on row 19 of the chart for Tiger Lilly.

There is an extra double decrease in row 19. The first part of the chart should read k2tog, yo, k3 (rather than k2tog, yo, k1, double dec, k1).

I will post this to my errata on my website as well.

This is an excellent opportunity to do a little teaching on how I trouble shoot things that are not working out myself.

When looking at this chart, one thing that stands out is that there are not any black squares. This means the stitch count remains the same for every row.

Since the stitch count remains the same for every row, there should be an increase (a yo) for every decreased stitch. When looking at the rows on the chart, this is true for every row but row 19.

How can you tell which part of the row is in error? First look at the decreases themselves, and the yarn overs. Over the whole chart, the yarn overs and the decreases form a pattern. So, something that doesn’t fall into that pattern would be where the error is. This is a symmetrical and geometrical pattern, so that makes it even easier to be able to see where the error is when troubleshooting something that isn’t working out right.

This lace pattern, like many others, forms a diamond like pattern. This means that there will be a row, worked just like row 19, only it will start and stop at a different point because of how a diamond pattern staggers.  If you look at the chart, and look for a row that has yo, double dec, yo, k3, the only other row of the pattern where you see that is row 9. Which makes sense, as both row 9 and 19 form the “top” of the tiger lilly buds (which are elongated diamonds).

Putting all that together, you can tell with certainty that the double dec in question is not supposed to be there, as it takes away two stitches and does not replace them, and it may line up with the double dec in row 9, but it does not fit the pattern.

Peace and Knitting, JoLene Treace

Wine and Roses Mitts: Edging Question

I have over the last week heard from a couple knitters who have discovered that their stitch count was off in the working of the edging. One was simply off, the other had a question regarding the number of times that the edging pattern rounds should be worked.

Generally speaking when I have trouble getting into the rythm of a stitch pattern, I will use stitch markers to help me get started until I get into the swing of things. If you find you are not ending up with the right number of stitches and a quick math check tells you that you should be, try putting in stitch markers between each pattern repeat. Sometimes I need to do this even with simple stitch patterns. Not k2 p2 ribbing simple, but close. Very humbling it is, too, I might add.

Then I look at the stitch pattern. Charts are very handy for this as you can tell at a glance what you are getting into. If this is a stitch pattern where the stitch count remains constant, as most of them are, there will be 1 yarn over for each stitch decreased in the row. In the case of this mitt, up until the final row of the edging chart there is. In the final row of the edging chart, there are stitches that are decreased that are not paired with a yarn-over. The reason for that is the edging forms scallops, which takes more stitches per inch than the stitch pattern which follows it, the pattern on the cuff.

So, we know that until working the decrease round (round 4) that the stitch count should remain the same. The next thing to look at is do the decreases and yarn overs line up as they should? In the chart for the edging of this pattern, the decreases line up over the decreases, and the yarn overs line up over the yarn overs.

Then I look at the stitches and see if there are the number of knit stitches between other types of stitches that there should be. In the last round of the edging, you work *ssk, k2, sl 1 pwise, k2, k2tog and repeat from * to the end of the round (a total of 8 times). The trouble may lie in a previous round or in something you are doing in the working of the repeat, but that is how I usually progress when something isn’t working out right.

I check the math, I check the chart, I check my knitting, and I place stitch markers. Sometimes it doesn’t become obvious to me unless I write out those different steps.

Following is my response when there was a question regarding Wine and Roses Mitts in regards to having 2 extra stiches and working multiple row repeats of the edging.

Here is what it (the pattern in Interweave) says:

Loosely CO 72 stitches. Arrange sts evenly on 4 dpn, place marker (pm) and join for working in the rnd, being careful not to twist sts. Knit 1 round. Work Rnds 1-4 of Edging chart 8 times around…

I think that is where with a casual read it might appear to be telling you to work rounds 1-4 more than once. In reality, you are being told to repeat it to the end of the round (8 times around the circumference).

There are 9 stitches in the repeat at the edging. 9×8=72 so that number is correct. For each repeat, on round 4 there are two stitches less for each repeat as there are no corresponding yarn overs worked. So on round 4, the decrease round, there are 7 stitches for each repeat.

7×8=56 stitches, so that number is correct too. I would suspect you may have a missed a couple decreases if you are off by two stitches. I would go back and look at your knitting and look and see how many stitches you have between each stitch that is slipped and if you have a decrease where the decrease is supposed to go.

I hope that this helps if you have a question on this pattern, as well as show you how to sort out a question you have yourself if you are a newer knitter. 

Peace and Knitting, JoLene

To Err is Human: Correction to Bramble Berry Sleeves

This pattern has been out for two years and has been extrememly popular. Today a kind soul emailed me and let me know the numbers for her cast on and the chart were off by 2 stitches.

 I discovered in the writing of the pattern that when the stitches outside of the repeat were adjusted to fit the stitch pattern in a pleasing way, that the adjusted numbers outside of the stitch pattern repeat were not crunched in the excel spreadsheet for the pattern. Some sizes were affected and others were not. The pattern has therefore changed, but the chart has not.

The cast on for the sleeve should be changed to 46 (46, 54, 54, 56) stitches, and the inreases are worked as follows: 1 st every 4 (2, 4, 4, 2) rows 25 (2, 27, 31, 2) times; then 1 st every 6 (4, 6, 6, 4) rows 2 (28, 2, 0, 31) times.

This has been added to my FAQ/Errata sheet on my website which will be uploaded soon by Katherine. Thank you to the knitter who emailed me! And to those of you who have had things come up in patterns, don’t be afraid to contact the designer. I have my email address on my patterns for a reason…so that I can be contacted if there is a question. Most of the time it turns out that it is not an error with the pattern, but that can happen. In this case, yes it was just two stitches and could be worked around easily enough, it turned out to be an area with adjustments in other sizes as well. Thanks for letting me know!

Peace and Knitting, JoLene