How to read patterns

As I was saying in the previous post, it took me pretty long to decipher a repeat pattern.

I do not know what is the fastest way to read the pattern or learn to read it, but I figured out how to read the pattern by some common pattern (yeah, duh) in the instructions.

To give a brief view on the pattern, it reads something like this:

R1: *** k3, p3 *** repeat
R2: *** p1, k-below, p1, k3 *** repeat
R3: *** p to end ***
R4: *** k to end ***

This looks like a pretty easy pattern, what makes it complicated is the dec stitches at each end of a row, which I have masked out for simplicity.

If I had followed the technique of counting the number of dec stitches and start knitting from there, like if I had dec 1 at each end of the previous row, then I repeat R1 with k1, I must have gotten a skewed pattern.

Then I try to read the pattern, what is the thing that makes it a pattern? And I notice that k3 in the previous row is always followed by a p1, k-below, p1 the next row. And p3 in the previous row is followed by k3 in the next row. This will give a nice st st for the p3 followed by k3, and k3 followed by p1, k-below, p1 will create the bow-like pattern. P to end followed by k to end just create a row of st st.

Hooray!

With this, I start to write out the main part of the pattern, and count the stitches remaining that I can fit the dec stitches. I just need to make sure at dec row I have 2 at each end to do ssk or k2tog.

When I was knitting following my own interpretation, I also make sure I'm right with the stitch by recognising how the previous row looks like. For example, if I'm knitting p1, k-below, p1 in the current row, I make sure I see the bumps created by the k3 in the previous row. This way, I don't have to brute force the counting of the number of stitches I have done.

There are definitely better ways to read a pattern, but as a beginner, this is how I got started. Hopefully this inspires you when you face similar problem in your project!

First proper project - Buttons and bows

After familiarising myself with the basic stitch techniques, I decided to embark on a project by Claire Crompton from the book "The Knitters Bible, Knitted Bags".

The pattern is quite straightforward, at least I know how to do the stitches as a beginner. What is challenging about this is that I have to decipher the "keeping texture patt correct, dec 1 at each end of the row" instruction.

Stuck at "keeping texture patt correct"

I had no idea what keeping patt correct means, so I went to Google for it. Quite disappointed with my search, as most if not all of the guides to similar queries are too generic. The patt they have are things that involve mostly only k and p. What they told us to do is to skip a few stitches and continue with what is stated in the instruction. Like, if your original row reads "*k2, p2* repeat to end", and you are supposed to dec 1 at each end, then you start your next row in p2, k2 ... things like that. However, this project has more complicated stiches such as kf&b, ssk etc.

I almost gave up on this project.

Luckily, I saw one pretty useful tips, where the person suggested writing out the rows on paper to have a more concrete view on the exact stitches to repeat.

I started typing out the instructions. First time I typed out stitch by stitch, but I realise I couldn't figure out any pattern using the technique taught on the Internet. I cleared everything, retyped for 2-3 times, then I was finally enlightened that I need to keep to "texture patt", so I should make the stitches symmetrical! So I started counting the stitches, making sure the number is correct and the current row is complemented by the next row. If my 4th stitch in the current row is a k, then after dec 1 at each end, my 3rd stitch in the next row will be a p, things like that.

So I finally got the patterns out on "paper" and I can start working on the needles. To my amazement, it did work! I got a pretty neat repeat texture patt following my own interpreted instructions.

The moral of the story is, "keep to patt" seems overwhelming for beginners at first glance, but it takes a little pattern recognisation and Math to get it figured out. It's almost like what most other experts say, it's really not that difficult to figure out patt after you get used to patterns.

Finally completed the piece

And so I only spent a day to knit a 87 rows piece for the bag. Not bad for a first-time knitter?

Check out my next post for how I deciphered the patterns. Hopefully it helps you get through the hurdle in your current project!

At the beginning...

I have just been knitting for about 2 weeks. There are some tips I picked up during these 2 weeks.

1) Get the tool that makes it comfortable for you

There are mostly aluminium and bamboo needles out there. I didn't really research on which material is better, I got both of them. But I feel that the aluminium one is more comfortable and smooth to use, because of the smooth metal surface. The bamboo one, on the other hand, has a rougher surface, which makes it difficult to cross the needles. Everyone would have his/her preferred material, for me, it is the aluminium needle.


2) Get the necessary accessories

Accessories are called accessories, but they are really quite a necessity for beginners. I started without any of them, and it was quite inconvenient even to start on a simple project. Markers, crochet (not an accessory strictly), row counter, tapestry needle (this is must-have), needle stopper etc. They seem unimportant, but they would be a great help for beginners. Especially for markers and row counter, they are needed because beginners tend to take longer to figure out the stitches, and it is easy to forget where you have last stopped your work.


3) Either use the measurement or the number of rows

I shall not talk about my first failed project, but my second one was not any better. I picked a project that says "... until the fabric measures 6 inches ...". I didn't have a lot of resources, so I didn't use the stated needle size and yarn weight for the work. I thought I could just measure 6 inches for the gauge I got using my own needle and yarn. The front piece was alright, the back piece gave me problem. I measured 6 inches for the back piece, but it turns out that the back piece is 1 row less than the front piece! This means that I won't be able to sew the 2 pieces together, row-by-row, so I skipped 1 row for the front piece in order to patch with the back piece. Bad idea. So, if you have a lack of resources, and you insist on using a different needle size and yarn, then I would suggest using number of rows as a gauge, because the fabric may stretch and your measurement may turn out to be inaccurate.


4) Try to have a spare pair of needles and some spare yarn

They are useful to help you troubleshoot when you have done something wrong. I did a complicated row containing the knit-below stitch (a knit-below is complicated for a beginner), and I did the row wrong half-way. I was so devastated because I spent a lot of time ensuring that the earlier 30 rows are done right. If I do this row wrong, it means all the effort is gone! I could not give up what I have done so far, so I Google-ed for solution. And to my disappointment, there is nothing about fixing a knit-below stitch! I decided to knit this stitch on another pair of needle, and do a slow-motion undo of the steps. It worked! I'm so glad I had an extra pair of needles and some spare yarn. Maybe you should keep these in case you want to try out my slow-motion undo troubleshooting technique.