Help Needed with Noro Knits York Pattern

[Sue Madelin]

I am completely baffled by my pattern :(

I'm making the York ribbed zip up sweater from the Noro Knits pattern book and have just come to the neck shaping of the left front.

The pattern reads:-
Knit 8 sts, turn and leave these sts on a holder, rib to end.
Dec one st at the neck edge of next and every foll row until 18 sts.
Cont without shaping in rib pattern until armhole measures 22cm from start of armhole shaping ending with a wrong side row.
Cast off.

Now - when they say "Knit 8 sts" do they really mean KNIT them all rather than keeping them in the rib pattern? Surely if they meant K2 P2 for 8 sts they would have said that - or "work 8 sts in pattern" or something similar. Wouldn't knitting the 8 sts ruin the rib? The picture in the book shows the ribbing goint all the way upto and including the collar of the sweater. Bafflement number 1! :thinking:

Then Bafflement number 2 = "turn and leave these sts on a holder, rib to end". I understand leaving these 8 sts on a holder but surely if I "turn" I will then be ribbing those 8 sts that I have just put onto a holder? Surely they mean rib to the end with the remaining sts and just ignore the 8 on the holder for now? :??

I read ahead to the instructions for the collar in the hope that all would become clear but I can't make head nor tail of them either. :shock:

The collar instructions read:-
Join shoulder seams.
With right side facing, US8 needles patt 8 sts from holder at right front, pick up and knit 12 sts up right front neck, rib 30 sts from holder at centre back, pick up and knit 12 sts dwon left front neck, patt 8 sts from holder at left front. (70 sts)

The fact that they use the descriptions "patt" 8 sts, "pick up and knit" 12sts, "rib" 30sts etc confuses me. Am I supposed to take them literally and "knit" all the sts when it says "pick up and knit" or do they mean "pick and knit or purl depending on the rib pattern"?

Any ideas? Should I be keeping the K2 P2 pattern going no matter what or do you think I should be taking the instructions literally? And what about the "turning" issue - should I just ignore it?

Any help will be very gratefully received.

Many thanks

[Ingrid]

I was majorly confused by the turning bit, too. I'd ignore it.

Since they say to pattern those 8 stitches later, then I'd pattern them now, especially since the picture shows the ribbing going all the way up.

As for the picking up part, this I'm sure of. You can't pick up stitches in purl, since they need to be picked up from the front. So the switching back and forth from 'ribbing' to 'pick up and knit' makes perfect sense.

[kemp]

#1...I think it probably does mean actually knit the 8 sts instead of rib, because it will help with the fold of the collar (does the collar fold?)

#2...after you rib until the end, you turn your work just like usual, then you'll work in pattern until you get to the stitches on the holder. Just ignore them, leave them there then turn to the other side as usual and continue with the pattern.

[kemp]

oh, and if the collar doesn't fold...I'm with Ingrid on that one :)

[Ingrid]

And if it does fold, I'm with Kemp! ;)

[Sue Madelin]

Thanks guys :D

Collar doesn't fold so I'm just going to ignore the turning bit.

I'll pattern the 8 sts like you say because anything else just doesn't make sense.

As for the picking up - :shock: I'll cross that bridge when I come to it I think. I've only tried picking up stitches once before and found it nigh on impossible - however my sister had absolutely no problem picking up the stitches for her Tubey so maybe I'll get her round to do it for me ;)

I've just spent the last hour searching the net for corrections or other people who've knitting the York - but cant find any corrections and only one or two mentions in blogs - most of whom don't mention any pattern probs so hopefully it will all make sense once it's finished.

Many thanks once again - I knew you fabulous KH users wouldn't let me down :thumbsup: