Beginner Questions

[Sierra]

Ok, so I sucessfully completed my very first scarf! I am so proud of me.

Now, I want to try to make this bag: http://knitty.com/ISSUEfall04/PATTunbiased.html

I have many, many questions about the pattern, please forgive me.

1. For R2, do I just knit it straight across, or do I knit in front and back of the first and last stitches?
2. R3 isn't actually the third row, right? I don't start the R3 instructions until the piece is 7.5 inches long?
3. I thought I understood the whole right side, wrong side thing, but now I've thoroughly confused myself.
4. Once I've got the four pieces for the body of the bag done, I just sew them together? With regular thread? (Can anyone direct me to a site that tells how to sew? )

I think that's it. Geez, I lose at knitting.

Thanks so much for help!
-Sierra

[knitqueen]

I've been staring at this and it finally made sense, I think! This pattern wasn't written out very concisely, or there are spaces m