First time pattern

[SUZPE]

Hi, I'm making my first pattern and was wondering if someone can help.

Instructions says: Cast on 176 sts. Do not join. Working back and forth across the needle, proceed as follows:

Knit 7 rows, noting 1st row in WS and inc 10 sts evenly across last row. 186 sts.

Question: Do I add 10 inch only on the last of the 7th row?:teehee

[kmaclean]

Your question will get more responses posted under the "How-To" section ... this board is usually just for sharing progress on current or finished projects, so it may not get looked at/responded to as quickly here. Maybe one of the mods can move this thread over to the "How-To" board?

The part that confuses me a little is the bolded portion:

Knit 7 rows, noting 1st row in WS and inc 10 sts evenly across last row. 186 sts.

Is this a typo maybe? I'm imagining it should read "noting that 1st row is WS. The way I'm interpreting it is that they are telling you that the first row you knit will be the WS of the work (because usually there is no WS if all rows are knit, so they want you to be aware that there is a designated WS - perhaps it will matter later on in the pattern).

Question: Do I add 10 inch only on the last of the 7th row?

Yes ... you would knit 6 rows, then on the 7th row you would increase 10 stitches evenly across the row so that once you have completed the 7th row you have a total of 186 stitches.

[suzeeq]

Knit 7 rows, noting 1st row in WS and inc 10 sts evenly across last row. 186 sts.
Question: Do I add 10 inch only on the last of the 7th row?

that's increase 10 sts not 10 inches, and you inc them evenly spaced across the last row, not just at the end; so about every 16 or 17 sts you'd do an inc.

[OffJumpsJack]

Hi, I'm making my first pattern and was wondering if someone can help.

Instructions says: Cast on 176 sts. Do not join. Working back and forth across the needle, proceed as follows:

Knit 7 rows, noting 1st row in WS and inc 10 sts evenly across last row. 186 sts.

Question: Do I add 10 inch only on the last of the 7th row?

that's increase 10 sts not 10 inches, and you inc them evenly spaced across the last row, not just at the end; so about every 16 or 17 sts you'd do an inc.

Actually you add a stitch after exactly 16 sts.

Why? You start with 176 sts and you want to add ten sts evenly spaced. Up until tonight I would have divided by 10 getting 17.6 sts between increases, then I would have said "but that will leave the last increase hanging out after the last stitch." So I would have started with just 8 sts before my first increase. But tonight I saw the math light turn on!

I looked at my hand and saw the fingers as the equal groups of sts and the spaces between my fingers as where I could add an increase. (not counting the thumb) I have 4 fingers but only 3 places to increase. Does that mean if I want 10 increases I need 11 equal parts? then I looked at the cast on count of 176 and saw that it was indeed 16 * 11 = 176.

I wish I would have remembered that little math trick when I was measuring to place the balusters in the railing on my front porch. I just realized I made it a lot harder on myself than it could have been.

Since you want some stitches before and after each increase you need to divide your stitches by one more than the number to be added. (10+1 = 11) so 176 divided by 11 = 16!

I guess the designer planned it that way.

Now, what increase does the pattern suggest? If it is your choice then I suggest looking here for the different increases you could use. Amy made a bunch of videos about increases complete with a comparison sample here on knitting help. You can find them if you follow that link or by pointing at the "Free Videos" tab above and then clicking on "increases" when it pops up below the tabs.

Now anytime I look at my front porch I'll be shaking my head and thinking about evenly spaced increases in knitting and how I could have measured and divided a whole lot easier than what I did.

Good luck with your pattern.

[suzeeq]

Yeah, I used 11 to divide by and figured it would be 16 but I didn't use a calculator or my fingers...

[SUZPE]

Thanks for the help. Sorry about the bolded part as it doesn't seemed bolded when I type as I am right now. I might be missing something.

[hyperactive]

The deviding through x+1 is how I do it, too.
When you come out with something easy like 16 - then you are fine.
If you come out with fractions of numbers for example, then it becomes harder than it needs to be. In that case I make it by a differnt trick...

Sample - that has nothing to do with the original pattern!!!! please just skip if it is confusing you:

150 stitches, 10 increases: that is 150 devided by 11 = 13.6363...

so: 150 - (9x13) = 150 - 117 = 33

devide that by 2 is 16.5

so for me that is totally clear (once I get there):

I work 16 stitches, *1 increase, 13 stitches* repeated 9 times, 1 increase, 17 stitches.

totally even spacing and just a little less even on the ends (my sample came out with a stupidly odd number for the "side stitches". Not so easy then but totally do-able)

[Jan in CA]

I've moved the post to the proper forum so it can get lots of attention.

[knitcindy]

I have seen patterns like this before and I always ask myself the same question:

WHY can't I just cast on the 186 sts at the very beginning?? What's the point of casting on 176, then increasing 10 more??

Can anyone help me?? Does it make a difference which way you do it??

Thanks, knitcindy

[suzeeq]

Because the ribbing/lower edge is normally made a little snugger than the body, so you cast on the smaller number, then knit 10 rows and increase after that. If you don't want it like this, then just CO.