what do parenthesis mean in a pattern

[robertamiller]

i have been knitting for a while but am just starting trying to read patterns. i have some sugar 'n cream and just want to make a dishclothe. should be a piece of cake but i'm stuck.
what does it mean: K2. yo. K4. (K2tog.) twice.
i don't understand what the parenthesis indicates. i get everything else.
grateful for any help
roberta

[GrumpyGramma]

Welcome to KH and reading knitting. Whatever is inside the parentheses is to be done the number of times indicated. Yours is (K2tog.) twice, so you K2tog., K2tog. Which pattern are you doing? Can you link to it?