Is this it?
http://www.themakingspot.com/knittin...-of-the-island If so, it's lovely!
Based on what you wrote, it looks like it's asking you to pick up 12 stitches starting at the back maybe??--I don't know where you start picking up the stitches as that info is not in your post. Anyway, then you would continue picking up these stitches down the left front side.
I don't see anything that says you skip down 12 rows, though--oh, unless you read "down" to mean where you start! I think that's trying to tell you the
direction to pick up the stitches.
Does that make sense?