raglan sweater shaping help

[klaw]

I am knitting a baby raglan cardigan from a new book by cascade yarns.
the designer is Therese Chynoweth. so far i've not had any problems following the pattern, however i am reaching the end to do the neck shaping and i have no idea what the pattern means or how to do it. this is a bottom up pattern. i am to do a decrease row (RS) followed by working even on WS row. then it says, " AT THE SAME TIME, beg shape neck front as foll: Working raglan shaping as described above, bind off from each neck edge 7 sts once, 5 sts once, 4 sts once, 3 sts once, 2 sts twice, then 1 st once - end with WS row." so does this mean i bind off all 24 sts from each side, or row by row?!? i've tried and ripped it out twice now. am i making this harder than it is? PLEASE, SOMEONE HELP!! i am making this for my first granchild's 1st birthday.
thanks in advance for any help on this.

[justplaincharlotte]

Would you tell us what the name of the book and the name of the pattern are? Knowing what it should look like would be a huge help for when our resident experts chime in to help.

[salmonmac]

The instructions are to decrease as you have been doing at the armhole edge for the raglan sleeve and at the same time, decrease at the neck edge.
So when you get to the neck edge, turn, decrease (bind off) 7 sts, work to the end of the row, turn, work the armhole decrease, and work to the neck edge, turn decrease 5 sts, work to the end of the row, turn, work the armhoe decrease, and keep alternating the decreases at the armhole edge with a decrease at the neck edge so that you have a stairstep decreae at the neck edge on alternate rows. Altogether you will have decreased 24sts in stairstep fashion.

[klaw]

Would you tell us what the name of the book and the name of the pattern are? Knowing what it should look like would be a huge help for when our resident experts chime in to help.

Yes sure. the book is "60 Quick Baby Knits", and the pattern is # 21, Raglan Cardigan.

[klaw]

The instructions are to decrease as you have been doing at the armhole edge for the raglan sleeve and at the same time, decrease at the neck edge.
So when you get to the neck edge, turn, decrease (bind off) 7 sts, work to the end of the row, turn, work the armhole decrease, and work to the neck edge, turn decrease 5 sts, work to the end of the row, turn, work the armhoe decrease, and keep alternating the decreases at the armhole edge with a decrease at the neck edge so that you have a stairstep decreae at the neck edge on alternate rows. Altogether you will have decreased 24sts in stairstep fashion.

ok that makes sense! wish the pattern would just say to turn and bind off... thnaks for your help!

[justplaincharlotte]

Thanks for the pattern reference. I didn't want to assume the one I found on Ravelry was the right one. It turned out to be the one you're working on - what a cute little sweater!

I'm glad salmonmac was able to help you with it!

[JoanneJ]

Ive read and reread your instructions and I still don't get what you are talking about. I'm on the RS row ready to do the neck shaping and I don't understand how you bind off th stitches. Are you using several sets of starting and stopping yarn to bind off with? I'm sorry I'm just super frustrated with this pattern I hav so little left to finish it. If you could just tell me th first couple rows what to do exactly I would really appreciate it.

[suzeeq]

You have to bind off at the beginning of a row, which is 'each edge' of the piece. For a neck that's being worked both shoulders at the same time, the row split, so you have 2 'beg of rows', it looks something like this:
vvvvvvv|____|vvvvvv - so you would BO at the beginning of a RS row, work to the neck, take the other yarn and BO sts at the neck edge and finish the row. Turn and BO at the beg of the WS row, work to the neck, take the other yarn and BO sts on the other neck edge then finish the row. Each shoulder has its own yarn end.

BTW, is this the same pattern, or another one?

[JoanneJ]

Please forgive me I must be misunderstanding. If I do what you are saying then I bind off 7 stitches knit to the decrease in the back then work to the end of the row where I bind off 7 stitches. Then on the ws I bind off 5 stitches with a new yarn start knit to the decrease in the shoulder and p to the next decrease in the other shoulder and then bind off 5 from that side? I am an expierenced knitted I just don't see how this is supposed to work. You have been very kind in responding please let me know what I'm doing wrong.

[suzeeq]

Ooops, Salmonmac is right, I forget the first 7 were the BO at the neck edge not at the shoulders, though you keep doing the shaping/decreasing at the armhole edge too.