Help!! confused on Sleeves(baby cardigan)

[kacyann]

Hello,

This is my first cardigan. the pattern is telling me to place marker 4in down from shoulder on front and back. From RS, pick up 26 st between markers. Work in garter st.

OK hear is how I am confused. I am picking up st on just the front of the cardigan, knit those then pick up 26 more on the back Knit those then sew to make sleeves ?????

http://www.lionbrand.com/patterns/70038.html

[MerigoldinWA]

Sleeves
Sew shoulder seams. Place markers 4 (4, 4½, 5) in. [10 (10, 11.5, 12.5) cm down from shoulder on Front and Back. From RS, pick up and k 26 (26, 30, 32) sts between markers. Work in garter st (k every row) for 2 in. [5 cm].

Those are your directions.

So sew the shoulder seams together and then measure 4 inches down from the shoulder seam on the front pieces (on each side and place some sort of markers there). Then measure 4 inches down from the shoulder seam in the back on each side and place markers there. So now you will have 2 markers on the left side with 8 inches between them, and ditto on the right side.

Now you pick up 26 stitches for the left sleeve between the 2 markers on the left (as it will be when worn), so it is saying only 26stitches over the whole 8" width of the sleeve. Knit the sleeve by the directions given. Then do the same on the right side. Then sew the side and underarm seams.

[kacyann]

Those are your directions.

So sew the shoulder seams together and then measure 4 inches down from the shoulder seam on the front pieces (on each side and place some sort of markers there). Then measure 4 inches down from the shoulder seam in the back on each side and place markers there. So now you will have 2 markers on the left side with 8 inches between them, and ditto on the right side.

Now you pick up 26 stitches for the left sleeve between the 2 markers on the left (as it will be when worn), so it is saying only 26stitches over the whole 8" width of the sleeve. Knit the sleeve by the directions given. Then do the same on the right side. Then sew the side and underarm seams.

So confused. OK so for I sew the shoulders seem together. if I pick up 26 st from the back the front, would i knit the back connected to the front ??? how is it suppose to work it where i just sew the underarms seams. the only why i see this working , is i pick up 26 in front and then another 26 in the back and then sew the top and the underarm seem together.

[salmonmac]

The sleeve is going to be knit in one piece from shoulder to wrist with only the one underarm seam. (Think of what a sweater of yours would look like if you cut open the side seam and the sleeve seam and then opened it out flat on a table. This is what you'll have when you finish the sleeves.)

When you sew the shoulder seam together, lay the sweater out flat on a table, public side up, with the front closest to you and the back farthest from you. The seam you just sewed at the shoulders only is in the middle and connects the two pieces. Don't think of the front and back as separate pieces, they're joined as one piece now. The sleeve is going to be knit flat, in one piece starting from the side near the shoulder and knitting out to the wrist, one sleeve at a time. Merigold has given you good step-by-step directions for doing this, above.