Attempting "Daisy Baby" sweater - questions!

[Holly]

I'm trying this sweater as a learning project (off of the free patterns page), as I have only done scarves, and want to move past the basics. However, I'm already confused!! I'm reading ahead in the pattern (probably my first mistake ;-) !) and I see that as the work divides ("The great divide")I will be using only a portion of the total stitches on my needle to form the right front. Row 2 states: BO 1 st, p to last 3 sts, k1, p1, k1. When I bind off I usually knit one stitch, then knit another, and pull the second stitch over the first and off the needle. How do I BO the 1st stitch on a p row? It may make more sense when I do it...

Also, when it is time to begin the left front the directions say to rejoin the yarn to the remaining stitches. I'm not sure I understand how this will work.

Thanks in advance for your help!

Holly

[amy]

To bind off on a purl row, just purl 2 sts, and slip the 1st over the second. (If you were to continue binding off, you'd just *p1, slip previous stitch over this stitch, *and repeat.)

To join in yarn for the left half....
You see, you've used the yarn to make the right half, and there's no yarn to work with dangling from the left half. So, you just start knitting with a new piece of yarn, preferably from the under-arm side, where there will later be a seam, for easy darning in of the yarn's end. After the armhole is sewn in, just thread that yarn end onto a tapestry needle, and run it through the sewing stitches for a couple of inches. Or, if you want to get it over with sooner, you can just weave it into the adjacent stitches, following the path of a single strand of yarn (duplicating the stitches), for about three stitches. Cut it, leaving 1/4" - 1/2" tail of yarn on the inside, so it won't pop out on the outside.

Way to go on starting a more challenging project! Let us know how it goes, and if you have more questions! If you have a digital camera, I'd love to see your progress!

Amy

[Holly]

Thank you !! I am so excited to see two buttonholes and the start of an arm hole!! (That does officially make me a knitting geek, doesn't it?!). It is making more sense as I follow each instruction and the sweater takes shape. Because I was looking at this as a learning project that I hoped would turn out good and become a baby gift, I didn't bother with a little thing called "guage" , and I've been told that my sweater looks more like a toddler size hehe. Oh well! (I went with the 3-6 mo size as I figured if I knit tight it would become 0-3 mo, loose 6-12 mo...at least I now know how important guage will be in my next project!)

Holly