Newbie with pattern problems

[BridgetLeigh]

Hi, everyone! I'm brand new here. My name is Bridget and I live in Wisconsin. I am a stay at home mom to three girls and my main passion is quilting, but sometimes I need something more portable, like when I am waiting for the kids at piano, gymnastics, and the like. I have been crocheting since before I had kids (over 8 years now) and I have recently been teaching myself to knit. I'm finding it easier than I thought it would be, but I have this pattern that has me baffled!

Here is the pattern. It's for a piano keys scarf. http://vickidesigns.homestead.com/fi...YS_PATTERN.htm
And the chart is here: http://vickidesigns.homestead.com/Piano.html

I don't know if it's my inexperience that is causing my problems, or if this is written a bit screwy. I hope you can help. Here's where my problems are:

The pattern says, "Work in garter st (k every row) for 2 rows. Change to St St (k1 row, p 1 row) and work 5 rows with A, ending with a p row." So I knit two rows, and then if I start the stockinette stitch with a knit row, then a purl row, and so on, then my fifth row would be a knit row, not a purl row. K, P, K, P, K. So, do I start with a purl row? Or add a sixth row (purl) at the end?

Then, when I am working the pattern on the chart, I was doing just fine with the intarsia until I got to the end of the 5th row. Ack! I guess I was supposed to carry the white yarn across to the end. I didn't. Any way to fix that now, or do I just need to un-do those stitches and re-do it?

And finally, should I cut the black yarn at the end of the 5th row and weave in the end? And then at the end of each piano key? Or is there an easier way to handle it?

I'm sorry for being so clueless about this. I need all the help I can get, I guess.

Thanks in advance to all of you!

Bridget

[Ingrid]

I don't know how much it would matter at the edge. I'd probably start the stockinette with a purl row, then you could do 5 and end with a purl row.

As for the chart, I don't think you should carry the white on that last row. It will make the final black row look different than the rest. The pattern does warn that you will have ends to weave in, and for the best appearance, I think I'd restart the white for the all-white sections and restart the black for those sections. If you try to carry the yarn up the side, you'll have black and white edging on one side and it just won't look so hot.