beginner pattern-reading question

[supergirl]

Hello,
I am new to this site. I just have a question about my pattern - I am having a hard time reading it.

For the border of my shawl, the pattern says:

Row 1 - K1 YO (K2tog, YO) across to 1st marker, ending with (k1, YO), SM, K1, SM, YO, K1, YO (then SSK, YO) across remainder of row, ending with K1.

I don't understand the brackets. do I K1, YO THEN K2tog, YO or do I just K2tog, YO?
why do they put brackets?

Thanks,
Shannon

[Plantgoddess+]

The brackets are to highlight stitches that will be repeated. K1,YO will probably be your border stitches. The 1st row has a border of K1, YO at beginning and K1, YO at center. Slip marker, K1, slip marker and then YO, K1, pattern, and then ending with your K1
Is this a shawl pattern?

[MerigoldinWA]

Brackets [ ] and also ( ), which you have here, indicate things that are to be repeated.

Row 1 - K1 YO (K2tog, YO) across to 1st marker, ending with (k1, YO), SM, K1, SM, YO, K1, YO (then SSK, YO) across remainder of row, ending with K1.

You will begin row 1 with the K1 and then do the YO. Then you will repeat (K2tog, YO) all the way across until you get to the first marker. So it will go K1, YO, K2tog, YO, K2tog, YO, K2tog, YO etc. until you get to the marker.

SM means slip the marker, so do that, then you K1 and slip the next marker. Then you do the YO, K1, YO and then repeat what is inside the ( ) the rest of the way across the row. So you do the SSK, YO, SSK, YO, SSK, YO until you come to the last stitch, and you knit that one.

[isabeau]

You will begin row 1 with the K1 and then do the YO. Then you will repeat (K2tog, YO) all the way across until you get to the first marker. So it will go K1, YO, K2tog, YO, K2tog, YO, K2tog, YO etc. until you get to the marker.

...with the caveat that right before the marker, you won't be able to do K2tog, because you'll only have one stitch, so you knit that one and do a YO. (which is why they say "ending with k1 yo").