chart help

[stitchwitch]

I'm making this http://knitty.com/ISSUEwinter07/PATTtam.html
Tam B. My question is...beginning with row 30 it starts the decreases, no problemo there, I understand the sskp.
Do I knit that stitch/box right above the row 30 decrease box? Or do I ignore it as a place holder? For instance, in row 30 I'm doing the sskp in the first box right?, What am I doing in row 31 first box? Nothing? Or do I knit it?
Also, to make sure...is the sskp stitch in row 30 it's own stitch that fills that first box or do I count the stitch left on the needle after the sskp as the first stitch to the left in the pattern?

[Ingrid]

Knit the stitch in the blank boxes above the s2kp's.

When you read a chart, the box represents what's left after you do the stitch, so the s2kp boxes are read as is. You're going down to 1 stitch, so the box takes up 1 space. This particular chart gets smaller as the decreases are done, so you don't have to compensate in any way for the change in stitch count.

Pretty hat!!

[stitchwitch]

Thanks!!!