Need help with pattern

[bellybean]

Hello!

I am a pretty new knitter and after doing a few scarves and hats, I thought I was ready for a felted bag. I started working on this http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEsummer05/PATTsatchel.html. Here is the relevant part of the pattern:
Using circular needle and MC, loosely CO 38 sts.
Beg with a RS row, work 7 rows in stockinette st.
At end of last row, do not turn work but pick up and k 6 sts down adjacent edge of work, pick up and k 38 sts along CO edge, pick up and k 6 sts along rem edge of work. 88 sts on needle.

I have worked the first 7 rows and now I'm stuck. I watched the video on how to pick up stitches. Do I use one of the needles from my circular needle?

Then it says "pick up and k 38 along CO edge". So I guess once I've picked up the 6 stiches, I will be back at the CO edge. But I've always used the long tail cast on. What cast on should I use here?

I am hoping that when I figure that out, it will become obvious how to pick up the other 6 stitches. I understand that this will be the bottom of the bag, but I am having a hard time seeing how it will come together.

Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated!

[Ingrid]

What you have at this point is the bottom of the bag. Now you will pick up stitches all around the edges to start knitting in the round.

So you have your 'live' stitches on the needle, you'll pick up the stitches down the left side as your piece faces you, then pick up along the cast-on edge and then up the right side. Use the tip of the needle that has the live stitches on it. If it proves to be too awkward, use a dpn to pick up the stitches and then slip them to your working tip from the other end.

Once you get a few rounds done after picking up all the stitches, it will get easier.

[bellybean]

Ah, thank you! Thanks to your description I totally understand.

BUT, I seem to be on the wrong end. You say I should pick up the stitches on the left side (RS facing, right?). But my yarn is on the right. And if I try to pick up the stitches, I get purls instead of knits. I guess I should frog a row? I thought I had done 7 rows as called for, but maybe I did 8. Or maybe I am supposed to count the CO row as one?

Any suggestions?

[suzeeq]

You don't count the CO row as a row, but if you started with a purl row as the first one, then you ended up with a purl as row 7. So knit across another row, one more row won't throw it off, and then the yarn will be at the upper left corner when you hold up the piece and you can pick up down that left edge.

[bellybean]

Wow, that was fast. Thank you very much!


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