Hello and help with decreasing a complicated pattern

[christineinredhouse]

Hello to all! I'm a knitter of about 5 years but have always struggled to accurately decrease in pattern. My current pattern: Row 1: K1 (yo, K2tog tbl, K1, K2tog, yo K1. R2, etc. But just sticking with Row 1, I'm now to cast off 9 stitches on each end. Help! Where do I start after I bind off? 9 stitches into the pattern? But what are these 9 stitches? The yarnovers confuse me!! Thanks to all the experts out there.

[suzeeq]

Each end doesn't necessarily mean each end of the row, but at each side. You can't BO at the end of a row, so BO 9 at the beginning of the next 2 rows. What confuses you about the YOs?

[Mirl56]

If this is the beginning of the row, these are the first 9 stitches. I'll write in the numbers below (I assume at the end you typed R2 should be K2):

K1 (yo, K2tog tbl, K1, K2tog, yo K1. K2,
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8-9
(OK, never mind, I can't get the numbers to line up under the stitches correctly when I post my reply. But the last K2 are #8 and 9)

So these are the first 9 stitches that are bound off. whatever the next stitch is, is where you start knitting the row.

the next row bind off 9 stitches. I might guess the next row has no patterning and is purled across, maybe knit across. So just bind off the first 9.

[christineinredhouse]

Thank you for this; I think the part that confuses me is this: I'm supposed to just count the YO as a stitch? I'm counting a stitch that doesn't actually exist til I create it, is that right? You're actually adding a stitch with a YO and then I'm decreasing later on with the K2tog, yes? I think I've tried it this way before and it doesn't seem to go well, but that could just be my knitting; I'll try again! Thanks again-

[suzeeq]

Right, it doesn't count as a stitch until you make it. You can just bind off the 9 sts by knitting them, no need to k2tog or yo.