"work even" & "work in pattern" help

[2lefthumbs]

Working on a sweater in fall 2009 Fons&Porter's (pg 77)

The line in question reads:
"K1, ssk, work in pat to last 3 sts ..." and then finishes with k2tog and K1.

The next line reads to "work even". The sweater is in stockinette stitch and that what I was knitting until the line quoted above, ending on WS (purl - I assume that is WS, I am a beginner ) I am in the point of the pattern where the decrease for the armholes begins.

So, am I only supposed to decrease on the "knit" row of the stockinette, so every other line?

AND, am I only supposed to decrease once on each end and then knit through the middle?

I have been thinking about this and this is how I think logically it should work, just need confirmation. If it means something else, please enlighten me! Thanks.

[MerigoldinWA]

The part of the pattern you quoted does a dec on each side and it is the right side. If the pattern stitch is only St st then you just knit across that center part. Then when the next row says to "work even", you will just purl back across making no increases or anything.

From the part you gave I don't know how often you are supposed to do the dec row. Does it say to do it every other row, or alternate rows or something? Sometimes there are several rows between decrease rows. Can't tell from the information you gave if you are supposed to

decrease on the "knit" row of the stockinette, so every other line?

or not.

[2lefthumbs]

Thanks! That was exactly the confirmation I needed before continuing!