Any experienced knitters out there???

[molliemoo]

Am trying to make a tank top for my 18mth old but I can't get past the first line!
It goes P2 yon K1 yfrn P2, rep from to end
I know that yon = yarn over needle and I know that yfrn= yarn forward around needle, but I am supposed to go from having 83 sticthes to having 137 and I don't seem to be able to get that many!!
Any ideas

[NotQuiteCockney]

Ok, first of all, it sounds like this pattern may be a bit too difficult for you? I say this as someone who made a lacy thing as a first project, and had it come out shit.

That being said, what you are meant to do here, is:

• purl 2
  
• repeat the following steps:
  
• wrap the yarn around the needle to make another stitch. This will make a hole when you knit it, but that's fine.
  
• knit 1
  
• wrap yarn again, making another stitch
  
• purl 2
  
• end repeat.
  
  I don't know why it says yon and yfwd, when you are doing the same thing each time - that worries me a bit.
  
  You have 83 stitches, 81 of which are in the repeat bit, so you do the repeated bit 27 times, which should give you 137 (83 + (27 x 2)) stitches.

[florenceuk]

If you wrap it right around the needle rather than just doing a simple yarn over you will get a bigger hole (eg for a big button hole) - does this make sense in the pattern?

[molliemoo]

Thanks NotQuiteCockney that seems to make sense - did try to work out the maths bit myself but couldn't quite cope!!!! Clever you!
The rest of the pattern seems a bit easier so hopefully I will be ok
Should have it finished before she turns 2!

[NotQuiteCockney]

Well, if you want to carry on through, I'd double-check your work a lot as you go. As you're working through this tricky row, keep going back to check all the stitches are right, so you can fix any problems early on.