Can I have a hand deciphering this knitting pattern?

[JuneOsborne]

Hello knitters of MN. I am a fairly new knitter and have steadily been trying more complicated knits.

This is a pattern for a beret. I have to write it all out onto paper otherwise I lose track.

This is the bit that I'm not getting...

10th row. Rib 6 [9:4:10], rib2tog, (rib 5[5:4:3], rib2tog) 11 [11:15:17] times, rib6 [9:5:10]. 79 STS [85:85:89]

Now, I'm making the largest size, so I know I need to go for the last number in the square brackets.

The rib bit is confusing me. The previous rows were k1, P1 or P1,k1. These 2 rows will now be referred to as 1x1 rib.

The 9th row was k1, P1.

So do I start the 10th with purl?

And do I rib 3, rib2tog 11 times, like a repeating block in that row?

Have I even explained myself properly? Aaaaagggggghhhh. It is supposed to be relaxing. This is stressful, because I bought some very fancy wool to make this hat with and I really want to get it right! Help me.

You didn’t decrease on row 9, so row 10 should start with purl one.
Row 10 will be rib 10, rib 2 tog, rib 3, 17 times, rib 10. You should ten have 89 stitches.

If you aren’t sure, I’d count through before you actually knit it and if your counting comes to 89 stitches you’ll be right.

Start with a purl on Row 10.

I don’t understand the last bit about rib 3 together. Just follow the pattern😁

I think (hopefully someone will confirm) that yes, start the 10th row with a purl.

1. Rib 10 stitches
2. Rib 2 together (that means knit or purl 2 stitches together to give you 1 stitch)
3. Then rib 3 stitches
4. Then rib 2 together
5. Repeat 3&4 17 times
6. Rib the remaining 10 stitches
7. You should have 89 stitches left

Right. That makes more sense.

Thank you so much.

I wish I'd listened to my mom you know. She tried to teach me to knit and I couldn't get it at all while she was alive. Hindsight, eh?

Hang on. How do I rib 2 together. I've decreased before, but that was when I was doing a while row on with knit or purl. Not knit one purl one....

*whole row

And how the fuck do you keep track of it all? 17 times of repeating something? Is there a magic trick? Or should I not watch virgin river while I'm knitting?

@JuneOsborne

Hang on. How do I rib 2 together. I've decreased before, but that was when I was doing a while row on with knit or purl. Not knit one purl one....

I would just knit them both together - I find that easier than purling 2 together.

In terms of keeping track, no - probably best not to watch Virgin River at the same time! I just use a pen and paper to record the number of times I’ve repeated a pattern but you could use little circular stitch markers

Great, I'll just knit them.

I'll watch VR until that 10th row I think!

Thanks for your help! Nice to see your name around again!

You’re welcome - hope it turns out well! 😀

I left for a while, then came back with a new name, then changed it back to SirChenjins (had to add the s as MN wouldn’t let me have the old name back!)

I think it will make sense when you do it. And the great thing about knitting is you can undo and redo if it's not quite right first time!

You can see that in what you have knitted so far, the knit stitches are above one another and the purl stitches are too, and that forms a regular repeating pattern that makes the rib. That should continue apart from where you are knitting or purling two together (unlike SirChenjins I would purl two together when needed although I agree it's a bit more awkward - you can judge for yourself what looks OK)

So if you go wrong it should be obvious.

So if you are due to do a purl stitch when you need to rib 2 together, you will join a purl and a knit stitch by purling them together, so your next stitch will again be a purl one to keep the rib pattern consistent.

You will purl, knit, purl and your next rib 2 together will be knitting two stitches together ( a knit and a purl ) which means your next stitch after that will need to be a knit stitch.

Wow that sounds complicated but hope you can make sense of it when you do it.

Good luck OP!

Ok, so this is hard I have had to redo the first line 3 times. The fourth time, I've actually managed to get through the whole row and I've just counted and I've dropped a bloody stitch.

I have to do it all again don't I?

I'm finding the needles incredibly slippy, so I can imagine I dropped a stitch without knowing and easily!

Can you pick the stitch up again or is it too late? If you can’t see the hole from the dropped stitch and the pattern isn’t mucked up from it I’d just create one - but it depends how cavalier you’re willing to be!

I can't see the gap.

Ffs. I'm going to redo it all. Tomorrow now!

Thanks for your help

The joys of knitting! You’ll get there in the end and it will look fab