Can anyone explain this knitting pattern to me?

[reddwarf]

It's for a scarf, and basically the effect is sort of giant, loose normal knitting stitches. it's quite a thick yarn on size 10 needles if that helps. I'm pretty much a beginner, it looks just like your normal knit purl, but you have to do something to make the stiches giant but I can't work it out

" alt K1, P1; work 1 yarn over before each stick. (What does this mean??) On all following rows work sts as they appear and a yarn-over before each stitch, let the yarn-overs of previous row slide off the needle" (don't get that last bit either?)

Thanks if someone can help me understand.

Hi red, putting a yarn over means that before you knit the next stitch you bring the yarn from the back of your work over the right hand needle from back to front. You then knit as usual. When you then turn your work around to do the next row your stitch is bigger because you let the yarn over just slide off (which is what the last bit of the pattern says). If you knit it you will end up with twice the no of stitches!
gosh, this is so hard to explain for something that's quite simple. . It might make more sense if you just try it.
Someone far more eloquent will be along soon to explain it better!

The above is a great explanation but you could look on youtube for 'yarn over'. I'm a novice so not sure what you could youtube for the other bit- 'slip yarn over' maybe?

The purpose of a yarn over is to increase a stich. It's used quite a lot in lace knitting as it creates a hole that can be used decoratively. So normally, you'd knit the yarn overs like any other stich.
However, in this case they want you to drop them in the following row.

waitandsee is right, have a play and see what happens! Do have a look on youtube or knittinghelp.com for a video to show you how to do a yarn over (YO) first though.

You need a picture really, but basically a yarn over is knitting a pretend stitch that doesn't involve the other needle and then falls out to leave a gap when you move on to the next row.

I'm a beginner too - are you sure you know what you've let yourself in for?!

What waitandsee said.
Just give it a try, these things are much easier to work out when you're actually doing them.
It's a very basic knitting technique, really useful.

wow thank you, esp wait, I've got it! hurray. I didn't realise I could look up yarn over, I thought it was just an instruction, not a term in its own right iyswim. Is not you tube fantastic for instructional videos! I even had too look up how to cast on, as it had been so long I had forgotten!

Mind you I found a couple of german clips showing how to knit with that webbed wool to make ruffle scarfs and the lady did it so bloody fats, I swear it was even speeded up way more than natural speed it was impossible to follow. I was swearing at the screen!

Luckily managed to find a sane american showing it at speed for idiots like me

Glad it made sense. I never thought I'd ever find anything on youtube that I'd ever want to watch but have been converted having watched a couple of crochet vids but agree about the speed sometimes.
Good luck with the scarf, you'll have to post a pic when it's finished!

well, I think I spoke too soon. I have done about 20cm and it looks crap! The picture on the pattern is just like a normal piece of basic knitting but giant iyswim. If I were to knit it without the yarn over, mine would look very neat and even 'V' stiches too (my original effort does, cos I did it normal as I didn't know what yarn over meant.

However, my 20 cm effort so far with the yarn over like I said looks crap. The rear 'purl' side is weird, like 2 rows close together then a big gap, and the front, you can't really make out the 'V's, it just looks uneven and really messy. I must be doing something wrong but don't know what.

The purl row is really difficult though - seems weirdly hard to see which is the stich and which is the barren loop. Not happy with it. Will have to start again (a 3rd time )

Oh dear red, how frustrating. Is it stocking stitch (one knit row one purl row)? I'll knit a quick square and try and post pics. Is there anyone local to you that could help? Sometimes things are just easier in rl.

ok, red, I've done a few rows and have taken some photos and written some notes that might help
docs.google.com/open?id=0B9l8DIDTqtQcb0UweGpkNThBTFk

sorry, I'll try that link again docs.google.com/open?id=0B9l8DIDTqtQcb0UweGpkNThBTFk

wow, I cannot believe you wen to so much trouble. Thank you so very much! I think maybe I'm wrapping the yarn over round in the wrong direction or something. I had another try and seems to be better. Thank you again and wish me luck!

No problem,I know how annoying it is to have to pull stuff out and if you're not sure of the finished effect it can be a bit difficult to work out. And it was certainly a lot easier than trying to work out how to write it all down!
Anyway can't have you scarfless it's too damn cold!