How to understand knitting patterns better by partitioning them

Introduction

Have you taken a knitting class? And then have you tried to knit from a knitting pattern? Did you find it to be too complex - almost unreadable?

Then this article is for you.

One way to get a handle on a knitting pattern is to partition it - identify the major and minor and tiny sections in the pattern.

The two major sections in a knitting pattern

Every pattern has two major sections:

• The header. This includes the photo or diagram, the size, the suggested yarn and needles, and the gauge.
  
• The instructions. This includes everything between the initial cast-on to the final cast-off or bind-off and how to finish the project (seaming, weaving ends, and possibly more).
  

The header information is extremely important - but that will be the subject of another post.

The subsections in the Instructions

While each pattern is different, there are some commonalities. Usually, there is a separate subsection for each individual piece that would be seamed with others to make up the final project.

So, for a sweater pattern, you would typically have the following subsections:

• Back
  
• Front(s) (one front for a pullover, two fronts for a cardigan)
  
• Sleeves
  
• Collar
  
• Any other interesting things that a sweater might have (like a button band)
  
• Finishing
  

For socks, you might see the following subsections:

• Calf
  
• Heel
  
• Foot
  
• Toe
  

For a sampler afghan, you would typically see a separate subsection for each block (or type of block), plus another for finishing it (like a border).

For a scarf or one-piece afghan, you would usually see only one subsection.

It would be beneficial to highlight each of the subsections in your pattern - and remember, each of these subsections will include the instructions to make a single piece that is part of the finished project. And the subsection will include everything between the cast-on to the corresponding cast-off or bind-off (or in some cases, putting stitches onto a stitch holder for later use).

The tiny sections within an instruction row

The area that causes the biggest headache for a new knitter is a complex instruction row.

Most new knitters can quickly learn that if they see Row 1: K, they are to work the Knit stitch across the entire row (just like they practiced in class).

Similarly, Row 1: P means to work the Purl stitch across the entire row.

It is not too much of a stretch for the new knitter to understand the following:

Row 5: K5. P3. K4

This is read from left to right (even though the stitches are usually worked off the needles from right to left, unless you knit left-handed). So you would work the first 5 stitches off the needle using the Knit stitch, work the next 3 stitches using the Purl stitch, and work the final 4 stitches using the Knit stitch.

You would have started with 12 stitches, and ended with 12 stitches.

Pretty simple, right?

But what about the following snippet of instructions?

Row 3: K2. * YO. K2tog. Rep from * until 3 sts rem. K3.

First off, there are a couple of new abbreviations here: YO for yarn over, and K2tog for Knit 2 stitches together. Note that there are many places on the internet where you can find out what the abbreviations mean, and some places where you can even learn how to do what the abbreviations say. Here is one such link, from the Bernat website.

The second thing that the beginner notices is the asterisk or star (*). It is used as a repeat indicator. It is saying that you do the sequence of "YO. K2tog." over and over and over again until only 3 stitches remain on the old needle.

In a typical repeating instruction, there are usually the following tiny sections in the row:

• The beginning part (in this case the K2)
  
• The repeating part (in this case the * YO. K2tog. Rep from * until 3 sts rem.)
  
• The ending part (in this case the K3)
  

Once you have figured out the tiny sections, you have cut up the instructions into manageable bites.

And all of a sudden, the pattern isn't so scary!

So find a pattern, and try to identify the sections, subsections, and tiny sections.

You can also take an e-course on reading patterns - there is no charge for it. So sign up for it and get started on really learning to read and understand knitting patterns.