Dec Help Please

[SilverSagess]

Hi All,

I am a bit stuck on a pattern. I am hoping you all might be able to advise me. My instructions say to work even until piece measures 3 1/2", which I have done. Next it says:

Beg on a RS row, dec 1 st by p2tog, p2 before and p2, p2tog after each stitch marker [every 12th row] 1 time (for the size I am working), then [every 10th row] 3 times.

Do I work my first set of decs at 3 1/2" (where I am now) or do I work 12 rows, dec on the 12th row, and then dec every 10th row thereafter?

Thanks for any help you can offer.

[mojo11]

If I had to guess, I'd say you're ready to begin the decreases, but I'd be more sure if I could see the thing in question. Do you have a link to the pattern?

[SilverSagess]

I don't. It was from a magazine I subscribe to. Ordinarilly I would think I would begin the decs now, but because of the strange way it was written (with some sizes rep the dec 0 or only 1 time) I wasn't entirely sure.

[SilverSagess]

If this helps... upon calculating the number of sts to be decreased, I should decrease a total of 4 times. This says to me that I should knit 12 rows (dec on the 12th row) and then knit 10 rows (dec on the 10th row) and 10 more rows, etc.

Is this just a poorly written pattern?

[mojo11]

Well... perhaps we can find a consensus among the more experienced. those instructions that include zero of something are a little jarring, but I guess they have to have the placeholders.

[suzeeq]

Begin the decs on the next RS row after you reach 3½", then do them on the 12th row, and every 10th row after that.

[SilverSagess]

Suzee,

The problem with doing that (which is what I would normally do) is that I would be working dec 5 times... now, 12th row, 10th, 10th, and 10th. This is too many decs according to the number of sts I should have remaining after working all decs.

[mojo11]

Is this just a poorly written pattern?

Very possibly. Probably even. At best it's ambiguous... to me anyway.

I'm assuming that the 3-1/2" dimension is no longer relevant to the discussion when you get to this point? In other words, however many rows went into those 3 1/2" don't count in the 12?

What I can't work out for sure is "dec 1 st by p2tog, p2 before and p2, p2tog after each stitch marker". It says to dec by 1 st, but gives you instructions to decrease by TWO sts. Unless the marker is marking a row, and these two decreases are worked over 3 rows.

I dunno if it's a badly written pattern, but it sure seems like it could be a better one.

[suzeeq]

Could you post a few more rows of the pattern or include stitch counts before and after and what comes after the 3 10th row decs?

[SilverSagess]

It is a cardigan knit all in one piece. So there are markers separating the front pieces from the back pieces. So ever dec row has me dec 4 sts... one of each side of each of the two markers.

After working the decs, pattern says to work even for 1 inch and then beg a series of incs.