I Need Help With A Tank Top (Knitting)

It looks like you may not have decreased at the end of the row as well as the beginning.

pagebrenda said:

I am knitting a beginner's tank top. Cast on 73(79, 87, 93) sts. Work in St st until piece measures 13"/33cm from beg, end with a WS row.
Armhole shaping
Next (dec) row (RS) K1, SSK, k to last 3 sts, k2tog, k1. Work 1 row even. Rep last 2 rows 15 (19, 22, 24) times more, then work dec row every 4th row 1 (0, 0, 0) time 39(39, 41, 43)sts.

I have worked last 2 rows 24 times (I cast on 93). I have 69 sts left on my needle. I should have 43 sts left. What did I do wrong?

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Hi Brenda,
Are you doing the ssk correctly. I've been knitting for may years and finally learned the correct way to do the stitch. It is a way of decreasing. You slip 2 stitches as if to knit, then you put your left needle back through the front loop of these 2 stitches and knit them together. From the math you are only decreasing half as many stitches as needed. I think you know k2tog as it is much plainer than the ssk. Hope this helps. I commend you for your perseverance. Good luck and happy knitting :thumbup: Kaju

Salutations,

Ouch, been there done that, have had many temper tantrums.

I found that I had been increasing the number of stitches by mistakenly knitting into the bottom loop instead of the top loop. I use stitch markers ALL THE TIME, little rubber bands or old yarn. I cast on in specific multiples, place a marker and continue. After I finish a section I recount the stitches I finished to check if I did them right. It has been my lifesaver so I fix my mistake before it escalates and grows into the project from **ll.

I don't understand. On the knit row at the begining, I kinitted the first st. and knitted until I reached the last 3 sts. I k2tog and knitted the last st. The next row (WS) I purl. I counted my slants. I have twelve left slants (SSK) and twelve right slants (k2tog). I am counting as my 24 rows. Is this correct? Or should I do another 24 slants total?

pagebrenda said:

I don't understand. On the knit row at the begining, I kinitted the first st. and knitted until I reached the last 3 sts. I k2tog and knitted the last st. The next row (WS) I purl. I counted my slants. I have twelve left slants (SSK) and twelve right slants (k2tog). I am counting as my 24 rows. Is this correct? Or should I do another 24 slants total?

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12 slants are not enough, you should have 24 slants....you are to repeat the 'TWO' rows 24 times, not 24 rows....when you have done 48 rows, 24 slants on each side, your sts will be right.....you're doing fine...it's correct up to this point...

just keep truckin'.......uh....knittin'

I think you forgot the ssk. I hate that stitch, so I cheat. I knit two together, but stick my needle in the back of the two stitches(slide right needle over the top of the left needle and through the back loops of two stitches, then knit the two of them together). I am sure that is clear as mud. Ssk is a form of decreasing, making two stitches one like knit 2 together but giving the stitch a different slant. If you did not do the ssk, you did not decrease so your stitch count is wrong.

Keep at it. I was almost bald my first year from tearing my hair out. I love Sally Melvilles "The Knit Book One" It was my bible along with the purl book two, then and now.

But now that I reread the other post, I think she is right. repeat the decrease row (row 1) and the next resting row (row 2) for a total 24 repeats of the two rows giving you 48 rows

Thanks deemail :thumbup:

Thanks lovethelake :thumbup:

Thanks Kaju :thumbup:

Thanks PurpleV :thumbup:

I hate it that you have to pull out so many rows... Just think you forgot the "k" of the "ssk"... After you slip the two stitches (knit-wise)... you need to put those back on the left needle and knit them together. (I always go into the back of those stitches (right or wrong?), and it basically decreases and looks like twisted knit. It really looks nice...and slants in the right direction. Good luck! Don't despair. When I was knitting vests for my granddaughter for Christmas, I had to "unknit" each one a couple of times for some reason. LOL... It just puts more love into the item!!!

agree with deemail that you have not finished your decrease pattern. i know it can be mind boggling--like learning a new language and new sensory/motor coordination skills all at once. take a deep breathe and continue.

deemail is right. You should have 24 slants. The SSK at the beginning is what you left out. You are decreasing at the beginning and the end of each right side row. If it makes you feel any better, I usually start, pull out, start, pull out several times every new pattern I begin until I get the hang of it and I have been knitting 50 years. Just the "nature of the beast" sometimes. I know it sounds like I don't know what I am doing, but I have to get the feel of the repeats, etc. and then I am comfortable with it.

The ladies are right. You will have decreased 2 sts on each row a total of 25 times, that decreases 50 sts, subtract from 93 and it will leave 43 sts. Hey, we've all been there and each error is a learning experience. You'll do fine.

Oh, we've all been there. It's frustrating. There have been times when I've had someone actually read the pattern out loud to me, one step at a time. In Minneapolis, there are some yarn shops where they have an "open time." Knitters with problems can go and get help from a pro. As a last resort...

You're not alone... I'm working a new pattern on a scarf and I don't even want to admit how many times I had to rip the darn thing out because I just wasn't getting something right. I finally got my graph paper out and "drew" the pattern out for the WS and the RS (scarf with slightly different wrong side and right side patterns). Once I could visualize what I was suppose to be doing I had my "Doh!!!" moment and finally, finally, 2 weeks later, I am 6 inches from 60" and I just may buy myself a bottle of wine and do a happy dance! :lol:

Just hang in there a little longer, those aha! moments will come.

I agree with everyone. When I have to keep track of incs and decs in a pattern, I write this info on my copy of my pattern or on a separate sheet of paper; i.e., row 1-I(inc.) = ___ sts; etc. I use st markers also.I'm working on a knitted shawl pattern by Vogue. The pattern had a lot of errors in it. I had to write out the entire pattern on paper to understand how to knit the shawl.

you did not delete enough stitches or you increased along the way UNDO your work and reknit it thats how you learn by trial and error

I was making a pair of lace gauntlets for my sister-in-law when I learned to SSK. Most knitting terms are logical but not the SSK. I kept getting way to many stitches. I finally got out my how to book and boy did I feel stupid. So glad we have this forum to get help.