The Knitting Fiend/ Diet Diary

I’m going to describe how to decrease “Two-Color Star Stitch” in pattern. This two color stitch pattern that can be worked by intermediate knitters, but it’s a bit confusing to figure out how decrease in pattern correctly.

Here’s the question was posted at the knitlist by Marie: (I snipped some content.)

I need help figuring out how to decrease while maintaining my stitch pattern, please. It is a very easy stitch pattern, but I am still a novice knitter and I want to do this correctly.

Anyway, (..{snip}…) the body up to the armhole BOs is done in Barbara Walker’s “Two-Color Star Stitch,” which is a simple 4-row pattern based on a multiple of 3.
(..{snip}…)

How do I go about decreasing/increasing 1 stitch on each side to create the A-line?
(..{snip}…)
I’m betting this is such a basic question that most of you could answer in your sleep, and I do appreciate your help.

Marie: You lose the bet!

Sort of, anyway. It is a basic question, but applying the standard answer to this pattern can be confusing. There is no way I could answer this in my sleep– or at least not provide an answer I am certain you will understand.

Now, I’m going to give the answer in a two part series! In this first part, I’m going to describe how to knit the stitch pattern, and point out some “features” of the pattern. In the next article, I’m going to describe how to decrease, explaining in terms of the feature I point out here!

I should also warn you: To understand, it may help to cast on and knit this swatch! Let’s begin with the text directions:

Two-Color Star Stitch¹
Multiple of 3 stitches. Odd rows are wrong side facing (WS); even rows are right side facing (RS).

• Row 1: Color A, purl all stitches. (WS)
• Row 2: Color A, k1, (k1), * yo, k3, pass first stitch of 3 knit stitches over the the 2nd and 3rd st, repeat from * end k1.
• Row 3: Color B, purl all stitches.
• Row 4: Color B, k1, * k3, pass first stitch of 3 knit stitches over the the 2nd and 3rd st, yo, repeat from * (k1), end k1.
• Repeat rows 1-4.

To facilitate future explanation, I reorganized the directions provided in Walker’s book, as follows: I italicized the selvedge stitches and placed ‘incomplete’ pattern repeats in () type brackets.

I charted the pattern knit over 15 stitches (below). As usual, you read a knitting chart from the bottom to the top . Odd rows are wrong side facing, and read left to right. Even rows are right side facing and read right to left. Notice that I emphasize the selvedge stitches in blue.

Now, read the text directions for row 2 and compare them to the chart. This row is knit in color A (dark brown in my completed swatch.) If you compare the chart to the text directions, first, you knit the selvedge stitch in column 1. Next, you knit the stitch in column #2; when writing text directions, I enclosed that in () to indicate it’s an “incomplete” repeat.

Now for the “meat” of the row. Columns 3, 4 and 5, are the repeat described between the *’s of the directions for row 2; since this is a “right side facing row” you work them from right to left, as numbered.

The symbols in the box tell you to do this:

Notice, I got “creative” making my chart and stuffed those 5 operations into 3 boxes. I did this because when the operation involves the next three stitches on your left hand needle. First: the ‘yo’ creates a loop out of no stitch. Then, you knit the 3 stitches on the left tip. Now, you take the tip of your left hand needle, third knit from the right hand tip and pass it over the two stitches to the left. This removes that loop! Voila, three stitches created from 3 stitches! The figure to the left illustrates how these stitches look. (I took a photograph while knitting a “type 4″ row; so it’s knit in light brown.)

You repeat this a bunch of times, and then finish up the row by knitting the selvedge stitch.

When you finish knitting row 2, it is useful to count to make sure your needle still holds the same number as you cast on. If you spread the work and examine it, you should see a distinctive spacing with the two knit stitches are smushed together, the yarn over is sort of standing apart; this is shown on my 18 stitch wide swatch to the left. (This photo was taken after knitting a “type 4″ row, so when comparing it to a “type 2″ row, ignore the number of edges stitches outside the (2,1) repeats. )

To knit row 3, change to color “B” and purl back. You should still have the same number of stitches you cast on.

Now, begin “row 4″, following either the text or chart directions. Notice I got even more creative with the symbols and added a “do nothing” symbot “*” to create the “\\*” symbol in column 2. The symbols in columns 3, 4, and 5 tell you to 3 knit stitches, and later pass the first stitch over the other two. Obviously, I could have left the * out, because it just means “don’t work that yarn over you usually work before that little pattern!”

Normally, people don’t include symbols for “not working” something! When knitting a type 4 row, you never work a yo until after you knit your first “\\” type operation. (see chart); you always knit a balancing “|yo” at the end! The number of \\s and yos are equal. When you knit a type 2 row, you always work a yo before working the first \\. (Those thinking ahead to decreasing: if you decrease on purl rows like I did, this is always the rule!)

For those of you who wonder why not just work that “yo” before the first \\ on row 4? Wouldn’t it be simpler to remember? Yes, it would be simpler to remember, but the swatch would bias. Not what you want.

Here’s another thing to notice when knitting row 4: The second “knit” stitch in the “knit 3 stitches” will be worked directly above the “yo” of row 2. This can help you “aim” later on when you are working this stitch without reading directions.

Ok, next, when knitting row 1, change colors, purl back! Now, just keep repeating until you need to decrease stitches in pattern. I’ll describe that in the next article. This one is already long enough!