The math involved in designing a knitting pattern can be quite detailed. In this article, I explain the 2 stitch counts that every row/ round of a knitting pattern has.
Hello everyone!
When designing a knitting pattern, technically, every row/round of a knitting pattern has 2 stitch counts!
Being able to identify these 2 stitch counts for the rows/rounds of my knitting is crucial to designing and writing an error-free knitting pattern.
It’s one of the areas a tech editor will help you check when they edit your pattern.
Stitches Worked Over
At the beginning of a row/ round, there needs to be a certain number of stitches present on the needles to work the pattern.
In a pattern row that states, “Knit 5, K2tog.” 7 stitches need to be present, 5 to knit and 2 to knit together. We say this row is worked over 7 stitches.
Stitches Worked Over
The number of stitches needed to work the stitch pattern for a row/ round of a knitting pattern.
Stitches Resulting In
At the end of a row/ round, there is the number of stitches that working the pattern results in.
This number is often stated in the knitting pattern especially after the stitch count has been changed after increasing or decreasing.
In the pattern row, “”Knit 5, K2tog,” working the row results in 6 stitches, 5 were knit and 2 stitches were decreased to 1 stitch by knitting 2 together.
Stitches Resulting In
The number of stitches that working a row/ round of a knitting pattern results in.
For those interested in a more details, let me guide you through a couple rounds of an example knitting pattern and demonstrate why these stitch counts matter so much.
Round 5: K12, SSK, YO, K1, YO, K2tog, K12, SSK, YO, K1, YO, K2tog, K12.
Stitches Worked Over
In round 5 of this pattern, the number of stitches worked over is 46 stitches.
K12 (12) + SSK (2) + YO (0) + K1 (1) + YO (0) + K2tog (2) + K12 (12) + SSK (2) + YO (0) + K1 (1) + YO (0) + K2tog (2) + K12 (12) = 46 stitches
Both Slip, Slip, Knit (SSK) and Knit 2 Together (K2tog) take 2 stitches to work. A Yarn Over (YO) takes 0 stitches to work.
Stitches Resulting In
Also, in round 5, working the pattern results in 46 stitches
K12 (12) + SSK (1) + YO (1) + K1 (1) + YO (1) + K2tog (1) + K12 (12) + SSK (1) + YO (1) + K1 (1) + YO (1) + K2tog (1) + K12 (12) = 46 stitches
Both Slip, Slip, Knit (SSK) and Knit 2 Together (K2tog) take 2 stitches and are decreased to make 1 stitch. A Yarn Over (YO) takes 0 stitches to be worked and adds 1 stitch.
In this round, though increases and decreases are being made, they balance each other allowing the number of stitches worked over and the number of stitches resulting in round 5 to be the same.
This is not always the case, and often a row/ round in a knitting pattern will result in a different number of stitches than the number of stitches worked over. Here’s an example!
Round 6: P12, SSP, P1, P2tog, P12, SSP, P1, P2tog, P12.
In this next round, the number of stitched worked over is 46 stitches.
P12 (12) + SSP (2) + P1 (1) + P2tog (2) + P12 (12) + SSP (2) + P1 (1) + P2tog (2) + P12 (12) = 46 stitches
This is important because the number of stitches worked over in a row/round needs to be equal to the number of stitches that resulted in the previous row/round.
In round 6, the number of stitches that result from working the pattern round is 42 stitches.
P12 (12) + SSP (1) + P1 (1) + P2tog (1) + P12 (12) + SSP (1) + P1 (1) + P2tog (1) + P12 (12) = 42 stitches
For round 7 of the pattern, 42 stitches should be the number of stitches the pattern works over. If the pattern is worked over a different number of stitches than resulted from the previous round, there will be extra or not enough stitches present on the needle to work the pattern.
Conclusion
Did you know the difference between the stitches worked over in a pattern and the number of stitches working the pattern results in?
Have a blessed day, friends! I will be back with more to share soon.
Works Of Our Hands 