Follow Your Arrow Clue 3 tips

This week I’ve put together some tips for working Clue 3 of Follow Your Arrow. Hopefully they will help you read your knitting and use the charts as a visual aid even if you prefer to knit from the written directions. These tips are specific to clue 3, but can be applied to other patterns. 

Clue 3A from Clue 2A

Continuing on from clue 2A the sk2p in 3A will use the stitches from the ‘ssk, k1, k2tog’  and the k3 will line up above the ‘yo, k1, yo’ from the final RS row of 2A. Click through on the photos below to see a small swatch.

If you have been using markers for each 6 stitch repeat they can be kept in the same place until row 7. The double decrease on row 7 will use 2 stitches from before the marker and 1 stitch from after the marker. You’ll have to remove the marker to work the decrease although you can replace it afterwards.

Clue 3B tips

If you’ve been using markers to highlight each repeat you’ll find that they’ll get in the way starting on Row 3 as the double decrease ‘sk2p’ will use stitches from either side of the marker. This is where the chart comes in handy as a visual reference even if you are using the written directions, because you can see clearly that there is column formed by the double decreases stacking on top of each other. The same visual reference will also become apparent on your knitting. If you click through on the picture below you’ll see a swatch of Clue 3B up to Row 6.

If you feel more comfortable using markers remember you’ll have to move them every time you encounter a double decrease because they straddle the repeats, or you could clip a safety pin or removable maker to the front of each double decrease to help highlight the start of the 12 stitch repeat.

For both Clue 3A and 3B

The edging and spine stitches are included in the written directions.

On right side rows edges will continue to start k3, yo ending yo, k3 — the yarn overs are included on the charts.

The spine stitches will continue as yo, slm, k1, yo — again the yarn overs are included on the charts.

If you are using the charts then the edging stitches and the spine stitches are not shown, the chart represents the stitches between the edging and spine stitches.

Looking at the right side of your knitting it will be laid out as below:

Edging, chart, marker, spine stitch, chart, marker, spine stitch, chart, edging.

If you do want to do a stitch count part way through the clue, after completing each right side row the total stitch count will have increased by 6 stitches, 2 stitches per section.

Other resources and final notes

This blog post I did for the Sherilyn KAL we did last year touches on reading your knitting, but more importantly has a tip on identifying a missing yo, and how to fix it without ripping out several rows of your knitting. There is also a Frequently asked questions page on the website,  that was put together from the support questions we’ve received, below are a few from Ishbel and Damson that are relevant to this pattern:

• Yarn overs — did one get missed, or dropped while purling back on the wrong side.
• Forgetting to pass the slipped stitch over as part of the sk2p.
• The sk2p double decreases create columns in the lace pattern by stacking on top of each other. If one of these is out the extra or missing stitch is probably very near that double decrease — this one applies to 3B only.

• Make sure the 2 spines created by the yo, k1, yo are in a straight line.

• When working back on wrong side rows watch out for the stitch markers sliding to the incorrect side of yarn overs.

I do hope that you’ve found this post helpful. If there’s something you would like covered in more detail or think I’ve missed something crucial please leave a comment to let me know