I need help with these knitting instructions

[emelsea]

I'm making some wrist warmers, the kind with just a slit up the side for your thumb to fit through. You are supposed to knit in the round for the cuff, and when you get to the thumb hole, this is what it says:

Thumb area is knit back and forth, starting with WS row.

Row 1: Slip 1, purl across.
Row 2: Slip 1, knit across.

Repeat Row 1 and 2 for 18 rows and then repeat just
Row 1 once more for total of 19 rows, ending with this WS row.

First...how do I know what is a WS row when I'm knitting in the round? And then...how so I knit "back and forth" in the round?

After this bit for the thumb hole, you continue knitting in the round for the upper cuff. There are no seams to stitch up.

[broodymama]

It sounds like for those rows (for the thumb), you stop knitting in the round. Once you get to the stitch marker that marks the beginning of your round (the last row before "Row 1" of the thumb), you turn the work around, slip one, and then purl back the way you came. This makes sense in my head, but I'm having trouble explaining it. So you work in the round, then essentially work flat for the thumb area, then start knitting in the round again once you get done with the slit for the thumb. A purl row is a WS row.

[emelsea]

Originally Posted by Red Sonja

It sounds like for those rows (for the thumb), you stop knitting in the round. Once you get to the stitch marker that marks the beginning of your round (the last row before "Row 1" of the thumb), you turn the work around, slip one, and then purl back the way you came. This makes sense in my head, but I'm having trouble explaining it. So you work in the round, then essentially work flat for the thumb area, then start knitting in the round again once you get done with the slit for the thumb. A purl row is a WS row.

And I'm still doing this on the DPN's? Or do I switch to straight needles?

[broodymama]

I would think either one, depending on what you're most comfortable with. I usually do magic loop instead of DPNs, and would keep the mitt on my circulars during that part if it were me.

[zech13_9_goforgold]

I just keep mine on the DPN while knitting flat for the thumb holes. I know that it probably sounds funny to you, but it does work and is really nice since you won't have any seams then.

[xanandali]

I would actually skip the instructions about knitting back and forth for those couple rows and make a one-row button hole. It will look cleaner & most people have slight guage differences when working back and forth vs in the round. So all around a button hole would probably be better suited. Go to knitting help.com and there are videos on there, but here's a direct link for a good one to try, its towards the end.

[Rhiannon Feimorgan]

Originally Posted by xanandali

I would actually skip the instructions about knitting back and forth for those couple rows and make a one-row button hole. It will look cleaner & most people have slight guage differences when working back and forth vs in the round. So all around a button hole would probably be better suited. Go to knitting help.com and there are videos on there, but here's a direct link for a good one to try, its towards the end.

Is that going to be big enough to put your thumb through? The pattern calls for 19 rows of back and forth. I'm not really seeing how a button hole will replace this.