"work from chart" in knitting

[Charmie981]

I'm attempting to knit a little stuffed fish toy...it seemed easy enough until I looked closely at the pattern. I'm new to a pattern that says "work from chart." I'm assuming that if I cast on 2 stiches and row 1 has two stitches, those are my cast on stitches. But then row 2 has 4 stitches, so I increase 2. Okay, I think I can do this. But then when it gets to row 31, there are 7 stitches shown, two little blank blocks and another 7 stitches (this is the beginning of the fish tail). How do I accomplish that?

If it helps, the chart is similar to this one (see how the head and tail have all that blank space between them? How do you do that?!), which was another cute toy I thought I could manage but now I'm not so sure since I don't know how to knit from a chart and its making me feel really dumb!

[monkaha]

There's usually some kind of key with the chart-are you missing a page? Charts are tricky at first, but once you get 'em, they're a breeze! Keep trying, you'll get it!

[Charmie981]

There's not much of a key. The directions with the one I linked to above say:

"Cast on 8sts.
Work from chart, starting with 1st row as a knit row and reading odd rows right to left and even rows left to right."

And that's it . I'm lost and I can't find anything on the net to help me with it.

[Knittin' in the Shade]

w-o-w, that's a really crappy chart, LOL. It looks almost like an intarsia color chart - there's NO instructions for how to work the decreases (or even insturactions that you should be working a decrease!)

how many stitches are there in row 30? I guess maybe if it starts the fishtail and there are two seperate sections, you'd just knit one part to the end, then go back, join new yarn and knti the second half of the tail.

What pattern is it?

[Charmie981]

Originally Posted by Knittin' in the Shade

w-o-w, that's a really crappy chart, LOL. It looks almost like an intarsia color chart - there's NO instructions for how to work the decreases (or even instructions that you should be working a decrease!)

Okay, I'm glad I'm not crazy. None of the patterns with charts give you instructions on HOW to do the increases or decreases...you're just left to your own accord. Which really sucks, because all of the easy patterns in this book that I think I could do are done like this, which means that they are no longer easy!

The pattern is from Knitted Toys by Zoe Mellor and it's just a little fish about 2x4, stuffed slightly and strung together with other fish and beads inbetween. I can't find any pictures of it, sorry! But the chicken was another one I wanted to do and I'm having the same problem with it!

I put a call in to the only IRL friend I know who knits and I think we're gonna get together and see if we can figure it out. Though I'm still very open to tips/ideas from you ladies, too!!

[TortelliniMama]

From a thread I found on ravelry, it looks like you really are just supposed to figure out your own increases and decreases to make the shape on the chart. In terms of how you get the space between things like the bottom of the fish and the bottom fin of the tail, I would cast them on separately (you could do it on one needle, but just have a separate ball of yarn going to each) and work until you get to the row where they join, then just knit across both pieces and cut the yarn you're not working with. When you get to where the top of the fish and top fin of the tail separate, work on just one with the working yarn and then use a separate yarn to work the other.

It really does seem like an odd way to make charts. Easier on the designer, certainly, since it means she wouldn't really even need to know how to knit!

[Charmie981]

Originally Posted by TortelliniMama

In terms of how you get the space between things like the bottom of the fish and the bottom fin of the tail, I would cast them on separately (you could do it on one needle, but just have a separate ball of yarn going to each) and work until you get to the row where they join, then just knit across both pieces and cut the yarn you're not working with. When you get to where the top of the fish and top fin of the tail separate, work on just one with the working yarn and then use a separate yarn to work the other.

Okay, I think I might be able to do that. Thanks!

And see, I'm such a newbie that I can't even tell a good pattern from a bad one . Maybe I should have someone else buying my knitting patterns for a little while .

[Flor]

I have the book in front of me and at first I thought you were missing something, but NO, you are right. There is no information! I have only knitted dolls from that book and the directions were easy. Funny that the more complicated dolls are probably actually easier than the "simple" fish because they give explicit directions!

I know that she says to start at the nose of the fish (I assume, by the cast on two stiches) but like the PP, I'd start with the tail and two balls of yarn. Cast on 3 stiches and knit 4 rows. Push to end of needle. Cast on 3 and knit 4 rows, then join them for the 5th row. Or, start from nose and when you get to where the tail splits you could bind off those 2 center stiches then put one side on a stich holder while you knit the other side.

[Charmie981]

I Did It!

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i3...mieCM/fish.jpg

I think my gauge is off, but I really don't care..it's not like size matters here.

Thanks so much, ladies!

(excuse the picture quality, the only camera I have right now is my cell phone!)