Working in seed stitch. confused?

Somewhere in the pattern does it tell you that the sample blanket, the one in the photo that accompanies the pattern, was knit with a specific yarn and on a certain size and type of needle? That's where you need to start asking questions.

What that tells you is that IF you use those needles and that yarn, and IF your knitting tension is exactly the same as the test knitter's, and IF you follow the written instructions, your finished blanket will look like the picture (only maybe a different color) and use the specified quantity of yarn.

So let's start there. What yarn did the instructions say to use? Are you using that yarn or are you using a substitute? If you're using a substitute yarn, is it exactly the same size as the called-for yarn? For one thing, you may be able to use a larger yarn and not have to hold two strands together. Or if you're using a smaller yarn, you may need to hold three strands together to get the same fabric.

Let's say you are using the called-for yarn and you're going to use two strands held together. What are the possible ways to do that?

1. Buy two skeins of yarn and use one strand from each skein. Baby blankets typically use 12 oz to 16 oz of yarn, so you'll need at least 2 skeins anyway (unless you buy a One Pound skein).

2. If you can make the blanket with only one large skein of yarn, there are two ways to approach the "two strand" requirement.

2.A. The first method requires a center-pull skein, that is a skein wound to have the yarn fed out of the center. With a center-pull skein, pull the free end out of the center of the skein and match it up with the other end of the yarn from the outside of the skein. Voila! two strands from the same skein.

2.B. The second method does require you to wind off half the skein into a ball to provide the second strand. Use a kitchen scale (preferably a digital scale) to make sure you have the same weight in each yarn source before you cut the yarn.

You asked, "Here is where I get really confused.how do I work 20 rows in seed with 126sts. Like where do I start."

Start by casting on 126 stitches using both strands of yarn for each cast-on stitch. Think of each loop as one stitch even through it's composed of two strands of yarn. Note that you have an even number of stitches in your cast on row. That's important, because your seed-stitch stitch pattern requires an even number of stitches to work right.

Next, you're going to knit a border that requires 20 rows of seed stitch. Seed stitch is a good border because it lies flat. It lies flat because it alternates knit stitches with purl stitches in a "checkerboard" pattern:

kpkpkpkpkp

pkpkpkpkpk

kpkpkpkpkp

pkpkpkpkpk

Okay, you have your 126 stitches cast on, using 2 strands of yarn. First stitch: Insert the tip of your working (right-hand) needle under both strands of the first stitch on the left-hand needle in the normal "knit stitch" procedure. Wrap both strands of the working yarn around the needle tip and complete the first knit stitch. Second stitch: Insert the tip of your working needle into both strands of the next stitch on the left-hand needle in the normal "purl stitch" procedure. Wrap both strands of the working yarn around the needle tip and complete the first purl stitch. Repeat this procedure across the row, alternating knit stitches with purl stitches.

Note that because you have an even number of stitches, your last stitch on the row will be a purl stitch.

For the second row, you will repeat the stitch sequence from the first row but starting with a purl stitch instead of a knit stitch. That causes the knit and purl stitches to alternate in both directions--horizontally and vertically. When you look at the first stitch on the second row on the left-hand needle, it will look like a knit stitch facing you. Purl it. The next stitch will look like a purl stitch facing you. Knit it. And so on across the row. To keep the pattern alternating, knit the stitches that look like purls and purl the stitches that look like knits. The fabric will start developing as a nubby, bumpy fabric that looks like laid-out seeds (thus "seed stitch").

If you have 1 big ball of yarn, you have to turn it into 2 balls of yarn. If you have more than 1 ball of yarn already, just take the yarn from the start of each ball and hold them together in your hand as though they were just 1 piece of wool.

So cast on 126 stitches. Then on the first row do knit 1, purl 1 all the way across. If you have an even number of stitches, you will end up with a purl stitch. On the second row start with a purl 1, knit 1 and do the same all the way across. Third row is the same as row 1 and 4th row the same as row 2. Keep going for 20 rows.

Your 1st question regarding 2 strands of yarn. If you have only 1 skein of yarn you wind off half the yarn into a separate ball. You then have 2 balls to knit together.

Next you cast on 126 sts and work as follows.

Row 1: *K1,P1. Repeat from * to end of row

Row 2: *P1,K1. Repeat from * to end of row.

Row 3: Repeat row 1

Row 4: Repeat row 2

Continue repeating the 2 pattern rows till you have done 20 rows.

The working yarn travels under the needle when you move it from front to back (from purl to knit) or from back to front (from knit to purl). If you transfer the yarn over the needle, you will create a loop on the right needle, which is going to look strange when you knit the next row. There's a good chance you'll treat that loop as a stitch in which case it will become an increase and appear as a hole in your work.