PurlMindOur Niche HubKnitting “at the same time”: four ways to keep track
Few phrases in a knitting pattern cause as many frogged rows as “at the same time”. It means two sets of instructions run in parallel, each on its own schedule, and you have to work out where they overlap. Here is one worked example, done four different ways, so you can pick the method that suits you.
What “at the same time” means
Patterns are written as a sequence, but garments are not always knitted that way. On a cardigan front, for example, the V-neck decreases often begin before the armhole, then carry on while the armhole is shaped. A pattern can’t print both sets of instructions in one line, so it gives one, then says “at the same time” and gives the other. It is easy to finish the first set before noticing the second should already have started.
The trick is to turn both instructions into a list of row numbers before you knit, and to see which rows need one action, which need both and which need none.
The example: a cardigan front
A left front, worked flat, with 40 stitches on the needle. Row 1 is a right-side row. The pattern says:
Neck shaping: decrease 1 stitch at the neck edge on the next row and every following 4th row, 6 times in total.
At the same time, beginning on row 9: decrease 1 stitch at the armhole edge on every right-side row, 5 times in total.
Translated into row numbers:
- Neck decreases: rows 1, 5, 9, 13, 17 and 21. These rows are 4 apart, 6 occurrences.
- Armhole decreases: rows 9, 11, 13, 15 and 17. Every 2nd row, because right-side rows are the odd ones, 5 occurrences.
Combined, with the stitch count after each shaping row:
| Row | Neck | Armhole | Stitches after row |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | dec 1 | 39 | |
| 5 | dec 1 | 38 | |
| 9 | dec 1 | dec 1 | 36 |
| 11 | dec 1 | 35 | |
| 13 | dec 1 | dec 1 | 33 |
| 15 | dec 1 | 32 | |
| 17 | dec 1 | dec 1 | 30 |
| 21 | dec 1 | 29 |
Rows 9, 13 and 17 need both decreases. The final count, 40 − 6 − 5 = 29 stitches, is the number to compare with the pattern. Most patterns state it, and if yours doesn’t match, something in the reading is off. The rows not listed are worked plain, in pattern.
Method 1: mark up the pattern
Write the row list from the table above in the pattern margin or on a sticky note, with the expected stitch count beside each shaping row. Tick each row as you finish it. Use a highlighter for rows where both instructions apply.
Good for: short sections and knitters who like paper. Watch out for: arithmetic slips when writing the list. Always do the final stitch-count check before you start.
Method 2: row counters
Use two counters, one per instruction, or one counter and a note of the next row for each instruction. Many counter apps let you link several counters, or set a reminder that fires every few rows.
Good for: knowing exactly which row you are on, especially when you knit in short sessions. Watch out for: a counter tells you where you are, not what comes next. With two schedules, you still have to work out which rows coincide, and resetting the wrong counter is easy to do.
Method 3: a spreadsheet
A spreadsheet can produce the whole table for you, and it adapts if you change the numbers.
Show the formulas to copy
Put row numbers 1 to 21 in column A, starting in cell A2. Then:
- B2 (neck, starting row 1, every 4 rows, 6 times):
=IF(AND(A2>=1,MOD(A2-1,4)=0,(A2-1)/4<6),"dec 1","") - C2 (armhole, starting row 9, every 2 rows, 5 times):
=IF(AND(A2>=9,MOD(A2-9,2)=0,(A2-9)/2<5),"dec 1","") - D2 (stitch count after row 1):
=40-(B2<>"")-(C2<>"") - D3 (each later row):
=D2-(B3<>"")-(C3<>"")
Copy B2 and C2 down to row 22, and D3 down to D22. The pattern is the same for any instruction: replace the first row, the interval and the number of times. In some language settings, Excel and Google Sheets use semicolons instead of commas between the parts of a formula.
Good for: long or complicated sections, several sizes, and knitters who like to see everything. Watch out for: it takes setting up, it is awkward on a phone at the knitting chair, and a formula copied one row out of place gives quietly wrong results.
Method 4: a row planner
A planner does the spreadsheet’s job without formulas. You enter each instruction as you would read it (first row, how often, how many times and the stitch change) and it builds the combined checklist, including the running stitch count. You then tick off rows as you knit.
Our free browser tool PurlMind is built for exactly this, in English and Dutch, for flat knitting. Established pattern apps such as knitCompanion offer linked counters and shaping reminders as part of a broader set of features, and suit you if you want everything, including the pattern itself, in one app.
Good for: getting the row list right without arithmetic, and keeping your place on a phone or tablet. Watch out for: you still need to read the pattern correctly. Particularly with repeats, check the next section.
Pitfalls to check in any method
- “Repeat 5 more times” is 6 in total. “Decrease on the next row, then every 4th row 5 more times” gives 6 decrease rows. “Every 4th row, 5 times” gives 5. The stated final stitch count settles any doubt.
- “Every 4th row” means 4 rows apart. After a decrease on row 1, the next is on row 5, not row 4. There are three plain rows in between.
- Odd intervals switch sides. With row 1 on the right side, an even interval keeps every decrease on the right side; an odd interval alternates right and wrong side. If your pattern expects every decrease on the right side, an odd interval is a sign of a misreading.
- Some instructions are in centimetres, not rows. “When the armhole measures 5 cm” has to be converted with your row gauge. At 30 rows per 10 cm, 5 cm is 15 rows. Measure as you go, because row gauge often drifts.
- Edge or total? “Decrease 1 stitch at each end” removes 2 stitches per row. In this example, each decrease happens at one edge only, so each removes 1.