I need clarification on lesson 1 swatch 4 directions...
for the bar increase the directions say to place the bar increases so that there are 3 sts before the increases at the right selvedge and 3 sts after the increases at the left selvedge. My brain is scrambled and I can't wrap it around this concept. I would like to work on this swatch during my daughters nap time...anybody have a more literal/clear/video example?!?!? (ha wishful thinking!!!)

I hope someone checks this thing on Saturdays!!! Thanks in advance!

When you do the bar increase, you knit into the front of the stitch, and then the back. The result of knitting in to the front is a stitch that looks like a knit. The result of knitting into the back is a stitch that creates the bar, which looks like a purl stitch, so it looks like this:
-V

You have to have three stitches that are knits at the beginning, and three stitches that are knits at the end, so that the row looks like this:
VVV-VVVV....VVVV-VVV
In order to get this result, you need to figure out which stitch is worked as the bar increase.

Not sure what's confusing you, so some of the following will be obvious. (If I knew which, I'd leave it out.:-) )

The selvedge is the edge of the piece. There should be 3 stitches--meaning the "V"s you get from a knit stitch--between the increase and the edge. So, on the right, you want 3 Vs, then the bar of the increase; on the left, you have a bar, then 3 Vs.

I haven't indicated whether a particular stitch should be a regular knit stitch or an increase stitch because the point of the exercise is to figure out which stitches to make the increase in so that the two side of the swatch look the same.

Rox - thanks! It helps to see a diagram...
Peggy - I was confused because my brain didn't want to function at 8:30-9:00 am. Why I don't know...probably cause I am 6 months pregnant with my second baby and HUNGRY ALL THE TIME!!! That's my guess anyways. I am not asking for answers to solve knitting problems, just clarification...and the vvv-vv...vv-vvv diagram from Rox was exactly what I needed!!! Sometimes written instruction (when I am stressed) throws me for a loop! Thanks ladies!!!

No, no, no--I only meant "Don't be insulted if something I say seems totally obvious, because I'm not sure which part you need clarified so I'm going to overexplain." I didn't mean *why* are you confused.:-)

And I was writing my post when Rox posted her reply, so I didn't see it until just now. She had you covered.:-)

no Peggy you were right. I should have been more specific!!! Now I know I need some sort of a visual representation of what it is supposed to look like...I guess that makes me a visual learner...I always thought I was a kinesthetic learner...probably a little of both. Anyway's next time I will know to be more specific!!! Thanks Peggy! Also, as soon as I ate something,my brain slowly began to operate on a normal basis!!! Good news!!!

Peggy,
I wouldn't worry too much about whether you tell someone which stitch should have something done to it. Basically in the instructions they tell you anyhow. I always believed that the point of any of the swatch knitting was to show that you could DO the darn thing. There's plenty of places/people that could show or tell you how to place the stitch. The only time I don't "give" the answer away is in regards to the questions and the answers. So far all my replies to those have been pointers on where or how to find the answer.