How to follow "at the same time" instructions
A pattern can only print one thing at a time, so it writes the armhole, then says AT THE SAME TIME and writes the neck. On the needles they overlap: the neck starts while armhole decreases are still left to do. Lion Brand's advice is to read both sets before you start and keep counting the first while you begin the second. Knitters on forums and in Berroco's blog do it with a row list on paper or boxes on graph paper.
The planner makes that list. Copy each shaping from your pattern as a few steps: what to do, how many stitches, at which edge, how often, how many times. Lengths become rows using your row gauge. Raglan increases or decreases can go at the markers. A step can also mark a row with no stitch change, like a buttonhole, and the divide step can take a decrease at each neck edge on the same row. Each row then shows what every shaping asks for, at which end of the row, and the stitches left.
You get a warning when two shapings hit the same edge on one row, a right-side-only decrease lands on a wrong-side row, a divide leaves uneven halves or the stitches run out. Type the count your pattern says should remain and it checks that too.
Example: armhole and V-neck together
A front has 100 stitches at the underarm and 28 rows to 4 inches. The armhole binds off 5 stitches at each end, then 2, then decreases 1 at each end on the next 4 right side rows. AT THE SAME TIME, when the armhole measures 1 inch, the neck divides and decreases 1 at each neck edge every right side row 10 times, then every 4th row 5 times.
One inch is 7 rows, so the neck divides on row 9, the next right side row, with 2 armhole decreases still to come. Row 9 has an armhole decrease, then the divide: 40 stitches each side. Row 11 has an armhole decrease at one end of each half and a neck decrease at the other. Each shoulder ends with 24 stitches. Open this example.
Questions knitters ask
What does "at the same time" mean in knitting?
Two or more shapings overlap. The pattern writes them one after another, but you start the second while the first is still going, usually a neckline that begins before the armhole or raglan decreases are done. Keep counting both.
Do I finish the armhole before starting the neck?
No. Start the neck on the row the pattern names (often a length, like "when armhole measures 1 in") and keep working the armhole decreases you have left. Finishing the armhole first leaves the wrong number of stitches at the shoulder.
What does "every 4th row" mean?
Shape on one row, then on the 4th row after it: rows 1, 5, 9, 13. "Next and every following 4th row" starts on the next row. Some knitters read plain "every 4th row" from the start as rows 4, 8, 12. The planner has a setting for each reading, so pick the one your pattern means.
Why is the neck bind-off a row later on one side?
You can only bind off at the start of a row. After you divide for the neck, one neck edge starts the right side rows and the other starts the wrong side rows, so the second side binds off one row later. Decreases can sit at either end, so both sides decrease on the same row.
Can I work both sides of the neck at the same time?
Yes. Join a second ball for the second half and work across both halves on every row. "Both halves together" lists the shaping for each half on every row. Pick "One half at a time" to finish one shoulder first.
How do I add buttonholes at the same time as the neck?
Add a shaping and pick "Mark row" as its step. Type what to do (work a buttonhole), the edge, every how many rows and how many times. Buttonhole rows show in the list, the row counter and the tick sheet; the stitch count stays the same.
Does it work for knitting both sleeves at the same time?
Yes. Two sleeves on one needle have the same shaping, so enter it once and work each row on both sleeves before you tick it.
Where is my place saved?
In this browser on this device, every time you change a number or tap a row, so your plan and current row come back when you return. Share link sends the plan, not your place.
Sources: Craft Yarn Council abbreviations (BO, dec, inc, RS, WS; "cast off" for bind off); Lion Brand, Working "At the Same Time"; Berroco, keeping track of multiple instructions. Row counting checked against Knitting Help forum answers (following 4th rows, a front laid out row by row) and the Dummies scoop neck pullover. Templates use example numbers; use your pattern's numbers for your size.