UK/US crochet terms

[Rubik]

These are driving me insane! I've got a cheat sheet stuck to the wall where I sit when I crochet (about 8 hours a day as I'm on maternity!) but for some strange reason I have to keep checking it every time I'm working on anything.

 

And even then it's like some strange sort of OCD, where people have to check they have turned the gas off or locked the front door, I have to check and check again whether it is American or UK terminology and then my mind goes blank and I can't remember and I have to check youtube to remind myself of a stitch that I've done a million times before...

 

I know which is US and which is UK, the problem comes when I think that what 'I' think is a certain stitch, so I translate it to the other version, forgetting that I pretty much learned with US terminology so I'm translating backwards and using the wrong one. Oh my poor little brain.

 

Well they do say that pregnancy (temporarily) shrinks the brain. I'm probably only about as smart as a man right now...

[prettywoman030981]

That's pregnancy brain for you. And in my experience, pregnancy brain just morphs into mom brain. Good luck!

[FrLopLady]

would it help if you print the pattern out and put on it US or UK at the top..or if it is UK to take a pen and change it all to US terms?

[Rubik]

I'm afraid it's my own 'jelly-brain' more than anything. I started off just doing everything in US terminology as that is mostly what is online. But my library books show it in UK and I struggle to mentally seperate the 2. Even though I have the 'translations' memorised now, I just seem to have a mental block where I frequently will literally forget which is which even though I already know...

 

I know I'm not firing on all cylinders at the moment though, I had to give my address out on the phone a couple of days ago and I totally forgot it! All I could think of was my previous address from 3 years ago!

 

I didn't really think 'pregnancy brain' was a real thing, but I'm afraid I'm just not absorbing information and I'm even forgetting things I already know. I am even signing things in my maiden name instead of my married name. I will just have to start carrying a little notebook around with me I think.

[FrLopLady]

How about a stickie note on the page? Menopause brain is very similar

[RoseRed]

I think you should mention this to your doctor. I remember pregnancy brain and it wasn't anything like what you're going thru.

 

The easiest thing you can do would be to print out a copy of the page you're working on, go thru and change/translate the stitches directly onto the page and then you won't have to think about it while you're doing it.

[clairymary]

Hey Rubik, Im also in the UK and had the same problem as you to start with. I actually prefer the american terms now as they make more sense to me! They describe the stitch better! I have to concentrate when using a british pattern. Anyway I just wanted to say stick with it cos it does get easier and good luck with the baby when he/she arrives.

[Rubik]

Thank you for the advice! To be fair I'm under an immense amount of pressure at the moment, my husband could be required to leave the country at any time (with as little as 3 days notice) and potentially miss the rest of the pregnancy and birth (and leave me to explain his absence to our 4 year old) and my father is terminally ill plus we have only been married a few months so the married name hasn't quite sunk in yet.

 

And don't get me started on our sons birthday party on Dec 23rd - 38 children all under the age of 5...

 

I think you're right about sticking to the US version Clairy, it is so much more common online that it would be easier to take it as the norm and translate to the UK when required. The only thing that does really concern me is, what if the pregnancy brain becomes the mummy brain and then the menopause brain and then the old person brain without any gap in between! I'll never do sudoku again! Actually I've never done sudoku but you know what I mean... lol I don't know how I'd keep sane without crochet. I really find it therapeutic to do to keep me calm when I feel stressed!