confused by tr2tog

[katey101]

Hello, Im new to pattern reading and have been confused by the pattern for a boys cardigan i am making. The pattern says-

chain 39

ROW 1-Work tr2tog into 4th ch from hook and each ch to end turn.(37sts)

ROW 2- 3 ch (counts as 1tr), tr2tog between first tr and next st, trtog into sp between next 2sts, rep from * ending 1tr in top of tch, turn.

ROW 2 form patt and is reapted throughout. cont in patt untill back measures 32 cm from beg

 

I was trying to do this and it curved in to a semi circle and each row was getting shorter and shorter- dont see how it can form the back of my cardigan! what am i doing wrong?

IM SO CONFUSED LOL

Thanks

Katey

[Avon Lady]

Katey, when you work 2 trebles (triples) together you are actually increasing.  So you actually make 2 triple crochet stitches in one stitch.  It sounds like you are not actually making two triples in those stitches.  That's why it is curving in!  I hope this makes sense to you!  If not, let us know, and maybe someone else can express it better!

[katey101]

Hi, thanks for replying- it says on the pattern that it decreses it. This is why i am confused because it is getting to small lol

[Avon Lady]

Hi, thanks for replying- it says on the pattern that it decreses it. This is why i am confused because it is getting to small lol

Yeah, the pattern does read kind of funny!  You might see if there has been a correction written somewhere about it.  Did it come from a book, or online?

[katey101]

Its a DMC Hilary mackin- purchased it from a ebay.

[Avon Lady]

Its a DMC Hilary mackin- purchased it from a ebay.

H-m-m-m...  something else caught my interest--do you know if the terms are English or American?  There's a difference in their stitch names from ours.  She refers to the measurement as cm, instead of inches.....

[katey101]

She did put inchs as well but i forgot to type them lol it says mafde in england on the back. xxx

[Avon Lady]

She did put inchs as well but i forgot to type them lol it says mafde in england on the back. xxx

Ok, if you live in England, you're ok.  But if you live in the U.S., you need to google American vs. British crochet abbreviations.

[magiccrochetfan]

Welcome to the ville, Katey

 

I beleive the pattern is in UK terms, since they use 3 turning chains, which corresponds to the UK triple/US double crochet.  So do be sure you are using the right stitch.  

 

What the tr2tog seems to be is a bobble, like this http://www.nexstitch.com/v_bobble_stitch.html  This shows it with 3 stitches, but you would only do two.  Since the 2 stitches are based in one stitch and end as one stitch, it doesn't increase or decrease the stitch count.  What exactly does the patern say about  decreasing?  You chain 39, use 3 chains as the turning chain, and end with 37 sts, so you are not decreasing here.  

 

Could you link to a picture of the cardigan?  

 

eta:  is this it?  http://www.woolstack.co.uk/dmc-crochet-boys-hoodie-pattern/

I can't tell much about the stitch pattern from the photo.  

[katey101]

Thank you for you for your reply. It is the one you have linked.

The pattern has a decription of the tr2tog stitch. it says-

 

yo and insert into next stitch, yo and draw through stitch, yo and draw through two loops on the hook (two loops left on hook). yo and insert hook in to next stitch, yo and draw through two loops on hook, yo and draw through 3 loops on hook. (1trnow decreased)

 

does that make it any clearer?

Thanks

Katey

[Granny Square]

Something seems very buggy about the way the pattern was written.

 

"ROW 1-Work tr2tog into 4th ch from hook and each ch to end turn.(37sts)"

 

If you truly made them "tog", in other words as a decrease not a bobble as defined in post 10, you'd end up with 19 stitches if I did that right in my head.

 

If you made them as Bobbles as Kathy described, you would have 37 stitches.  Zooming in on the photo, it does appear to be bobbles (2 stitches into 1, in this case into the space between stitches in the prior row, but connected at the top to count as 1 st).  Plus, it's making a straight-edged fabric -- if you halved the number of stitches in each row you'd end up with a pyramid, and I assume you are supposed to be ending up with a straight sided rectangle that forms the body from the hem to the armpits at this point.

 

These stitches are nearly the same in their construction (stitches connected at the top), and pattern writers are not consistent:

decreases -- x number of y stitches together at the top, over multiple stitches at the bottom

bobbles--multiple stitches into 1 stitch, connected at the top (and bottom, since it's into 1 stitch). 

Clusters--really messy--are either decreases or bobbles