Please help

[woollywonder]

Hi,

 

I am new to crochet. I taught myself most of the main stitches last year and made a blanket, Spring Throw by Nicki Trench. Ive set myself a new challenge this year - to make a garment and have chosen to make a shrug. But I'm really struggling with the pattern. Its meant to be an easy one too but I am getting confused with some of the terminology and it doesn't appear to state which stitches in the foundation chain you need to stitch the new stitches. Here is an excerpt...

 

Chain  52 and start in 3rd ch from hook. Crochet in every ch a sc (=51 sc and first 2 ch count as a sc)

Row 1; ch3  , dc1, * ch2,  skip 2dc, dc3* repeat 8 times, ch 2, skip 2dc, dc2

 

I am confused about how to do row one because the pattern does not state in which stitch of the foundation chain I need to stitch the stitches of row 1. Also when it says 'ch2, skip 2dc' - but there are no 'dc' to skip at that point because I had only crocheted single chains in the foundation chain. Also what does dc3 mean? Does it mean to put 3 double crochets in the same stitch?

 

Sorry if I am making myself sound totally clueless but don't understand this and feel already like I have fallen at the first hurdle!

 

If anyone can advise I would really appreciate it,

 

Thank you

 

[#1Crochetfan]

It sounds like something is missing or not right. If it's a free pattern - can you post a link for us to look at? Otherwise, if it's not a free pattern, let us know the name of the pattern and the designer with the source, so maybe someone who has it or who has made it can help you out more.

[woollywonder]

Hi thanks for your reply. I paid for the pattern. It is the rainbow shrug designed by Bernadette Ambergen. I have read the pattern on the remaining rows and they seem to make sense. Its just row 1 I seem to be getting stuck with. If anyone can help I would be so grateful. I have purchased the pattern and the yarn just need to get past this hurdle before I can do anything else.

 

Thanks   

[Gingerbread Girl]

After making your chain of 52, you will single crochet in the third chain from the hook and in every chain across. Note that the 2 skipped chains are going to count as a stitch, so at the end of the row you will have worked 50 stitches + the 2 chains you skipped = 51 stitches total. Sometimes when you come back to the skipped chains at the end of the next row it can be hard to see the top where you'll need to work a stitch later so you might want to mark it with a stitch marker (or a safety pin or a bobby pin etc.) so that you will be able to easily identify this as a stitch later. 

I will re-write row 1 for you so hopefully it makes more sense. (I did just grab some yarn and a hook and tested it to verify, and it does turn out right.)

Chain 3, 1 dc, * ch 2, skip next two sc, dc in each of next 3 sc, repeat from * 8 times, ch 2, skip 2 sc, dc in each of last 2 sc.

Is it easier to understand written out that way? You will basically have 9 groups of 3 dc stitches separated by the chains/skipped stitches across the row.

I think that when the pattern included "dc" where there is only "sc" it might be because this row is repeated later in the pattern where you will actually be working into dc stitches (just guessing); a lot of patterns will do that even though on the first row you're actually just working into sc not dc stitches. 

[woollywonder]

Wow, thank you so much for your advice! Yes it does make a lot more sense written the way that you have worded it. I can't wait to get started on it now. Thank you 

[Gingerbread Girl]

Happy to help! Everybody seems to like their own terminology for crochet, so sometimes it takes a little deciphering and re-writing so that it can make sense, there isn't really one set way to write out a pattern. 

[FlossiePotts]

That is really confusing. Row 1 really should be the sc row.

Shouldn't it?

[Gingerbread Girl]

That is really confusing. Row 1 really should be the sc row.

Shouldn't it?

 

Usually it would be. I've seen patterns written this way before though. Sometimes designers will refer to it as the foundation row. Or like with this pattern, not really call it anything just give instructions then the next row where the actual pattern starts is considered row 1. Part of that whole "everyone likes their own terminology" thing.