Half A Stitch?

[Jennylaughs]

I'm working on the "New Favorite Afghan" pattern from Lion Brand and I'm a little curious about the gauge swatch. It says "10 1/2 hdc + 7 rows = 4 inches". So I get the 7 rows of 10 hdc's, but how exactly does the 1/2 come in? Is it a sc at the end of each row? I'm just not sure what they're talking about.

 

Here is the pattern for reference (I needed to make an account to use it, it's free though):

 

http://www.lionbrand.com/patterns/L20513.html?newreg=1

[magiccrochetfan]

welcome to the ville

 

it means that when you measure your stitches to be sure you are hitting the gauge, you will have 10 1/2 hdc stitches in 4 inches.  the mark on your ruler will hit right in the middle of a stitch.  

 

Really for an afghan, exact gauge is not essential, unless you want  your afghan to be exactly that size.

[Jennylaughs]

Ah, ok! That makes sense. Thank you magiccrochetfan! I try to do a GS before each project as a habit :-)

[darski]

Ah, ok! That makes sense. Thank you magiccrochetfan! I try to do a GS before each project as a habit :-)

 

That is a good habit to develop but I agree with Magic that you don't usually need to hit gauge for a ghan

[Jennylaughs]

It's coming out well so far, have 5, almost 6 squares done. This yarn (LB Homespun) is really kind of a pain to work with. The hook always seem to catch a tiny strand. The looser I work the better and faster it goes, but I don't like the "sloppy" look of the stitches. I made a cloak with this yarn as well and didn't have this much trouble due to using a larger hook size. I wonder if the person who wrote the pattern had as much trouble as I am, lol. The yarn does make for a super soft, heavy weighted, very colorfully pretty blanket though, which is why I'm still using it. The trade-off is well worth it. This stuff is definitely not for beginners though, that's for sure.

[Real Deal]

Homespun is horrid to work with. I can't imagine trying to make a shaped item using it. You've got the right idea ~ a large hook, and biggish stitches making a flat item. That way, the thick and thin spots blend together and make a nice looking item.

[Avon Lady]

You can always use a different yarn!  I, too, hate to work with Homespun, so I usually end up with Red Heart or Bernat yarn!