Circular crochet

[emmyk89]

Hello everyone! I'm new to crocheting.
 
I have practised the stitches many times in swatches and not really made anything, i have made a few flat circles too. I have watched loads of videos and read on the net, i also have a book by DK.
My sister bought me a little crochet 'make a giraffe' kit, which i think is aimed at beginners because it tells you how to begin crochet and all the basic stitches.
 
Ive pretty much got the hang of reading crochet instructions but i am struggling with crocheting in the round/circular/tubes.
 
I keep getting confused with counting, number of stiches and things just don't look right! Its frustrating me to the point where i want to give up. I have some questions as i cannot find the answer by doing a search as different websites say different things!
 
Btw i am in the UK so i am using UK terms. Referring to the instructions that have come with this little giraffe kit, it uses Double crochet stitch (US single stitch)
 
1. At the end of each round, when the instructions say "slip stitch to beginning of round" do you do the slst into the last stitch of of the prev round? Which i mark with a safety pin.
 
2. do you do the first stitch of the next round in the same stitch you did the slip stitch into? Ive read different things about this. 
 
3. When i chain one at the end of the round, finish that round then count the 'V's there is 2 extra? I am so confused, is one the slip stitch and 1 the chain stitch from the previous round? Do i skip the first 2 V's and do the first stich in the 3rd from hook V? (the instructions say after each round "9 stitches" but when i count there is 11 Vs)
 
4. on the bit i have just done for one of the legs (and on practice flat circles i have done) the seam where each round starts/ends, it looks a mess!! Its smaller in height then the rest of it. See pictures. I have been doing the slip stitch into the last stitch of the prev round, then the first stitch of the new round into the next V, is this what i should be doing? I'm not sure if this V is the 1 chain or the first stitch?

 

5. How do you get the seam to look nice and not obvious?

 

Thanks

[Granny Square]

When you work in the round (tube), you typically don't turn, and there are 2 things that happen making tubes that don't happen working flat: the stitches look different (part of why you might think something doesn't look right), and the stitches will look like they lean.

 

Crochet stitches lean.  Working flat, the stitches' lean cancels itself out:

/////

\\\\\

 

Working a tube, with the same side facing, they don't.

\\\\\

\\\\\

 

There are 2 ways to work a  tube without turning:  in a spiral roundandroundandround, or in rounds that are parallel:  when you reach the end, you chain up, then start a new round.  I'm guessing you are doing the latter.  

(1) I assume you mean "slip stitch into beginning of round".  The last stitch of your current round should 'bump into' the first stitch of the same round.  You need to slip stitch into the top of the first stitch of the same round--doing this starts the base for the next round.

(2) yes, normally, especially for toys, and especially for US SC/ UK DC.

(3) the slip stitch, and the chain-1, don't count.  The slip stitch is just a way to connect the end of the row to the beginning (not counted as a stitch).  The chain-1 is to raise your work up to the stitch level for the next row (not counted as a stitch - more later*).

(4) the first stitch into the round should be made into the slip stitch that you made to join the end to the beginning, you should not skip it (this is why your swatches seemed 'low' there, you are missing a stitch to raise it up).  It helps to make this slip stitch a tad loose, a lot of people including me tend to slip stitch more tightly than other stitches.

(5) the seam will show a bit, but should look better if you don't skip that first stitch

 

*Turning chains and stitches (If you don't mind, I will speak in my native US terms).  What I'm describing below assumes you are making a solid fabric with just the stitches I'm describing (some lacy patterns will have you chain or skip different numbers for different effects)

sc: chain 1, turn, sc into the first stitch.  ch-1 does not count as a stitch

hdc:  this is a weird stitch, I've seen it have multiple rules.  Either chain 1 or 2, the chain either counts, or doesn't count, as a stitch.

dc: chain 3, turn, skip the first dc and dc into the second dc.  The chain-3 counts as a stitch, which is why you skip the first dc.  When you come back to the ch-3 at the end of the next row, you will dc into the top chain (because it is effectively a dc).

triples (and taller): like dc, you typically add an additional chain for every time you yarn around the hook beyond the 1 time for dc.

[emmyk89]

hello, thanks for your reply, i will give it a try next time

 

Im not sure what you mean by leaning though?

 

Emma

[howieann]

Hello!

[Granny Square]

I threw in the comment about 'leaning' because you said 'it didn't look right', and I may have thrown out too much info to explain that working in the round, stitches look different than stitches worked flat (where you turn every row).

 

Here is a tutorial that shows how the stitches lean (she says 'creep') to the right - scroll down a little

http://www.lookatwhatimade.net/crafts/yarn/crochet/crochet-tutorials/how-to-crochet-in-the-round-spiral-vs-joining/

 

Here's a little swatch, I pulled it a bit to exaggerate the lean

 

[emmyk89]

Ahh I understand thanks.

 

I'm confused again now, on your first reply you said to do the slip stitch to join the round in thr first stitch of the same round, but at little bit further on you said to do the first stitch of the round into the slip stitch. So do I slip stitch (to join the round) into the first stitch of that round or into the slip stitch from the round the previous round?

[Granny Square]

I misspoke slightly -

at the end of the round, you slip stitch into the first stitch to join, chain 1, and make the first sc of the next round into the same stitch you slipped stitched into.