Miss counting?

[jamelee25]

I am trying to make a christmas tree skirt and the beginning of the pattern is as follows:

 

Directions: Skirt Base: Ch 30 + 3 (first dc) + 1 (first space). Row 1 (right side): Dc in 5th ch from hook, , |ch 1, dc in next ch |, rep from | to | across (61 sts), turn

 

My problem is that I have tried and restarted about 10 times and can never come up with 61 stitches!!

 

Can someone tell me if the pattern is wrong or if I am doing something wrong?!?!

 

Thanks!

[magiccrochetfan]

How many do you get?

 

Remember what it says....the first ch 3 counts as a dc and then there is a ch after that, so that is your first two stitches to count.

[redrosesdz]

Try counting the stitches separately.  There should be 31 dc stitches (including the first ch-3) + 30 chains (including the first ch1 that is attaches to the ch-3.)

[Granny Square]

Pattern is wrong, sort of.  You add 2 chains for the first DC NOT 3.  Imagine the smallest possible row in DC (2 DC).  Chain 4, DC in the 4th chain from the hook - you have 2 DC, one formed by the 3 unused chains (therefore, you chain 4 for 2 DC, so 2 chains for the first DC).  However, following the pattern, you should just end up with an over loopy gap at the beginning end.

 

Here is the schematic (D=DC, o=chain) of your pattern if you make 30 chains (black), plus 4 (blue), instead of plus 5:

 

1234567890123456789012345678901234567890123456789012345678901 = number of stitches in row 1=61

DoDoDoDoDoDoDoDoDoDoDoDoDoDoDoDoDoDoDoDoDoDoDoDoDoDoDoDoDoDoo

DoDoDoDoDoDoDoDoDoDoDoDoDoDoDoDoDoDoDoDoDoDoDoDoDoDoDoDoDoDoo

oDoDoDoDoDoDoDoDoDoDoDoDoDoDoDoDoDoDoDoDoDoDoDoDoDoDoDoDoDoDo

 

1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-0-1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-0-1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-0    =number of base chains (30) plus 4