Rainbow zebra blanket!

[Totstv24]

Hello,

I am trying to make a rainbow zebra blanket-I've been on here before asking about the mane for the rainbow zebra toy I made and completed.

I'm relatively new to crochet so I'm trying to do projects which will teach me something new and not just the basics.

The blanket I'm making can be found here: https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/208103943/rainbow-zebra-lovey-security-blanket-pdf?ref=hp_mod_rf

But it's also on ravelry and other sites too.

When I do a row. I think I have done it properly. However then when I count my stitches I'm never correct.

I'm only on row three!

 

I have attached an image with the pattern as it's quicker than typing it all out.

When I write it down on a piece of paper I can get it to have 40 stitches. But I can't get 60.

 

Thanks for reading this

 

P.s. If you can't read my attached picture please let me know and I will type it out.

[Totstv24]

Okay, I have now managed to get 40 stitches. However cannot get 60!

I can get 56. Or 40 something. But not 60!

[Totstv24]

Or I can get 66!

[redrosesdz]

Do you have 10 sections?  The pattern tells you what do for the 1st section.  It then gives instructions for the 2nd section and tells you to repeat that 8 more times, for a total of 10 sections.  If you have 10 sections, then all increases will be a multiple of 10.

 

Round 3 has 1 increase in each section, which adds 10 stitches - 40 stitches.  This can be calculated by 4 increases - 3 skipped stitches in each section. 

 

Round 4 has 2 increases in each section, which adds 20 stitches - 60 stitches.  This can be calculated by 4 increases - 2 skipped stitches.

 

You said that you're new to crochet and this is an intermediate pattern.  It's best to increase your skill level gradually before tackling the harder patterns.  Sometimes people get discouraged and give up crocheting all together when they try more difficult patterns too soon.  For example, have you done a ripple pattern in rows, yet?  I highly recommend doing at least one flat ripple, before doing a ripple in the round.  It will help you understand ripples.

[Granny Square]

I have a suggestion - not just for this specific situation but whenever you have issues with achieving stitch counts given on a pattern.  

 

Make a sketch of your stitches.  Have you run across crochet charts, where the stitches have their own symbols and where you can follow a pattern without words?  Just a couple of guides...

http://www.craftyarncouncil.com/chart_crochet.html

http://www.craftsy.com/blog/2014/11/making-sense-of-crochet-diagrams/

 

Now, don't panic.  Although it's a good idea to become familiar with these symbols eventually, you can make a sketch in a way that makes sense to you.  For your pattern, make 40 dots to represent the number of stitches you made in round 2 (since it seems you were able to get that far, right?)  Make it in a straight line if you want, might be easier than making them in a circle.  Then, working right to left, sketch the stitches described in round 3, as they need to be made into the dots from round 2.  Drawing it out will help you see how the stitches relate to each other, and the pattern of how 40 stitches become 60.

 

Straight ripples aren't inherently hard--they are made with x stitches on each side, and (usually) an increase of 2 at the peak and a decrease of 2 at the valley--sounds easy, right?  BUT they are notorious for being easy to get 'off' on your stitch count, causing the ripples to become uneven, so you have to keep counting your stitches to keep on track.  Round ripples introduce another wrinkle, in that to keep growing from the center, you need to add stitches each round, so you need to be extra diligent to keep count.

[Granny Square]

One thing that can help with counting in the round, in general.  Working  in discrete rounds, you join the last stitch to the first stitch with a slip stitch.  This causes a sort of phantom thingy that looks like a stitch, but it is not ever counted in a pattern's stitch counts.  This photo illustrates the phantom slip stitch: it's really the same stitch that the chain 3 sprouts from in this example, but it looks like a stitch top before the chain 3.

[Totstv24]

You said that you're new to crochet and this is an intermediate pattern.  It's best to increase your skill level gradually before tackling the harder patterns.  Sometimes people get discouraged and give up crocheting all together when they try more difficult patterns too soon.  For example, have you done a ripple pattern in rows, yet?  I highly recommend doing at least one flat ripple, before doing a ripple in the round.  It will help you understand ripples.

May I just add it's an easy/intermediate. Which is what I have been doing before!

But thanks for your advice.