need help reading my first crochet pattern

[Toni Klingbiel Waller]

Hi I am new to crochet and working my first pattern. The pattern is by Red Heart named romantic lacy shawl lw2691. I am on the 2nd row after the second , and don't understand skip next 3 dc and ch-2 space. Skip 3 after the last stitch I dc in or including and what is my ch-2 space??

[ShanaEirin]

I can't pull up your pattern right now, but I hope I can help... You skip the stitches after the last stitch you made. The chain2 space is literally that: a hole or space created by a chain of 2, which you probably made in your last round. Hope that helps!

[Tampa Doll]

When you turn, you Chain 4 then dc in the first dc.  You should have 3 dc next and a ch2 space.  You skip those 3dc and the space.  You will be making a dc in the first dc of the row below, skipping the next 3 and space.

 

ch4 dc ---_ dc---_dc.                    --- skipped dc _ skipped ch2 space.

 

Hope this helps, I am sure there will be more explanations coming soon. 

[Granny Square]

Welcome to the 'ville!  Link to pattern for reference

http://www.redheart.com/free-patterns/romantic-lacy-shawl

 

There is an amateur video* on the pattern page (warning, it very nearly made me motion sick for the first couple of minutes). If you scroll to about 3 minutes, she is at the point where she has finished the chain and turned, and is making the first dc into the 5th chain from the hook--then she chains 2.  These 2 chains form one of the chain-2 spaces that you will be dealing with in row 2.  

 

*She is not explaining things badly, the videography is just, um, very rough compared to other Red Heart videos I've seen.

[Toni Klingbiel Waller]

Thank you everyone for your help! The video was helpful even if though my pattern varies slightly. When something reads ch-2 sp then the space is a hole made by 2 chains correct? I believe I did not follow the pattern exactly because I dc in the first dc and then skip the first space however it isn't a 2 chain space but a 3 chain space.

[redrosesdz]

Yes.  When a pattern says "into the ch-# space", it means the hole created by chaining in the previous row.  If the previous row was a ch 1, then the next row would say "into the ch-1 space."  If the previous row was a ch 2, then it would say "into the ch-2 space." And so on.  It says ch-# to indicate how many chains were made on the previous row. 

 

It's much easier to insert your hook into the hole made by a chain, than it is into the top 2 loops of chain.  In addition, some patterns have you crochet multiple stitches into the ch-# space.  Personally, I think it looks nicer, too.

[2manythreads]

Welcome to the 'ville!  Link to pattern for reference

http://www.redheart.com/free-patterns/romantic-lacy-shawl

 

There is an amateur video* on the pattern page (warning, it very nearly made me motion sick for the first couple of minutes). If you scroll to about 3 minutes, she is at the point where she has finished the chain and turned, and is making the first dc into the 5th chain from the hook--then she chains 2.  These 2 chains form one of the chain-2 spaces that you will be dealing with in row 2.  

 

*She is not explaining things badly, the videography is just, um, very rough compared to other Red Heart videos I've seen."

 

 

 

 

RedHeart videos are TERRIBLE. Read the comments on their videos- about any one you can find, and they all have some sort of complaint. All of the yarn people's instruction videos are almost ALL bad- why? Why don't they make videos that people can LEARN from? We don't need to hear a bunch of talking. We don't need to be introduced to your favorite yarns, your newest product, or your manicure, or hear your babbling. JUST SHOW US THE HOW-TO and don't try to wow the public with how nice you look on Youtube (sorry, this is a rant but just wanted to vent)

 

To New@Crochet, when they say "skip next 3 dc and ch-2 space" it means exactly that- do NOT put your stitch into the next 3 double crochets NOR the little "hole" or space made by that chain 2 you made in the row before this one. Practice makes perfect! I am rather new at it also, and had no one to assist me except for the online community      sometimes looking at the completed pattern on the website, and then looking carefully at my result showed me where I went wrong or right. You WILL "get it" in time, be prepared to make mistakes and don't get frustrated when you do- its bound to happen. You'll figure it out! Good luck!

[Granny Square]

Oh, interesting about the RH videos, they should screen them better (not just for being bad, but the OP says it was inaccurate, which is a bad thing).  

 

I rarely use videos but this one came to mind, I thought it was clear and well done, but as I look closer now it wasn't done by RH as I assumed when I first saw it, interesting.

 

http://www.redheart.com/free-patterns/peppermint-throw-and-pillow

[2manythreads]

G-Square, it's not just RH that makes the bad videos. Lion Brand does too. They ALL do. The only vids I find worth watching are European- either from UK, or even non-English language ones. There's a lady from S. Africa I just love who does videos I can't think of her name- anyway, Lion Brand, RedHeart, they are soooo bad. They waste your time in the first couple minutes with useless talking, introducing themselves or "this is the way I do it, but YOU may do it another way.." or some such drivel. Then they wave their hands around as they talk, when they finally get down to business, they speedily go thru the "instruction" SO fast you have to rewind constantly to figure it out. Or, they kind of vaguely pass over an important part of the stitch or project that anyone would really need to watch the video to learn it to begin with. Oh they are so infuriating. 5 minutes of video, maybe 23 seconds of bad instructions.

 

I feel so badly for beginners- of which I consider myself still one, but at least I can read and understand (most) patterns, I had a devil of a time trying to learn from You tube. The good videos worth watching are hidden so to speak. It is a time consuming, tedious process to find the decent ones. I got so frustrated, so discouraged from watching so-called "professional" youtube videos that I gave up crochet for a few months in the beginning. I threw in the towel as I figured I would never learn crochet!! I am too stupid, or not figuring it out right.

 

I blame THEM! lololol. No, really, they need to make better videos by people who understand what it is like to be a new crocheter, and the thought process we are going through and they need to address those little things we need help on. Soneone like YOU, GrannySquare!! Do YOU make videos...? Because you explain things SO well, you've helped me on a few things- that somehow you knew the exact issues we have problems with.

 

Some people have a knack for it, some don't. Off topic but I was Help Desk for an ISP for almost 12 years- even from the get-go I was very good at it and customers/even engineers would tell me "Gee, I finally got someone who fixed my issue- this is my 3rd time calling and you were able to help me and no one else could"

 

it has to do with an ability to picture yourself as the customer/beginner/student- put yourself in their shoes. A lot of people can't do that. Some people can. This is who should be teaching: the ones who are able to show another person what they need to be seeing, hearing and so on.

 

Red Heart, I do love your yarns, but SHAME ON YOU (wags finger) get some of these people who are good at teaching new people to be in your videos. Why not ask Granny Square and/or a few of these other very helpful people here to help you out, maybe toss them few skeins of Super Saver for compensation (I joke)

 

I hope New@Crochet got it figured out?? Did you? Coime back- the people here are SO great, ask away ! So much help here.

[Granny Square]

Aw, thanks.  I don't have a way to make videos, I have an old computer (I think it runs on coal...)  

[magiccrochetfan]

Aw, thanks.  I don't have a way to make videos, I have an old computer (I think it runs on coal...)  

 

that is the funniest thing I've read all day!!!!