Chevron end of row short

[Babette Texan]

i have been going along on my 4th row of my chevron and the stitches are supposed to be 9 between valley's and peaks, and my last 9 came up 8!! help!

[Granny Square]

Hate to say this, but you're gonna have to do some counting.  Somewhere (hopefully on the current row and not ones below it), you have 9 'hillsides' that are more than 9 stitches, or perhaps erred in the amount you increased/decreased in the hills/valleys.  This is easy to do with chevrons I'm afraid... You might be able to spot them, or some of them, by standing back a little, you may be able to see that some hills are starting to tilt.

 

It's a good idea to use stitch markers to mark the center stitch on the hills and valleys.  Bobby pins are nice, and cheap, and stay on pretty well. 

[magiccrochetfan]

  You have apparently skipped a stitch somewhere.  Are you certain that you had 9 on the 3rd row?  

 

With chevron patterns you really have to keep all the numbers correct and all the increases and decreases lined up, so I try to remember to count everything, and to stop and check the incs and decs pretty often.  

 

---Hi there Granny Square!       I am typing slower than you today lol----

[Babette Texan]

i have been counting the whole way, so are you telling me there is no way to fix it but to rip out the entire row?!?!

had a mess with the yarn all tangled up.  Had to cut it a couple of times to fix it, so now I have like 3 places in this particular row I have tied off.  scared to rip it all out I might not be able to tie the yarn in so it doesn't show next time.

[magiccrochetfan]

Yes, I personally think you need to rip back to a point where all the counts are correct.  Also regarding the short lengths of yarn, after ripping them out, I would just put them aside for some other use.  Just join together the original yarn and the yarn that is coming from your ball now.  It will be more sturdy.  

 

I have never been able to successfully do this, but---If you can figure out where you got off count and you can insert the 9th stitch in the current row, it might work.  I am assuming you mean that in only *one* section you have 8 sts, that the rest of the row has 9.  

[Granny Square]

Hi Magic, didn't see you there!  

 

OP - Sorry if I misread, but re-reading it looks like you meant the last (1) hillside that was supposed to be 9 stitches, only had 8 stitches (much less of a mess to fix than the multiple error spots  I thought, thank goodness).  

 

Fudging a correction is sort of a toss-up, sometimes it doesn't really show, sometimes it sticks out like a sore thumb.  I'm with Magiccrochetfan, I'd rip back to the first error where you added a stitch.  If you fudge, and it looks awful, you'll need to rip even MORE (the fudge would add a stitch where you have 8 instead of 9, and subtract a stitch in the next row above that made you "off" in the first place).  If a hill/valley got crooked on 1 row but fixed on the next, it might be overlooked; but if you left it crooked for the whole blanket, it will be obvious.

[redrosesdz]

I completely agree with Magic and GS about the counting on chevrons/ripples.  It's difficult to hide fudged counts.

 

But, I'm chiming in for my thoughts about "cutting and tying" yarn multiple times.  Magic is right that when you rip it out, just don't use those short pieces.  If you've got serious knots in your yarn and/or the manufacturer tied a knot (because they changed yarn or it broke during manufacturing), you need to cut that section and just throw it away.  It's much nicer if you have zero knots in your project.  They are difficult to hide and tend to pop out during washing.

 

When you change yarn, either because you're changing color or skeins or you had to cut the yarn, never tie the two ends together. 

 

To change yarn...

Note: "Old" yarn refers to the yarn in your project. "New" yarn refers to the yarn in your ball/skein.

• Make sure that the old yarn has a long tail for weaving.  If it doesn't, rip out a few stitches.  I like at least 4".
• Make a stitch, but don't complete it.  Stop when you have the last 2 loops on your hook.
• Drop the old yarn and pick up the new yarn.
• Complete the stitch with the new yarn, making sure that it has a long enough beginning tail for weaving.
• If either yarn is loose, gently pull on the tails until it looks like other stitches.
• Place the tails on the wrong side, if they aren't already.
• Crochet 2-4 stitches over the tail (or tails) that are the same color.  Capturing the tail under a couple of stitches helps to anchor it in place.  It's important for the new yarn, but not that important for the old yarn.
• When you're done or have a few more rows, weave the 2 tails in opposite directions.  If they are different colors, weave each one in it's own color.

This may sound complex, but that's only because I tried to describe it in detail.  It's actually quick to do.  More importantly, you'll have a nice, smooth transition that no one will be able to spot or feel.