Don't understand pattern.. Please help.

[Pancakegal]

Hi i just bought this pattern from etsy.

And er.., its a coral.

So the instructions go like this...

 

Special note 1: Work through one loop unless otherwise indicated. 

 

 

 

Stem:  Ch 8; Branch 1:  Ch 9; SC into 2nd Ch from hook and into each of next 2 Chs; working under two loops, SC into next Ch.

 

 

 

 

chain only have 1 loop...?

[Gardener]

If you look at the top of the chain it looks sort of like a "V". Each line of the "V" is considered a loop, so if you work under both of them, which is the way most crochet stitches work, you are working under two loops.

 

Here are a couple of online tutorials. These are pictures, but if you look you can probably find videos as well.

 

http://www.stitchdiva.com/tutorials/crochet/crochet-in-the-front-or-back-loops-of-a-stitch

 

http://www.crochetspot.com/crochet-in-front-back-or-both-loops/

[Granny Square]

You can work into a chain in 3 ways, that I know of .

 

If you look at a chain, in the front it looks like, well, a chain <<<<  and in the back, it has bumps - - - -

 

You can stitch into the back bumps.  This makes a nice looking edge, which looks like the chain.  

 

With the chain facing you, you can stitch into the top loop only.  This leaves the bottom loop of the chain, and the back bump, unused.

 

With the chain facing you, you can stitch into the top loop and the back bump.  This leaves the bottom loop of the chain free, and I think this is what they are describing in the second part of the first row -- however they don't tell you how to work into the chain for the first three stitches - do they want you to work into the top loop?  the back bump?  

 

When you work into the back bump, or into the top loop of the chain, you have 2 loops free; when you work under the top loop + back bump, you only have 1 loop free/unused.  I am going to guess that in some row further on, you are going to have to do something different with one or both of the free loops of those first 3 stitches.

 

This is a photo tutorial that explains the 3 ways to work into a chain

http://crochetkitten.blogspot.com/2014/07/the-foundation-chain-three-ways-to-begin.html