Help deciphering vintage jacket pattern

[CraftyCasey]

Hello everyone, I am new to this forum and was hoping someone could help me understand part of this pattern. It's a vintage pattern of a jacket that my cousin gave me and I'm having trouble understanding how to crochet the hood. The part of the pattern I'm struggling with says "Starting at center back, ch 41 to measure 13 1/2 inches. Row 1: hdc in 3rd ch from hook, hdc in next 37 ch, 2 hdc in last ch; working along opposite side of starting chain, skip last ch used, hdc in next 38 ch-78 hdc. DO NOT COUNT TURNING CHAIN AS 1 HDC. Ch 2, turn. Row 2-right side: Hdc in each st across. Ch 2, turn. Repeat 2nd row until there are 11 rows in all. Break off and fasten. With right side of hood at outside and end of starting chain at center back of neck, sew straight edge of hood to neck edge". This all sounds really confusing to me, especially the part where I have to work along the opposite side of the starting chain.. any help would be great. Thanks! Sorry for the long post!

[magiccrochetfan]

Hi, welcome to the ville! Take a look at this tutorial http://www.crochetspot.com/how-to-double-crochet-an-oval/

You are making a rectangle and one half circle as shown in the tutorial.

[CraftyCasey]

Thanks ???? I think what I'm having the most trouble understanding is do I attach the yarn to the center back of the neck piece or do I ch 41 and make the the hood and attach the whole piece when I'm done? Sorry if this is a silly question, it's my first clothing item ????

[Granny Square]

Welcome to the 'ville!

 

If you look at a chain, there are 3 loops in each chain.  With one side of the chain facing you, 2 loops look like a chain, and the flip side has a row of 'back bumps'.

 

When you use a chain 'normally', to make a row of stitches into it, you can use the back bump, or (flip side) either the top loop of the chain looking part, or the top side plus the strand under it (which is the back bump).  So normally, you are just working into 1 side of the chain.

 

But, you can make an oval, or in your case a hood almost an oval (2 sides and 1 end, with the neck end open).  When I work this sort of shape, for a uniform look I start the stitches into the top loop of the chain; when I reach the end (in your case) 2 stitches in the last chain to turn the corner, then turning 180 degrees, work into what was the bottom chain (but is now the top chain after you turned) to the 'end' which is the point you started at.  So instead of an oval, you have a long skinny U shape.  You will now be working up and down that U, the chain  center of the U becomes the back seam of the hood, and presumably the edges at the end that you start and end each U will be sewn to the garment's neck edge.

 

I see Magiccrochet fan has given you a link to a tutorial as I was typing this   

[Granny Square]

Oops, didn't see your reply, OP.  The instructions you gave in your first post says to sew the straight edges of the hood to the neck.

[CraftyCasey]

Ohh, thanks so much you two really clarified that for me!! I can't wait to finish this jacket now ???? Happy hooking!

[magiccrochetfan]

you're welcome

It's confusingly written because it says "Starting at center back, ch 41"

that is not the clearest way to express it!