Vintage Dress Pattern Help

[Snugglymumpkins]

(My second attempt at posting...I spent an hour composing my previous post and the system said there was an error when I tried to post it  I literally cried.)

Anyway, I'm sick of this pattern I've been working on it so long and the little girl I'm making it for is going to be too big for it if I don't finish it soon but I've hit a snag.

 

This is what it should look like:

 

I've just gotten to the sleeves and the pattern reads:

With right side of work toward you, attach thread in 6th row to right of shoulder seam, ch 4, work 3 shells to shoulder seams and 3 shells the other side of shoulder seam, (each shell is worked over 2 rows of sdc) * ch 4, turn, work a shell in each shell and 1 shell beyond last shell, repeat from * until there are 20 shells in row then add 2 shells at end of each row until all rows have been picked up to the straight underarm section.

 

First of all, sdc is what we would now call a half double crochet and those were used in the bodice.  Second, it doesn't specify what kind of shell, so I just assumed 5 double crochet shells with single crochet anchors between each.  This is what I have so far:

 

My issue is that I don't understand how I'm supposed to add another shell at the end of each row and then pick up a stitch in my arm hole.  With the chain 4, it seems to be leaving a piece of the shell just hanging and I don't know how to add the shell and pick up the stitch when the shell at the end of the previous row is just hanging there.  It looks like this:

 

All I can think is that I must be doing something wrong...any advice or insight would be sooooo appreciated!!  I'm at my wit's end!

[magiccrochetfan]

hi and welcome!

 

what happens if instead of ch 4, you did a ch 3 and slip stitch into the armhole?  or, make 4 slip sts instead of the ch4?  then just go ahead and make the shell.  

[redrosesdz]

Welcome to Crochetville!

 

I think I can interpret this.  It's kinda like something I did before.  You have your 6 starting shells.  When you turn & ch 4, it looks like the beginning is hanging out there, but you'll take care of it on the 3rd row.  For your 2nd row, make 7 shells.  The last shell will be anchored on the hdc armhole.  Turn and ch 4.  For row 3, make 8 shells.  The last shell will be anchored on the hdc armhole and will take care of the hanging shell from the end of the first row.  Keep doing this until you get to 20.  Each row after 20 gets 2 new shells anchored to the hdc armhole.

 

@ Kathy!

[magiccrochetfan]

hi Sharon!  

[Snugglymumpkins]

Thank you both for your quick responses! Kathy, I like your little workaround.  and Sharon, I'm thinking I might push forward to row 3 just to see what happens and if I can use your advice.  My brain is a bit foggy lately with a 5 month old keeping up at night so I'm having a hard time grasping what I believe should be simple concepts lol

[Granny Square]

In knitting I believe it's called a contiguous sleeve, where you make the sleeve from the shoulder down in short rows which start and end in the armhole stitches.  It saves making a sleeve separately and sewing it in.  It looks like you're on the right path; you will be making sort of a hill that gets wider and uses another armhole stitch at the end of each short row.  The ends of the rows will sort of look like you are falling off a cliff at first, but what you have so far looks right from what I can see.

 

Ignore the fact that this is knitting, here's a tutorial showing the concept - scroll down about 1/4 of the way,where it says 'start working short rows', with the photo of the sweater and white lines illustrating the shaping.  In this example it starts at the underarm instead of the sleeve top in order to get into position with stitches on the needles, but you can see the widening back and forth from the shoulder top down.

 

If you keep scrolling past where it tells you about 'wrap and turn' (ignore, it's a knitting thing), there are photos that show the sleeve cap developing nicely.

[Snugglymumpkins]

Ya, I think it does look similar to what I'm doing so far so I must be doing it okay. Thanks for the visual Granny Square!