Pattern Help

[Erinla]

Hi there! So I'm a pretty avid knitter, but I've only dabbled in crochet. With the arrival of my new baby niece, I'm trying to make her a baby blanket/doll thing using this pattern (I'm making the Leia one )) I know it's kind of difficult because I can't like the actual pattern as I had to pay for it and on the PDF i can't copy and past any of the instructions to post here, but hopefully somebody will still be able to help me. I'm only just working on the body/blanket part, but it just doesn't look right. 

This is what I have done, I'm over halfway done with the skirt, but it's full of holes all over and it looks nothing like the picture I've done this over three times now and I just can't figure out what I'm doing wrong. It's very frustrating, as I usually pick up on this sort of thing quickly.

 

 

 

[redrosesdz]

Welcome to Crochetville!

 

Erin, I hate to tell you this, but it looks like you got lost on round 2 or 3.  You're making a round ripple and what you're showing is a pretty lace.   You have 2 choices.  You can go with what you have.  The recipient is never going to know.  (It is really pretty!)  Or you can frog it and start over.

 

If you decide to start over, I recommend googling crochet round ripple tutorial.  I saw a few youtube videos and some beginner's guides.  You might want to take a look at the Yarn Council's how to read a crochet pattern, too.

 

If you do decide to frog it, there is a list of tips for rounds and for ripples.  I'm going to start another reply with the tips, so they don't get lost in this one.

[redrosesdz]

The Ring:

You can make a static ring to get a hole in the center or an adjustable ring to pull the hole closed.

 

Static Ring: Chain 4 (or 5 for a big ring).  Slip stitch in the first chain to make a ring.  Chain up to get height, just like a turning chain.  Insert your hook in the center of the ring to make stitches. 

 

Adjustable Ring: Chain 1. Chain up to get height, just like a turning chain.  Insert your hook in the first chain to make stitches.  Continue inserting your hook in the first chain for every stitch around.  (Or do a Magic Circle Ring.)

 

For both types of rings, make sure that you crochet over the tail while doing the round 1 stitches.  The easiest way to do this is to hold on to the tail as you hold the ring. 

 

When the ring is full, slip stitch to the first stitch (SC) or to the top of the chain up (DC/TR).  To do a spiral, skip the slip stitch and just make your next stitch in the top of the first stitch from round 1.

 

For the adjustable ring, pull the tail to close the hole.

 

Running Stitch for Marking Rounds:

To keep track of rounds, use a running stitch to mark rounds.  Get a piece of scrap yarn that will be easy to see.  It should be longer than what you’re making.  Before you do the first stitch in round 2, place one end of the scrap yarn across your work, with the short end towards you.  Crochet over the scrap yarn.  Before you do the first stitch in round 3, flip the scrap yarn towards you.  Crochet over the scrap yarn.  Before you do the first stitch in round 4, flip the scrap yarn away from you.  Continue flipping it back and forth under the first stitch in every round.  It will start to spiral to the right as you add rounds.  (To the left, if you’re left handed.) This is normal.  When you’re done with the project, pull it out.  Note: If the scrap yarn doesn’t spiral smoothly, then a round is wrong.  Frog the work until it’s a smooth spiral.

 

Keeping Rounds Flat:

Round 1 is easy.  It is X number of stitches.

Round 2 is always an increase (2 stitches in the same stitch) in every round 1 stitch.  The stitch count will be X * 2.

Round 3 is repeating a stitch and then an increase.  The stitch count will be X * 3

Round 4 is repeating a stitch, a stitch, and then an increase.  (Increase in every 3rd stitch).  The stitch count will be X * 4.

Round 5 is repeating a stitch, a stitch, a stitch and then an increase. (Increase in every 4th stitch). The stitch count will be X * 5.

Etc.

 

To get a curl, like a hat or bowl, slow down the increasing and then stop increasing.

 

If you're working on a round that has other instructions, like a round ripple, the rounds will different than what was just described.  Usually the first couple of rounds are as described. 

 

Ripple Tips:

Ripples are made of 2 hills, a peak and a valley.  The peak is an increase, typically 3 stitches in the same stitch.  The down hill is X number of stitches.  The valley is a decrease, typically 3 stitches together.  The up hill is the same X number of stitches as the down hill. 

 

Valleys on each row/round line up.  Peaks on each row/round line up.  If they aren't lining up, the count is wrong.  It helps to count the stitches while doing a hill as "1 up", "2 up", etc. and "1 down", "2 down", etc.  It is easy to get lost!  If you get lost, try putting a stitch marker in the middle stitch of each peak or a stitch marker in each valley.

 

Round ripples have the added complication of increasing each round, to keep it flat.  This means that the number of stitches in each hill is going to increase by 1 on every round.  If you've never done a ripple, it's recommended that you practice with a flat ripple before doing a round ripple.  That way, you'll know how the hills, peaks and valleys work.

[magiccrochetfan]

Hi Erin, welcome!

 

I just want to say that I agree with Sharon that what you have made is pretty!  In my opinion it will look good if you go ahead and use it as is.  No one but you will ever know it doesnt look like the pattern, or if they did know that they wouldn't know you didn't make the changes on purpose.  At least don't rip it out yet.  Set it aside and start a new piece if you want to keep working on getting the ripple set up as in the pattern.  then you can compare the 2 and see which you like best.  

 

Also, it is OK to type out a couple of lines of the pattern in a post here to get help.  

[Granny Square]

Excellent advice above.  I also agree with Redrosesdz that if that was the whole skirt, I'd have never noticed that you weren't making a lovely lacy pattern instead of a plainer ripple.  I also suspect you may not be putting stitches in entirely the right spots (I may be mistaken, but I think I'm seeing adjacent stitches that have multiple stitches into them, and that should only be happening on 1 hilltop stitch for each set of valley/hill/hilltop/hill.

 

Oh dear, typing slow again, Hi Magic

[magiccrochetfan]

Hi GrannySquare!  

[Granny Square]

Erinla-I don't want to confuse you if this is REALLY different than your pattern, but I suspect it is close.  This is a pattern for a round ripple that looks very similar to the skirt in the pattern pic, and if you scroll down there is a stitch diagram.

 

The neat thing about crochet diagrams versus knitting diagrams (in my skewed opinion as a long time crocheter and short time knitter), is that crochet diagrams are more 'freehand' and look like the actual stitches and the finished piece (knitting ones are more abstract with rigid grids).  In this diagram, every other row is an alternate color; the open ovals are chains and the lines that look like straight pins with a slash across them are DCs (US terms, or triples in UK terms).  The diagram might help you see the ripple concept better than just the written words.

[Erinla]

Thanks everyone for your advice! Unfortunately I really wanted it to look like the pattern, but I think I'll just have to stick to knitting and find something else to make. I looked up tutorials but none of the instructions are like the instructions in this pattern, and no matter how many times I try to read it over and figure it out, I just can't seem to do this.

 

Thanks anyway, though.

[magiccrochetfan]

Did you look at the projects on Ravelry? Sometimes people post in-progress photos that can be really helpful in seeing how the stitch pattern lines up.

[redrosesdz]

Aw, don't give up.  Magic's advice may still work.  She said that you're allowed to type out a few rounds of the pattern, just not the whole thing.  Try posting the first 5 rounds.  We can write it out in detail, so that it makes more sense to you.

[Erinla]

I did try looking on Ravelry, thanks, but no matter what I try this just doens't come out right. I keep having gaps between my dc stitches and I don't know why it looks like this But you guys are really sweet. Here's the first few lines of the pattern.

 

R1: with I hook, magic loop, ch 3 (always counts as dc) 11 dc in loop, join (12) 

R2: ch 3, dc in same st, 2 dc in each remaining st, join (24) 

R3: ch 3, 2 dc in same st, sk st, [3 dc in next st, sk st] 11 times, join (36) 

R4: sl st to next st, ch 3, 4 dc in same st, sk 2 sts, [5 dc in next st, sk 2 sts] 11 times, join (60) 

R5: sl st to next st, ch 3, 3 dc in next st, dc in 1 st, sk 2 sts, [dc in 1 st, 3 dc in next st, dc in 1 st, sk 2 sts] 11 times, join (60) 

 

R6: sl st to next st, ch 3, dc in same st, 3 dc in next st, 2 dc in next st, sk 2 sts, [2 dc in next st, 3 dc in next st, 2 dc in next st, sk 2 sts] 11 times, join (84 

[redrosesdz]

I'm going to write out rounds 3-6.  It looks like you have the first 2 rounds.  By the way, the Number in bold () is your stitch count.  With rounds, it's extremely important that your count matches the count in the pattern. 

 

R3: ch 3, 2 dc in same st, sk st, [3 dc in next st, sk st] 11 times, join (36) 

1. Chain 3 (to get height, this counts as a DC), 2 more DC in the same stitch.
2. Skip stitch
3. 3 DC in the next stitch
4. Skip stitch
5. Repeat steps 3 & 4 around
6. Join with a slip stitch to the top of the chain 3 in step 1.

R4: sl st to next st, ch 3, 4 dc in same st, sk 2 sts, [5 dc in next st, sk 2 sts] 11 times, join (60) 

1. Slip stitch to the next stitch to get to the middle of the 3DC cluster.
2. Chain 3, 4 DC in the same stitch
3. Skip 2 stitches
4. 5 DC in the middle of the next 3DC cluster.
5. Skip 2 stitches
6. Repeat steps 4 & 5 around
7. Join with a slip stitch to the top of the chain 3 in step 2.

Note: Every 5DC cluster should be in the middle of round 3's 3DC cluster.

 

R5: sl st to next st, ch 3, 3 dc in next st, dc in 1 st, sk 2 sts, [dc in 1 st, 3 dc in next st, dc in 1 st, sk 2 sts] 11 times, join (60) 

1. Slip stitch to next stitch to get to the 4th DC in the 5DC cluster.
2. Chain 3
3. 3 DC in the middle of the 5DC cluster.
4. DC in the 2nd DC of the 5DC cluster.
5. Skip the next 2 stitches, which are the 1st DC in the 5DC cluster and the 5th DC in the next 5DC cluster.
6. DC in the 4th DC of the 5DC cluster
7. 3 DC in the middle of the 5DC cluster
8. DC in the 2nd DC of the 5DC cluster
9. Skip the next 2 stitches, which are the 1st DC in the 5DC cluster and the 5th DC in the next 5DC cluster.
10. Repeat steps 6-9 around
11. Join with a slip stitch to the top of the chain 3 in step 2.

Note: You now have DC, 3DC, DC in the middle 3 stitches of every 5 DC cluster from round 4.

 

R6: sl st to next st, ch 3, dc in same st, 3 dc in next st, 2 dc in next st, sk 2 sts, [2 dc in next st, 3 dc in next st, 2 dc in next st, sk 2 sts] 11 times, join (84

1. Slip stitch to next stitch to get to the 3rd DC in the 3DC cluster.
2. Chain 3 and DC in the same stitch to make a 2DC cluster in the 3rd DC of the 3DC cluster
3. 3 DC in the middle of the 3DC cluster
4. 2 DC in the 1st DC of the 3DC cluster
5. Skip the next 2 stitches, which are the 1st stand alone DC in the DC, 3DC, DC grouping and the last stand alone DC in the next grouping.
6. 2 DC in the 3rd DC of the 3DC cluster
7. 3 DC in the middle of the 3DC cluster
8. 2 DC in the 1st DC of the 3DC cluster
9. Skip the next 2 stitches, which are the 1st stand alone DC in the DC, 3DC, DC grouping and the last stand alone DC in the next grouping.
10. Repeat steps 6-9 around.
11. Join with a slip stitch in the top of the chain 3 in step 2.

Note: You now have 2DC, 3DC, 2DC in the 3DC cluster from round 5.

 

I hope this helps!  I'm really glad that you typed out the first few rounds.  The picture looks like a round ripple, but the instructions are not for a round ripple.  No wonder you were confused, if you looked at the videos for round ripples!  I think where you went wrong was on round 4.  In the picture, your 5 DC clusters aren't in the middle of round 3's 3 DC clusters.  Did you miss the slip stitch at the beginning of the round?  That would throw you off.  I think once your clusters are in the right stitch, you won't have as many holes.  Please post another pic when you get to this point.

[Erinla]

 

Okay, so I followed your instructions and it looks a lot better, but I'm still not sure if I'm doing this right. And thank you so much for going through this trouble. I really appreciate your help.

[redrosesdz]

You got it!  It's beginning to look like the skirts on the dolls in your link.  Do a few more rounds and see what you think.  Sometimes ripples take a while before you see the shape.  This is not a traditional ripple pattern, so I'm not sure when the shape will show.  I see it in your last round. 

 

You're welcome.  I really enjoy helping when I can and I know others here feel the same way. 

[sarisue]

 It is very good and I think you'll get it soon. It is an interesting pattern and I wanted to see the sequence.

Rnd 3 has 12, 3dc sells with a skipped stitch between them. Rnd 4 has 12, 5 dc shells worked in the middle dc of the 3 dc shells with 2 skipped stitches between them. In rnd 5 you will  have 12, 5 dc shells also worked over the ones in the rnd before . In rnd 6 there will be 12, with 7 dcs etc.

[Erinla]

Thanks again guys! I finally got the blanket part done, though, sarisue, now that i look at yours, I still think I did mine wrong! I just can't seem to get it to line up right, but at least it looks okay now. I'm not sure If I have time to redo it, but I might. I'm a little sick of looking at it, to be honest haha! 

But thanks so much, all of this helped a ton!