hdc/chain space confusion

[lorelurse]

I'm a complete beginner and I'm working on a bikini knitting project with crocheted edges. I've come to a point where I don't understand the instructions so really hope someone can help!

After knitting a cup, I did one row of half double crochet all around it - imagine a knitted triangle with a row of hdc at the bottom and sides. 

I fastened off and am now at this point:

Join yarn with sl st to ch-3 space at bottom right hand corner of first cup, then (ch 3, hdc) in same space

Should there already be a ch-3 space in my crocheted row? It was just a normal half double crochet so I don't understand how there are any spaces.. or am I supposed to make a ch-3 space? But how/where?

And then what does the combination of ch 3, hdc in brackets mean? I understand that you can work into a chain space but I'm not sure what's referred to here.

[redrosesdz]

Welcome to Crochetville! 

When you go around a corner, you need extra stitches. These can be all stitches, all chains, or a combination of both. 

When you did the hdc edge, you should have done a chain 3 at the corners.

Parentheses are used to indicate a series of stitches are all included in the next instruction. In your pattern, you attach the yarn in the corner's chain space. Then you chain 3 and do an hdc in the chain space where you attached the yarn.

What did you do in the corners of the triangle? You may be able to fudge it. Or you can take out round 1 and do it right.

I hope this helps! Let us know. 

[Granny Square]

It sounds like you are a knitter new to crocheting.  Don't panic.  I do both (many more years crocheting however), and crochet is more forgiving of 'fudging' than knitting.   And you can easily put a bunch of stitches into 1 stitch.

As far as 'where' to put the chains...the closest thing I can think of to compare crochet chains to knitting is when you cast on stitches at the end or middle of a row, maybe for a buttonhole or to span an underarm gap.  When you make chain stitches between other stitches in crochet, they 'go' in the air above the stitches below them.  Depending on the situation (# of chain and span), they can form looped lace or a picot look.  

Attached is a little swatch - row of HDC, with half of row of HDC - with 3 chains trailing off at the end so you can see they are just 'in the air'.  Note - if there are more rows of this chain lace following, you'd make the HDC over the chain space below - stick the hook under the loop, instead of into the top of a stitch, to make the HDC.

[sarisue]

Heres a site that has that with ch 3 in corners.

top

[Granny Square]

Well found, Sarisue, I bet this is it.  The first time a chain 3 shows up is in the paragraph above the diagram of the cup

Next: P3tog (top point of cup), sl rem st onto crochet hook and, with right side facing, ch 3, work 20(24,28) hdc evenly down first side edge, ch 3 at corner, work 21(25,29) hdc evenly across bottom edge, ch 3 at corner, work 20(24,28) hdc evenly up second side edge, then sl st to 2nd ch of first ch 3, fasten off.

So Lorelurse, if you missed making the chain 3 at the corner in this round, it's not the end of the world.  The extra stitches at the corner make the piece lie flatter, it may curl a little at the corner without the chains.  If this looks OK to you, you can just work into the corner stitch instead of the corner chain 3 spaces.

[lorelurse]

Thanks so much everyone, your explanations made it very clear!

I started this project a while ago and then got stuck at this point and am excited that I can finally carry on