first time crocheting, don't understand instructions

[zeev55]

Hi All,

So I'm trying to make my first crocheting project and I can't figure out the instructions

In the first round of the bill of the pinguine: should I make 4 sc through the same chain? what about the next chains, should I also make sc in them or skip them and go straight to make 3 sc in the last chain?

I also don't understand the following rounds but I'm not even going to ask about those before completing the first one.

Will really appreciate if someone could help me with this

Thanks

[Bailey4]

This is a different way of making an ami rather than making a traditional circle either by using a magic circle or by chaining two and putting all your first stiches into the first chain.

I have several ami patterns that use this alternate method.  This requires you to use both sides of your chain 6.

So you will chain 6

Starting from the second chain in the hook you will make a sc in the next 4 stiches.  My suggestion is to mark the first stitch with a piece of yarn or other removable marker.  You won't want a knitting marker that will be stitched in.  I use safety pins.

In the last stitch of the row you will make 3 sc.

Now you will be working on the other side of the chain this creates the "round" effect of your ami that is normally achieve by starting with a circle.

They want you to put make 3 sc on the opposite side of the starting chain and join with a slip stitch.  You will want to separate them out evenly along the other side of the starting chain.  You should count and make sure you created 10 sc.  The end of the nose facing us is what this is going to look like.

 

Round 2 just has you putting 1 sc in each stitch you created.  If you get to round 3 post and we can help you from there.

[magiccrochetfan]

also, here is a link to a tutorial on this method  https://www.allaboutami.com/foundationchain/   your stitch count may differ

[zeev55]

Hi, I think I was able to finish the first two steps successfully.

Could you please explain the third step?

[Granny Square]

Oh my, this is not a conventionally written pattern and unfortunate that you are having to muddle through this on your very first project.  

One good thing about the pattern however is that it does give you the final stitch count at the end of each round, so it gives a clue what "1 x 2 sc" means--I've never seen this terminology before (and I've been crocheting close to 50 years). 

I'm fairly certain this means "make 2 sc into the next (1)stitch", because it conforms to the increase in stitch count given at the end of the round.  I'm surprised it didn't describe it better like it did in a similar instruction in an earlier row, when it said "3 sc into next ch".  Making 2 stitches into 1 is an increase of 1, and this instruction happens twice in the round, so 2 stitches added, which matches the new total number of stitches being 12, where the prior round was 10.

A side note - A good thing to do when you start a pattern is to read through it first; a well written pattern should have an index of stitches that explain the abbreviations, usually at the beginning or end of the pattern. 

[zeev55]

Hi, thanks for the help.

I finished with the bill part and now trying to finish the eye patches.

I did rows 1-3 with no problem, but now I'm having trouble understanding the instructions for row 4.

 

How dows it come to 10 AS?

btw AS means Afghan stitch. AS2tog means to deacrease one Afghan stitch and sc means single crochet

[Granny Square]

OK, so row 3 ended with with 12 stitches.

Row 4:  AS2tog (meaning to turn 2 stitches into 1), 8 SC, AS2tog (turn 2 stitches into 1).  Now add up the red numbers : 1+8+1=10

Think of it as counting the number of the tops of stitches that remain after doing the decreases.  When you combine 2 stitches together, you start with 2 stitch bottoms but turn them into 1 stitch top that will be available to use in the next row.

Actually, counting 12 to 10 was the easy part.

What I'm not able to visualize in my head is how you are going to combine AS and SC after that.  I'll have to admit I'm not an Afghan Stitch expert, and have only done things with no decreases (mostly entrelac).  If I were doing this, and since most of the stitches beyond row 3 are SC anyway, is just read all the "AS" in row 3 and beyond as "SC".