Amigurumi with foundation chain with 2 or 3 colors

[yenikah]

Hello! I'm new at this forum and I recently started to learn crochet. I bought a pattern by Etsy is an amigurumi pattern, but I can't understand it! I usually work with patterns that use a magic ring, but this one is a foundation chain to make a cat head. I attached the pattern and I'll appreciate if somebody can help me to understand it. Thank you!

 

Edited January 24, 2020 by yenikah

[Granny Square]

Hi and welcome to the 'ville, and to crochet!

Self-published patterns are a pig in a poke, some are well written but many are not, or are not written for new crocheters and assume you can figure out their terse terms.  I think this may fall into the last category.

You are apparently starting with the ears, judging by the color combo.  I have to say, I've been crocheting for decades and have never had a pattern that changed color on a foundation chain.  I just tried it, not a biggie, the biggest 'thing' I see is being careful to keep the tension the same where they join together.  Leave long ends to sew in later.

First, let me back up.  Have you ever worked into a foundation chain?   ...I just erased a bunch of typing because I found a video that says it better.  There are 3 ways to work into the chain, and I didn't go any farther than the beginning of the first method she showed (using the top loop), which she described as the 'easiest, and usually taught to beginners' -- this is how I learned, and even after using the other 2 methods I still use the first because I also think it is superior to the other 2 for various reasons.  After 50 years and however many projects, it has worked for all of them.

I suggest making a practice chain in 1 color, and practicing a little first - get all those wonky stitches out of the way first.

When you get to the real chain in your pattern, just do what it says--make the slip knot with the black and chain 5, drop the black and pick up the white and pull thru the the loop on your hook and make 4 more white chains, then do the same for the yellow.

Then, it omits an important word - it should have said TURN, start in the second chain from the hook.  I like how it color codes the instructions to match the colors you are working in - since you ended with the yellow and turned, you will start with the yellow, and end with the black.

There should be a key to define stitches - all well written patterns have them, they won't explain basic stuff like chain or sc, but 'inc' could be ambiguous - usually it means increase by 1, by putting 2 stitches into 1 stitch. 

This pattern is written rather tersely.  In rnd 1 where it says for example '3 sc, 5 sc, [the first ]4 sc', it means '1 sc into each of the next 3 sc', '1 sc into each of the next 5 sc', '1 sc into each of the next  4sc' -- using the yarn colors indicated.  4 sc into the last stitch (meaning last chain), hopefully makes sense.

OK, now for the part that is probably confusing.  Guess what--you ARE going to be working in the round!  Except in an oval, and the chain is it's 'spine'.  If you chose the method I suggested, you've used the top loop of the chain, but there are 2 unused loops underneath the chain.  

When you work in a circle, as you already know, you scatter the increases around the circle evenly.  In an oval, the increases all happen at the 2 ends of the chain.  Think of an oval as making half a circle, a straight part, and another half circle.  In your pattern, the 4 sc AFTER the first 4sc is all made into 1 stitch -- the last stitch of the chain, and this is turning the corner, making the first half circle.  Now you will be putting stitches into the 2 unused loops of the chain, underneath where you were working before.

Ovals are a little mind bending the first time you do them.  You might look for youtube videos for the concept, the stitch counts will be different but it will make the construction make sense, if my explanation didn't.