Pattern Help please

[Woodgnome]

Hi, I’m new to crochet and I have a beginners pattern for making Harry Potter.
Everything seems clear until I get to round 5 of the magic ring. The pattern states:

Round 4:[dc 1, inc] x 6 (24)

Round 5:  dc 1 + [inc, dc 3] x5 + inc + dc 2 (30)

So does this mean that for round 5 I would dc1, then increase, then dc3, (repeating this process five times) then at the end of this I increase and then dc2?
So something like this: dc,[inc,dc,dc,dc(x5)],inc,dc,dc

 

[bgs]

You repeat the entire sequence that is within the brackets 5 times.

dc

inc, dc, dc, dc

inc, dc, dc, dc

inc, dc, dc, dc

inc, dc, dc, dc

inc, dc, dc, dc

inc

dc

dc

Placement of the x5 within the brackets would mean something else.

 

[Granny Square]

Welcome to the 'ville!  Not meaning to nitpic, but just to correct your terms a bit since you are new - the 'magic ring' part is really only the first 'proto-stitch' that you make before starting the first round.  The rest is round 1, 2, 3...etc.

The rounds after round 1 end in a number in parenthesis - this is a 'sanity check' summary number of the total # of stitches you should have made in each round.

You are starting to crochet a flat circle.  Notice round 1 is 6 stitches and round 2 thru 8 each add 6 stitches to the total.  This pattern is written in a rather abbreviated manner, not 'beginner' terms.  I assume you've got round 1 done--I suggest you put a stitch marker in the first stitch of the round (and move it up to the next first stitch as you go, so you don't lose your place.

Round 2 is 2 stitches into each stitch, for a  total of 12.

Rnd 3 is *1 dc in the first (1) stitch, 2 dc in the next, repeat. 

Rnd 4 is *1 dc in the first (2) sts, 2 dc in the next, repeat.

Rnd 5 is 1 dc in the first (1) sts, 2 dc in the next, *1 dc in the next (3) sts, 2 dc in the next--until there are are only 2 stitches left, 1 dc in each of these 2 dc.

See the pattern developing in row 2-4?  (round 2 is 0 plain stitches between increases, round 3 is1 plain stitch between increases, round 3 is 2 plain stitches...)...you cold keep repeating that for an infinite number of rounds, just increasing the # of plain stitches between increases, and the "circle" will keep growing.  The problem is, because the increases end up stacked on top of each other, it will start to form a hexagon.  What round 5 is doing is following exactly the same 'concept' as before, only staggering where the increases happen--if you add up the red 'plain' dc stitches, they add up to 3 so follow the spacing between the increases per the pattern, just interrupting the 'stack' point of the increases.

Edited February 4, 2020 by Granny Square