Baby shoe strap

[HelenDublin]

Hello! Another question from me about the same pattern...

The strap is just not working for me! (See pic of pattern, using UK terms). By my reading, after I have done the initial 8 stitches for the first row, I then do another 7 - working into the underside of the chain I just worked into - so it makes a kind of horseshoe shape. But then it wants me to turn and make the buttonhole after 11 stitches. When I do that, the buttonhole ends up off to the side, and things go from bad to worse after that. I took the third row to mean "1dc into each of the remaining 12 or so stitches in the horseshoe" and then I end up just having a blob of crochet and nothing that even remotely resembles a strap! Any idea where I could be going wrong?

I assume it should be a bit thicker at the base of the strap to attach to the rest of the shoe, but definitely not like whatever it is I have done! The marker in the pic is where the buttonhole is.

I have also included a pic of what the shoes *should* look like, if only someone competent was making them!

Thanks 😊

 

Edited July 27, 2020 by HelenDublin

[Granny Square]

This pattern is messed up, it's not you.  A lot of the time when someone asks a question I diagram that bit of the pattern out, this strap looked simple enough at first glance, like you said a sort of horseshoe or an oval with 1 end curve missing, but the number of stitches given does not go from one flat end of the oval to the other--it's 2 stitches short following the smallest size (I'm counting the first chain of the turning chain a stitch, as you said from an earlier question on this pattern, right?) And this is on round 1!  (see diagram, I didn't go farther when I realized it wasn't working).

And then, the part after 4th row of the strap section doesn't seem to belong there, adding 4[6:8] rows; 8 rows is almost the # of rows from toe tip to leg opening!

The strap in the photo does not look like it is thicker where it attaches to the shoe, it is straight across, as it is written. In fact it looks like it's like 4 dc thick, which would only 2 rounds (row 1 top, row 1 bottom, row 2 top, row 2 bottom).  

 

 

[HelenDublin]

2 hours ago, Granny Square said:

This pattern is messed up, it's not you.  A lot of the time when someone asks a question I diagram that bit of the pattern out, this strap looked simple enough at first glance, like you said a sort of horseshoe or an oval with 1 end curve missing, but the number of stitches given does not go from one flat end of the oval to the other--it's 2 stitches short following the smallest size (I'm counting the first chain of the turning chain a stitch, as you said from an earlier question on this pattern, right?) And this is on round 1!  (see diagram, I didn't go farther when I realized it wasn't working).

And then, the part after 4th row of the strap section doesn't seem to belong there, adding 4[6:8] rows; 8 rows is almost the # of rows from toe tip to leg opening!

The strap in the photo does not look like it is thicker where it attaches to the shoe, it is straight across, as it is written. In fact it looks like it's like 4 dc thick, which would only 2 rounds (row 1 top, row 1 bottom, row 2 top, row 2 bottom).  

 

 

I encountered the same stitch numbering problem! But I decided that you must only count one of the skipped chains when you start on the third chain, so I just ignored it. I contacted Sirdar's helpline, but I think I will give up on this pattern unless they can figure it out. I have too much to knit and crochet before this baby arrives!

Are there any good baby pattern brands that you would recommend? Sirdar is the best one for knitting baby patterns over here, but maybe their crochet patterns aren't so good.

Thanks again for your help!

[Granny Square]

That's disappointing that it's from a yarn company's website, and it's so messed up; I was wrinkling my nose at your pattern at the earlier post when it was pointed out that a chain  was subbed for a SC (oops, your DC).  Yarn company patterns I've encountered are usually tech edited and make corrections or provide errata if errors get by the editors.  

If you don't mind reading patterns in US stitch terms (and translating US yarn weights to UK, and yards to meters), yarnspirations patterns that I've encountered seem to be fairly well written.  A couple of years ago Spinrite bought out a LOT of yarn companies (Coats & Clark, Patons, Bernat, Lily, Bernat, & others--some had been around for a century or 2 so kinda sad), but the nice thing is the patterns are all in one place.  Lion Brand patterns I've used are nice too, but you need to register to download the pattern (you can look at the pattern photo and I think see the yarn requirements; also they recently did some website re-vamping recently, not sure if all the links are sorted out).  

Also, Annie's Attic / DRG publications patterns are usually well written, and I know I've seen a lot of baby/toddler patterns there (may be a mix of printed and e-patterns, I haven't explored there in a while.  They have a free site. Free-Crochet.com, and I don't know how much overlaps with the Annie's main site (the first link) but patterns for download at e-patterns central.com