New to crochet - correct row?

[pennyfarthing12]

Hi everyone, I am brand new to crochet and think I'm messing something up but not sure what it is - hope you can help! I am making a Toft animal (Mike the eel) amigurumi.

The starting ring, Rnd 1 and Rnd 2 went good.  Rnd 3 instructions are (dc2, dc2 into next st) 6 times (24). This looks fine to me and there are the correct 24 stitches back to the start of the spiral, but my stitch marker is suddenly at 6 O' Clock rather than 12 - is that okay? I.e. the round did not make a full circle.

Rnd 4 (dc3, dc2 into the next st) 6 times (30). I think I've done this okay too but it is 30 stitches back to the start of the round, not all the way to the start of the spiral. I'm back at 12 O'Clock now, if that matters.

Can anyone tell where I've gone wrong? I feel like it's round 4 but I've done it several times now and it's always 30 back to my stitch marker but 40+ back to the start of the spiral.

The next round is simply Rnds 5 dc but I'm not sure what that means? Until now it's always been crochet into the next stitch but if it's not into a stitch ...then where does it go? haha Is it just like crocheting a chain?

Thanks for all your help.

[Granny Square]

Welcome to the 'ville!  Guessing you are using UK terms.

Round 3:  "(dc2, dc2 into next st) 6 times (24)"  Another way to write this is '*1 dc into each of the next  2 stitches, 2 dc into the following stitch, repeat from * a total 6 times (total of stitches =24)"

So round 2 must have had 18 stitches (3 x 6 = 18)  because in row 4 you are working over groups of 3 stitches, and creating 4 stitches out of those 3 for a total of 6 times (4 x 6 = 24).

Now the next row--Round 4:  "(dc3, dc2 into the next st) 6 times (30)"  Rewriting this to "'*dc into each of the next  3 stitches, 2 dc into the following stitch, repeat from * a total 6 times (total of stitches =30)"  So, like before except adding a stitch, you are starting with 6 groups of 4 stitches, and creating 6 groups of 5 stitches, and  6 x 5 = 30.

So far, this is the 'formula' for making a flat circle, which is common way to start toys, and I imagine pretty soon there will be fewer increases so your snake will be more tube-like.

If a pattern says 'dc 2' (or any number) and doesn't specify where, it means 1 dc into 1 stitch, so you will be traversing 2 stitches in that example.  If it says 'dc 2 in the next stitch', it's telling you where, so there is no doubt; if it says '2 dc, skip 1 stitch, 2 dc', you will be traversing 5 stitches with 4 dc and making a little gap in the middle--it is only being specific that the 'next' stitch is to be skipped, but otherwise it's 1 stitch into 1 stitch because it's not saying otherwise--I hope that makes sense.  I'm guessing, because you came up short of coming to the end of the round, you read all the "dc2"s as "into 1 stitch"

Edited November 7, 2020 by Granny Square

[pennyfarthing12]

Thank you for getting back to me and yes using UK terms. I appreciate you explaining. I realised what I was doing wrong in Round 4: instead of starting from the next stitch, I was going back to the start of the spiral. Anyway, that's solved now!

I am still a bit confused about the Rnd 5 instruction of just dc. Does it just mean double crochet into the next stitch once? I would understand if the instruction was 'Dc into the next stitch'. Is it just a shortened way of saying that?

[Granny Square]

You're welcome!  And sorry, I overlooked your question on round 5--it might have been nicer if it said "dc around (or across if it was a  row)", but it's not that uncommon to just say 'dc' --and I'll bet it said "round 5: DC (30)", since 30 was the stitch count at row 4, it's a clue that round 5 doesn't have anything else going on increase/decrease-wise, and is just plain DC all the way around.