Help with tapestry crochet charts

[fishoutofwater]

I'm a bit out of my depth with this pattern but I wanted to challenge myself. I've crocheted the foundation thing, but I can't figure out what colour pattern to do for the short blue arrow starting from D. It says on the website that the blue arrow means chart 3, but this chart starts with 24 stitches which is the same number as the long branch of the foundation thing- so surely it doesn't mean to start this chart at D. Hopefully I'm making sense! oh- and I'm starting with the left mitten.

 the pattern 

[Granny Square]

First, welcome!

Second, yikes!  This is rather convoluted, kudos for figuring out the foundation part.  

Looking at the topmost photo, this is the under-thumb area, which doesn't appear to have any colorwork pattern, it's solid grey).  The mitten with the palm facing shows the grey area at a slant, slanting upward from the pinky side to the thumb; the photo with the back of the hand is mostly solid grey for the first few inches, you can just see the far edge end of the 'slant' under the pinky.  

[bgs]

I would find this very challenging.  First when she says " this pattern is for an experienced crocheter, at least experienced in tapestry crochet. I show the working procedure, but do not explain every stitch in detail."  

The charts only show the color work and do not include every single stitch for that section of the mitten so your numbers are not going to match the chart.  Did you notice in the pattern where it says this "The top stitches are not included in the charts. Use the background color throughout for these, and also for the corners C and D." and below the chart where it says this "let the stripes continue down".  I would have to keep referring to her photos to figure out a lot of it.

Then for me there is the dreaded making two of something that sort of match each other.

Please be sure to post photos when you complete them

[Granny Square]

Fishoutofwater, I was thinking the same thing as Bgs but I didn't want to discourage you from trying.   

If it were me, I've seen similar colorwork mitten patterns that I'm fairly certain were made in a lot simpler way--they were knit, but basically 1 tube with some increase shaping to accomodate the 'thumb 'tube' spouting out, then you stopped working the thumb area and continued with and finished the 'palm + fingers tube' then came back and finished off the thumb tube.  The complexity was in the colorwork, not the construction.

[bgs]

Not wanting to discourage you either!  It was a lot to take in since I havent done tapestry, made mittens,  and the way the pattern is written.  I would have to take advice I often give -----break the pattern out in workable chunks possibly rewriting parts in a way that I can understand and can follow,  just take it a step at a time, and often the photos.  Reading patterns often overwhelm me but often work out just fine if I just take it a step at a time.

[fishoutofwater]

3 hours ago, Granny Square said:

First, welcome!

Second, yikes!  This is rather convoluted, kudos for figuring out the foundation part.  

Looking at the topmost photo, this is the under-thumb area, which doesn't appear to have any colorwork pattern, it's solid grey).  The mitten with the palm facing shows the grey area at a slant, slanting upward from the pinky side to the thumb; the photo with the back of the hand is mostly solid grey for the first few inches, you can just see the far edge end of the 'slant' under the pinky.  

 

2 hours ago, Granny Square said:

Fishoutofwater, I was thinking the same thing as Bgs but I didn't want to discourage you from trying.   

If it were me, I've seen similar colorwork mitten patterns that I'm fairly certain were made in a lot simpler way--they were knit, but basically 1 tube with some increase shaping to accomodate the 'thumb 'tube' spouting out, then you stopped working the thumb area and continued with and finished the 'palm + fingers tube' then came back and finished off the thumb tube.  The complexity was in the colorwork, not the construction.

Thanks so much for the help! Yep- I'm fully acknowledging I might not get very far with this but I just love this style of mitten so thought I might as well give it a go! I'll have to have a good think about it

[Granny Square]

I think the poster's native language is Swedish, but her English is excellent.  I believe designing something, and writing a pattern for it, are 2 completely different skills--not that I think she did a bad job/had errors in it, but it was a bit more notehand version for herself versus written for someone else trying to learn a new skill.  

Maybe SO many complex things in 1 pattern was a bit much, too.  Might be better to find a 'vanilla' mitten pattern and learn about thumb shaping (I'd been crocheting for decades before I made my first mitten - when I moved to a place where I decided I needed them some winter days, and I thought the thumb shaping was interesting).  Tapestrycrochet.com has a lot of tips on that skill, and IIRC a little sample swatch for practice.

 

[fishoutofwater]

3 hours ago, bgs said:

I would find this very challenging.  First when she says " this pattern is for an experienced crocheter, at least experienced in tapestry crochet. I show the working procedure, but do not explain every stitch in detail."  

The charts only show the color work and do not include every single stitch for that section of the mitten so your numbers are not going to match the chart.  Did you notice in the pattern where it says this "The top stitches are not included in the charts. Use the background color throughout for these, and also for the corners C and D." and below the chart where it says this "let the stripes continue down".  I would have to keep referring to her photos to figure out a lot of it.

Then for me there is the dreaded making two of something that sort of match each other.

Please be sure to post photos when you complete them

 

1 hour ago, bgs said:

Not wanting to discourage you either!  It was a lot to take in since I havent done tapestry, made mittens,  and the way the pattern is written.  I would have to take advice I often give -----break the pattern out in workable chunks possibly rewriting parts in a way that I can understand and can follow,  just take it a step at a time, and often the photos.  Reading patterns often overwhelm me but often work out just fine if I just take it a step at a time.

Thank you for the help and warning! Rewriting is definitely a good idea to hopefully get my head round it a bit more. Will definitely be posting photos but the question is more if I complete them rather than when! I haven't bought any particular yarn to use so I'm not completely averse to giving up if it's too much haha

[fishoutofwater]

1 minute ago, Granny Square said:

I think the poster's native language is Swedish, but her English is excellent.  I believe designing something, and writing a pattern for it, are 2 completely different skills--not that I think she did a bad job/had errors in it, but it was a bit more notehand version for herself versus written for someone else trying to learn a new skill.  

Maybe SO many complex things in 1 pattern was a bit much, too.  Might be better to find a 'vanilla' mitten pattern and learn about thumb shaping (I'd been crocheting for decades before I made my first mitten - when I moved to a place where I decided I needed them some winter days, and I thought the thumb shaping was interesting).  Tapestrycrochet.com has a lot of tips on that skill, and IIRC a little sample swatch for practice.

 

Yes I noticed the more freehand writing which probably doesn't help things. I may try this pattern without the tapestry aspect to tone things down a bit or just leave it for now. Thanks for the link- I'll check it out.